Solutions to the Proliferation of Latino Youth Gang Violence - Essay Example

?Solutions to gang violence and the disproportionate minority contact/ confinement of Latino youth in the Juvenile Justice/ Criminal Justice System. Introduction Gang activity in the United States is seen as a form of anti-social behaviour which is traditionally addressed by programs employing social control mechanisms, the main feature of which involves physical coercion. For a long time, tough anti-gang legislations that imposed punitive measures to weed out the “bad elements” were seen as the solution to the problems of violent gang activity and increasing frequency of Latino youth incarceration (Malec:81). However, despite their promulgation, the new laws failed to reduce these problems, and even appeared to exacerbate them. More recently, these approaches have come into question, and more careful study of the causes of Latino gang formation and violence, and the higher than proportionate increase of Latino youth incarcerations, have prompted more incisive understanding of how to resolve them. This brief discussion treats on the non-traditional, more socially oriented approaches to the eradication of Latino gang violence and criminality. Causes of formation of youth gangs and gang violence. Rios described how as a fourteen-year-old he was subjected to beatings by the police for allegedly stealing a car, something he did not do. He said that while doing time, another boy named Tony, also in the juvenile facility gave him pointers for stealing a car. Hours after his release, he stole a car using the techniques he had picked up while in the facility (Rios:2). Gangs are formed when the youth search for structure, protection, support, and security – things that should have been provided by a family home. Their formation is also fuelled by abusive family relationships, neglect in early childhood, and a constant state of economic want (GP:04/17). Solutions to the proliferation of Latino youth gang violence The problem of youth gangs is that they are caught in a cycle of incarceration and criminality, often the first preceding the latter because the youth are prejudged and punished even before having committed their first crime. In order to break the cycle, punishment must be transformed through a more creative channel for social control. An attitude of genuine care and concern for the marginalized youth should replace the system of punitive practices and fixed typologies; this Rios (Rios:3) found in the persons of the solicitous teacher and the police officer who mentored him as a youth out of gang life. There have been several non-traditional anti-gang programs initiated in various parts of the country. These programs, targeted at the youths vulnerable to gang recruitment, include sports leagues, Boy Scouts, church groups, and day camps supervised by officers who teach the campers about ways to resist behaviour that leads to crime. Arlington officers have diverted youths to a boxing program run by Willie Taylor, whose pro-boxer status earns him credibility with the youth. Through such activities and with the active participation of the parents, structure is created for the youth while affording them alternative activities in lieu of gang involvement (Jackman:1). The disproportionate minority contact and confinement of Latino youth: causes and cures When gang members are arrested, they are kept in custody longer and their release is often delayed, merely because they are known to be members of a gang (GP:04/17). The fact that they are similarly subjected to the same prejudicial treatment reinforces their loyalty to and identity with the gang, almost ensuring the continued criminality among succeeding generations of Latino youth. Determinate sentences, or those which prescribe minimum and maximum penalties, work to disadvantage youths who have already been unfairly convicted in the past. Furthermore, imprisonment policies, as argued by Moto, serve only to aggravate the numbers of Latino youths imprisoned, rather than mitigate them (GP:04/24). Eliminating this while simultaneously providing better support for ex-convicts (i.e. in the form of more jobs and expungement programs to better the chances for employment) would be more effective than intensifying the penalties for alleged rescidivism (L:04/17). Aside from systemic solutions, behavioural transformations and policy changes should take place to alleviate the injustices caused by racial profiling and Zero Tolerance Policies (L:04/24). This may not be as easy as it appears. An example is Special Order 40, a police mandate implemented by the Los Angeles Police Department as of 1979; the order forbids LAPD officers from questioning a person solely to determine his immigration status, in the hope that residents illegally in the country would be encouraged to report crimes without fear. This order is meeting stiff resistance, however, due to the high profile activities of groups such as the Mara Salvatrucha 13 (MS-13) gang (Economist:1; Cauvin:1) and the Bronx Eleven (America:4). The distinction between truly violent gang activity and other Latino groups are blurred and confuses the issues of immigration and gang violence as racially linked, eroding support for legitimate programs aimed at resolving the plight of marginalised racial groups. Conclusion The discussion barely scratched the surface, but it is apparent from this cursory reading that the retributive, punitive style of justice cannot eliminate what is essentially a social problem. The formation of Latino gangs is not caused by an intentionally anomalous, antisocial behaviour, but is born of conditions that are rooted in self-preservation, the need for structure and security in an increasingly uncertain and even hostile social environment. Solutions that transform society and enhance assimilation are what are needed to resolve these problems. Social change programs and grassroots community based organisations will play a vital role in a holistic approach to resolving the problem (L:04/24). A concerted effort that integrates government, private institutional, informal community groups, as well as family members and the Latino youth themselves, is what is required The search for non-conventional solutions will require much research and new policy formulation. It will likewise call for imagination and courage in pursuing the twin goals of reintegration and rehabilitation rather than punishment and incarceration (Rios:3). What should be kept in mind is that all avenues should be explored to find tools that would prove effective in breaking the cycle of punishment and crime. References: America 2010 “The Bronx Eleven.” America 11/1/2010, Vol. 203 Issue 12, p4 Cauvin, H E 2008 “Teen Testifies About Attack by Gang Members” The Washington Post, 07/23/2008 Economist 2005 “A slip of the tongue, governor?” Economist, 4/30/2005, Vol. 375 Issue 8424, p28 Gale 2008 “Crime,” Gale, Jan 1, p111-123 Jackman, T “Police Tap Outside Resources to Help Battle Gangs” The Washington Post, 08/25/2005 Malec, D 2006 “Transforming Latino Gang Violence in the United States.” Peace Review, Jan-Mar 2006, Vol. 18 Issue 1, p81-89; DOI: 10.1080/10402650500509513 Rios, V M 2011 Punished: Policing the Lives of Black and Latino Boys. 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