In many areas of the world there is a thriving community based upon gang culture. These gangs are built upon an idea based around power and a thirst for identity. In order to gain this power gangs are involved in many illegal activities, many of them violent, in order to prove themselves more powerful than other gangs in the area. It is more than likely that a gang will be involved in a sub-legal activity such as drug running. The fight for power, and dominance, over a particular region often ends in violent crimes committed between gangs, this eventually becomes known as a 'gang war'. There are many reasons for a gang's formation, often the members come from low-class backgrounds in communities on the poverty line, communities which are often associated with a police presence. Unemployment is high in these areas, leading individuals to feel a lack of a sense of worth followed by a frustration of how they have been let down by the system. When a multitude of people in a situation like this turn to crime, it is inevitable that they will see the benefit of forming a more organised structure to maximise their profitability and exclusion from penalties of the law. Violence comes as a result of a mass desire for self-preservation.
The most obvious rewards gained from committing violent gang crime are monetary-based aspects, and power within, and outside of, the gang. The more successful a gang becomes in its' crime-based activities, the more power, influence, and money it makes. The more money that a gang makes equates to more activities it can buy into, thus creating a circle of money and power. Respect within the gang also plays a large role. Newer members come at the bottom of the pecking order with a necessary requirement to prove themselves so that they can ensure that they don't stay there. This is highlighted by The Ministry of Justice's article Understanding the psychology of gang
violence: implications for designing effective violence interventions....