America has and will continue to face tough economical challenges. Thus has left many of our family units struggling to survive in both the middle and lower classes. Many wonder how this situation will affect many adults across our country? Where will they find employment, how will they take care of their families, and what options do they have to turn to? Many adults raising families across our nation are facing these problems and it has consumed them so much it does not leave them much time to worry about how their children are doing and how they are dealing with this situation. Juveniles across our nation are feeling the same pressures. With many adults out of fulltime employment they have turned to part time work to help supplement their incomes thus leaving children and teenagers without available opportunity to make income of their own. Families have also had to cut down on what is considered luxury expense and can not support many of the activities their child may have once participated in. Parents in families have become consumed with trying to make ends meet and now have less time than ever to focus on their children’s individual needs. Where do juveniles turn when they feel many of the resources that were once available to them are now gone? One negative and long time outlet for juveniles to turn to when they are in need of income, acceptance, and protection in an unsafe world is Juvenile Gangs. This paper will examine the history and influence of juvenile gangs, why juveniles turn to them for help, and pro active solutions to a long standing problem in the united states.
It is uncertain exactly when juvenile gang activity began but most theorize that it
began in the early 1800’s at the end of the American revolutionary war. Going into the industrial era gang activity spread through most major cities in the united states. Where gangs really began to become noticed was in the 1920’s during our great depression and our time of...