Social Benefits Of Gangs

In society, we often see impoverished communities lacking many of the routine social structures that are present in more affluent communities. Human being have a desire to belong to certain social structures that may be lacking in poorer communities. It is this need —for belonging — that gangs fulfill. Gangs present a dichotomy, offering protection and a sense of belonging to its member; and at other times preying on its members through exploitative practices like gang initiation, prostitution, and drug dealing. Although gangs offer some benefits to its members, becoming a gang member is usually a choice that is made because of limited alternative and lack of perceived social acceptance. Further influencing the leap into gang life is the common …show more content…
These crimes often lead to prison time. For the outsider, the high likelihood of being incarcerated seems like enough of a negative element of gang life to deter people from joining, but the reality is contrary to that assumption. A possible explanation is that crime and incarceration may be seen as a normal part of life. Just as a child who's farther goes to work every day would see going to work as being normal, so too would a child see crime and prison as normal whom grew up in a society where people went to prison everyday. Society outside of gang life may be perceived as predatory by gang members and the gang itself might be perceived as having the moral high ground. Incarceration doesn't appear to be a strong deterrent in the decision to join a gang. The perception of some must be that with or without gangs, incarceration is an inevitable possibility, and may even be seen as a badge of honor. Under this logic, gangs could provide a conduit for social justice from the perspective of the disadvantaged. Through organized crime efforts, the individual gang member gets to lash out at what they may believe to be an inequitable society — giving them a powerful platform as to inflict more damage …show more content…
Joining a gang is something most in our society would not choose to do, however there are certain communities that are overrun by gangs. It is a matter of the developed conscience that leads to this culture of deviance. Mass appeal, or normalcy in society is typically not inclusive of all. A person whom believes they are included in society would almost certainly reject gangs, but for the person that feels excluded, the pros of gang membership can often outweigh the cons. Now, if to add to that feeling of exclusion, we were to assume that the subcultural code of ethics was echoed in the conscience from birth, the dangerous leap into gang life begins to become more