Gang Murders as a Criminal Activity - Essay Example

Gangs existed as early as biblical years. In the United States, particularly, the first known gang activity was attributed to the Forty Thieves in the Five Point Area in New York, notorious for their criminal activities that focused on stealing in desperate response to the poor social conditions of the era.

Diverse factors provide the impetus for the formation of gangs. As a call to relieve poor living conditions and to uplift the social and economic status of the members, gangs began to be involved in various criminal activities ranging from stealing, destruction of public property, selling drugs, physical abuse, and gang-related violence leading to injuries and death. If one is to remunerate on the reasons for gang affiliations, there could be elements that could identify root causes which pinpoint lack of parental support and guidance, lack of proper education that focuses on the enforcement of moral and ethical codes of behavior, and the ineffective governance of the public police force to ultimately identify these gangs and to put a stop to violent activities.

The statistics on gang murders indicate the complexity of the gangs’ affiliations and difficulty in attesting to the reliability of data and information published on their existence. The fact that gangs' notorious existence is hidden and not officially registered in any local, public, or private institution, the number of members, purpose for formation, and activities could only be surmised. The data that is generally available in justice reports are almost always after the fact that crimes and murders have already been committed. The majority of unsolved murders could still be attributed to gang-related violence whose identity of leaders or members is based on hearsay. The fact that more than fifty percent of recorded homicides in major cities in the United States makes gang murders a continuing threat to society. The increasing number of gang-related violence and criminal activities are alarming and signal the need for stronger controls by the police force to ensure the safety of various communities.

The repercussive effect of gangs’ retaliation to another gang’s violent activities towards one or more members perpetuates and causes continued injuries, threats, and murders that exist in contemporary societies. The social disorganization theory could be the main criminology theory that explains the proliferation of gang murders. The lack of insufficient social control creates an environment conducive to the formation of disorganized communities manifested in gangs.

The information provided on the origins, evolution, reasons for formation, violent activities, statistics and the criminology theory that encompass the development of gangs in contemporary society has increased one’s awareness of the need to focus on the root causes for their criminal behavior. Read More