What is a street gang?
Street gangs can come in all sizes, from a few to many hundreds. They form and re-form almost daily;
they split, or take over other gangs. Dictionaries usually define the word ‘gang’ as being associated with
crime.
How do law enforcement agencies determine
gang membership?
law enforcement agencies define a gang member as
a person who:
1. has been identified by reliable source(s) as a gang member
2. associates with known gang members
3. admits to gang membership
4. is involved in gang motivated crime
5. has a judge state they were a gang member in court rulings
6. displays common gang symbols
Who is at risk of joining a gang?
Although anyone can join, experts have found that people who join gangs tend to:
• lack basic survival needs, feelings of safety and belonging
• be male, although some gangs have female associates/members
• be between the ages of 13 and 23
• have other family members or friends involved with gangs
• come from homes where alcohol or drug abuse is present
• do poorly at school
• have a need to exercise power and control over others
• have a history of violent or criminal acts
• come from poverty
• have low self-esteem
• be victims of abuse or neglect
• have negative role models
• be unemployed with few work skills
• have angry, pro-crime attitudes
Gang Life
The three Rs of gang life are: Reputation, Respect and Retaliation.
Gang members work at building reputations so their peers will hold them in high regard. They demand
the respect they feel they deserve as gang members. If they don't get that respect, they retaliate, often
with violent acts. Gang members actively promote their gangs. They depend on their gang sub-culture
to provide their major wants and needs.
Gang members manipulate and bully lesser gang members and others in a community.
Are there different levels of gang involvement?
Families should not assume that their children will never be curious about gang life. Children who live in
a community with a gang presence may be curious. Knowing something about how gangs operate and
how to recognize a gang’s influence on a community can help families respond quickly and correctly if a
child shows at-risk behavior. A response based on reliable knowledge could save a child’s life. Knowing
about attitudes that lead to gang involvement may help guardians, educators, law enforcement officers
and others who work with, or relate to, young people.
Fantasizing about gang activity
Some people come to admire a gang member or the gang lifestyle and fantasize about gang
membership. This can happen even if they don’t know a gang or gang members. Films, television,
newspapers and other media can stimulate such fantasies.
Potential or “wannabe” members
These are usually the youngest people associated with a gang –who are likely recruits for the gang or
actively seeking gang membership. They may be as young as nine or 10. They hang around with gang
members and believe gang life is normal and worthwhile. They may have problems and opinions in
common with gang members.
Associate/Affiliate members
Some gangs let people who are not fully initiated or involved with the gang to be affiliate members. The
gang offers protection and support to affiliate members in exchange for specific services.
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Gang Members
Members have full membership in the gang and owe absolute loyalty to it. These members have
generally completed some form of initiation. They are active with the gang and show that they are
committed to the gang lifestyle.
Females and Gangs
There are some female street gangs as well as females who are part of male gangs. They generally
have the following characteristics.
They may:
• come from poverty
• live in inner-city areas and areas of high crime
• be young, single, unemployed, and undereducated
• have suffered personal abuse – sexual or physical
• be or have been involved in the child welfare system
• have been involved in criminal acts
Female motivations for joining gangs are the same as those for males. In tougher areas of a city or
town, vulnerable youth sometimes feel forced to join gangs to survive – joining seems like their only
option. Females generally participate in most of the same activities as male gang members, and may
also be sexually exploited through prostitution.
As with most organized crime groups, female gang members are not leaders in male gangs. The
females rank themselves and are often invisible to the males – until they’re needed for something.
Female members take many of the same risks but don’t get the same benefits as male members. They
often suffer abuse from the male gang members.
Are there different levels of gang activity?
Gang activity can range from juvenile delinquent behavior to criminal street gang activity.
"I mean, if you see someone quivering at your feet, it makes you feel like: 'Yeah, I have power over this
person.'
It’s a head buzz. It's better than actually really getting high. Even though the guy might be six-foot six
and you're only five-foot-ten and you've got four of your friends [so] this guy is scared of you. I mean,
one- on- one you would never do that. It's a real big high.
It makes you feel you're untouchable."
(Bill, 15) ex-gang member1
1 Matthews,Fred. Youth Gangs on Youth Gangs /Toronto: Ontario Ministry
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Juvenile delinquent behavior includes extorting lunch money, writing graffiti, vandalism, bullying,
intimidation, stealing bicycles, burglaries, shoplifting, drug use, drug dealing and truancy. All this
behavior can lead to serious criminal street gang activity. Criminal street gang activity includes more
serious crimes, such as, assault, robbery, home invasion, homicide, manslaughter, murder, drug
dealing, drive-by shooting, arson, sexual exploitation of women and children, intimidation of victims and
witnesses and vehicle theft.
What gangs do
Street gang members spend some of their time doing the same activities as everyone else. However,
much of their time is spent on planning or engaging in criminal behavior. When they get together, the
potential for violent crime is far greater than for other groups. The violence is indiscriminate,
unpredictable and claims innocent victims. Gang members use violence to intimidate and build their
reputations.
