Sorry for the hiatus but it has been quite hectic lately. Anyway welcome back to a new post on gang issues in education.
I have recently had many inquiries about what age group gang members fall into. My response is always the same. There is no set age limit to be initiated into a gang. Any student, regardless of age group or social economic status, can become a member if a gang sees fit to accept such a student.
Sadly, many gangs try to recruit members who are still in elementary school, some as young as first or second grade. It has been my experience that gangs typically go after children in a younger age bracket because they will not experience harsh penalties if they get caught partaking in illegal activities. Unlike someone who is classified as an adult, where real consequences are given. Often younger children will only be put on probation and given a (ceremonial) slap on the wrist by the legal system.
Also, many young members are brought into gang life, by virtue of their parents being in one. The children of existing members are formally accepted into the gang simply because their parents hold status in a gang. Unfortunately, it is usually these types of children who will be the most violent in their respective gangs’ because they have become desensitized to all the activities going on around them. When a child is witness to gang activities first hand they will often have a seen it, done it attitude when it comes to their dealings with gang issues. Which sadly, makes for a truly hardcore member who is likely to commit deplorable acts later on in their lives.
In addition, many of the members who start off or grow up in a gang will have a long list of misdemeanors and felonies, long before they turn eighteen. It is not uncommon for the legal system to have an intimate relationship with this type of member.
But the bottom line is what does this mean to you, the educator? Basically it means a lot of grief for us in the teaching profession. What you need to understand is that once a member is accepted into a gang they are mandated to earn hardcore status. These new members will also begin to push authority in the hopes of building such status. And sadly, they will often go to great lengths to prove to their leaders that they deserve to be in the gang. One thing you can be sure of is that earning hardcore status will lead to many problems not only to the legal system but to the educational system as well.
In my next post I hope to address what educators can do to help combat this problem in school.
Thank you and come again for another post on gang issues in education.
If you need to contact me you may do so at: cabgil@aol.com.
I look forward to hearing from you.
In addition, I would like to thank those of you who have recently purchased a copy of my book. I hope this information has been helpful in your dealings with gang members in your schools.
Sincerely,
Gilbert R. Cabrera