Gang is a group of people who associate with one another for social or criminal reasons. Most gangs consist of teenagers, though some include children or adults. Reports of gang activity come from around the world. Most gangs are based in low-income city neighborhoods. Gangs have also formed in many prisons.
Nonprison gang members spend much of their time together hanging out on street corners and engaging in other noncriminal behavior. At other times, they may take part in delinquent activities, such as stealing cars and taking them for joy rides, drinking alcohol, using illegal drugs, vandalizing, or engaging in rape or other sexual misbehavior. Some gangs are involved in the illegal drug trade, but many gang members sell drugs only as individuals. Conflict between rival gangs over territory often leads to fighting and sometimes to killing.
Gangs may differ by the age, sex, ethnic group, or neighborhood of their members. Most gang members are males, but there are some female gangs. In the United States, about one-third of all adolescent gang members are female. Female gang members, however, account for less than 10 percent of all gang-related homicides. In the past, most gang members were immigrants from Europe. Today, many gangs consist of people of Black, Hispanic, or Asian descent. Some gangs have complex leadership structures, but most are loosely organized.
Sociologists believe that most gang members feel pessimistic about their chances of succeeding in life. Many members have dropped out of school and lack jobs. Most come from communities with high crime rates, and many come from families with little parental control. Researchers have found that gang activity is most effectively reduced by combining antigang police actions with job programs, recreational activities, and educational support for gang members.
Gangs have existed in the United States since the mid-1800’s. Early gangs consisted mostly of adults involved in theft, illegal liquor sales, or political deals. In the 1920’s and 1930’s, gangs led by Al Capone and other bosses controlled most of the nation’s organized crime. Youth gangs of the 1950’s and 1960’s fought mostly one another in fist, club, or knife fights. Since the 1970’s, the increasing use of guns has made gang violence more deadly for members and others.