Sexual Exploitation of Children and Youth
Gangs have a strong influence on the sexual exploitation of children and youth. Gang members may
pressure their girlfriends or other young women to exchange sex for drugs, or to prostitute themselves
on the streets or indoors for money that is handed over to the gang. Many of these children who are
sexually exploited by gang members are either forced or coerced by people they consider friends. Many
of them have not had their basic needs for survival, security and belonging met by their family or
friends. The children see this as an opportunity to get their needs met and are misled into believing
these people really care. The reality is much different, because the abuse and victimization continues.
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WHAT CAN BE DONE ABOUT GANGS —
THE ROLE OF FAMILIES & COMMUNITIES
The more you get involved with children, their friends and the activities they’re involved with, the less
chance there is of losing children to a gang. Gangs can be stopped from forming and spreading. This
begins with families, schools, law enforcement agencies, religious institutions, community organizations,
businesses and young people themselves. No single person, group or agency can solve a gang
problem alone. We must act together against gangs and take responsibility for keeping our
communities safe.
Here are some tips to help prevent gang activity:
• Know the signs of gang involvement, talk about gangs with children and listen to their concerns.
• Develop a prevention plan and learn how to help children, their friends and others stay away from or
get out of gangs.
• Learn to identify when gangs are moving into a neighborhood and mobilize local residents and
agencies to fight against the spread of gangs in the community.
What to do to help keep children out of gangs
Here are some ways to help keep children safe from gangs:
Be gang aware. Read and learn the signs of gang involvement. Go to gang awareness meetings in
schools, community centers, places of worship or homes of other families. Involve the children. Involve
the whole community in stopping gangs from forming or spreading.
Join a parent/family education program. Gang members often join because gangs offer attention,
protection and a sense of belonging. Children who receive support are not as likely to join gangs. Many
social/health agencies and school divisions offer parenting courses. These courses teach parents and
other family members how to talk to children, how to better face the problems of blended and single-
parent families and how to help children get the best possible education.
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If you are worried about a child, ask your school office, a school guidance counselor, a public health
office, a social agency, a youth leader or a spiritual leader for help.
Encourage children to stay in school. Research shows that keeping kids in school is one of the best
ways to keep them away from gangs and crime. Work with schools, parent-teacher associations,
teachers and guidance counselors to help children do well in school. If a child has dropped out of
school, ask the school about education re-entry programs.
Help children be socially and physically active and healthy.
By helping children get involved in activities after school and on weekends, you will help them gain
positive experiences, new skills and healthy friendships. Check with community centers, youth groups,
sports and cultural programs in your community. Find out what kind of activities they offer.
Get professional help. Substance or drug problems put young people at higher risk of joining gangs. It
is important to get professional help before it is too late.
Prevention Strategies
Don’t risk having a child become a victim. Gangs do exist and they are a serious problem. Learn more
about gangs and other things that could harm children. Talk with children about what to expect from
gangs and how to stay safe in their neighborhoods. Tell children that violence and crime are almost
always part of gang membership.
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Talk with and listen to children. Make them feel comfortable talking about any topic or problem. Allow
them to express themselves to you without the fear of being judged or blamed. Try to problem-solve
with children not for them. It’s important to empower children so they are better able to make good
decisions. You are better able to help them if you understand what concerns them. Build children's self
esteem through strong family and community ties so that they will not need to look other places for
acceptance. Be sure children know they are important to you and your community.
What if I suspect a child is in a gang?
If you think a child may be at risk of joining a gang or already in a gang, get help. Contact programs
and agencies in your community that help children. You may be saving a child’s life. Learn about the
law and legal issues in your neighborhood and get involved with your community. Do your part to stop
gangs in your area. A list of resources is included at the back of this handbook. Families and
communities should not jump to hasty conclusions about their children and gangs. The warning signs of
gang involvement can be similar to normal behavior during adolescence. The key is to question the
behavior if it appears to go beyond the norm.
What are the signs that a child is involved in a gang?
It’s important to know what to look for if you think a child might be involved in gang activity. Normal
teenage behavior is sometimes hard to tell from the first signs of gang activity. You should consider
gang involvement if you notice the following changes in a child:
Changes in the way they look
❒ dirty or messy in appearance
❒ wearing gang clothing
❒ odd haircuts
❒ tattoos
❒ odd eyebrow markings
❒ odd pen marks, bruises or burns on arms, hands and body
Changes in behavior and personality
❒ sudden changes in mood
❒ anger, breaking rules
❒ resentful of authority
❒ bad attitudes towards family and/or school
❒ bullying or assaulting others
❒ trouble with the law
❒ drug, alcohol or substance abuse
❒ using hand signals
❒ using gang slang, heavy swearing
❒ claiming a new nickname
❒ lack of responsibility, not doing chores and/or homework, forgetting family occasions
❒ blaming, lying, making excuses
❒ asking for or stealing money
❒ spending lots of money
❒ having lots of unexplained money
❒ needing too much privacy
Changes in school
❒ lower grades, not doing homework
❒ often late for school and returning home from school
❒ skipping school
❒ falling asleep in class
❒ trouble with teachers or other students
❒ getting suspended or expelled
❒ quitting