Gang Deterrence: Is Mentorship the Answer?
Summary
The search and analysis of relevant and effective methods of gang deterrence in recent decades is an urgent topic for research. The need to find and analyze the effectiveness of various approaches to fighting gang violence is growing, as according to the National Youth Gang Survey, Over the last decade, the projected number of gangs has climbed by over 35% from 21,800 to 29,400 (Frequently Asked Questions About Gangs, 2023).
Gangs have serious consequences not only for the individual but for the entire community. Members of criminal gangs cause enormous damage to society – over the lifetime, a gang criminal can cause damage to society in the amount of 4.2 to 7.2 million dollars (National Youth Gang Survey Analysis: Measuring the Extent of Gang Problems, 2023).
Other negative consequences include the depreciation of property values, the deterioration of informal social control systems, and the forced migration of the population from regions with high gang activity. According to studies, mentorship can help to prevent or intervene in gang violence (Howell, 2022). Various methods and programs of gang deterrence demonstrate the ability to effectively confront the problem, one of which is mentoring.
About 13% of all murders in the US are gang-related. Approximately 2,000 murders are gang-related each year. In the United States, there are about 20,000 gangs with roughly 1 million members; gangs may be found in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and all U.S. territories. Data show that 41.6% of gangs originate from large cities (National Youth Gang Survey Analysis: Measuring the Extent of Gang Problems, 2023).
Background
Mentoring is one of the main elements of juvenile justice and violence prevention efforts, but research on the effectiveness of this approach in the gang violence contest is lacking. Socioeconomic and sociodemographic factors can serve to detect and prevent youth involvement in gangs through mentoring. Mentoring can provide complete assistance at risk of violence or victimization since it addresses numerous risk factors simultaneously (Howell, 2022).
The Crime Solutions Information Service of the National Institute of Justice recognizes the effectiveness of mentoring in reducing crime (Howell, 2022). Mentoring can also be included in multi-component violence prevention programs that already exist.
An Unresolved Problem
There is a large amount of research and practical evidence of mentoring in the fight against violence. However, there is not enough research on how mentoring can affect the prevention and intervention of gang violence specifically.
Studying the gender, racial, economic and demographic factors of gangs, as well as their ideological foundations, can help to understand the patterns of their emergence and, with the help of mentoring intervention, reduce the level of gang violence.
Importance of the Research
There is a lack of research in the current literature regarding the relationship between socioeconomic and demographic factors and the occurrence and activity of gang violence in the modern urban environment. Most of the existing research in this area is related to general crime and only partially affects gang violence. In addition, these factors are often studied separately, while the current study examines their combined effect on gang violence.
It is assumed that this study’s identification and analysis of such a relationship may allow for the identification of potentially dangerous regions for gang activity and the application of preventive practices or interventions at an early stage. This can reduce the damage to the economy and the well-being of the regions from gang activity, as well as improve security. There is also a lack of research in the current literature regarding the effectiveness of mentoring interventions for the containment of gang violence, which is the focus of this study.
The importance of this study includes closing this gap in the current literature regarding the effectiveness of mentorship interventions in preventing and managing gang violence issues. This research is important for politicians, communities, and federal, state and local organizations, as the identified relationships will allow these factors to be used to assess the potential exposure of a region to gang activity. This will enable preventive practices or early interventions.
The study is also helpful for other studies, as it paves the way for further study of more specific risk factors for gang violence. Early detection and implementation of mentor-based prevention programs for gang violence can reduce the damage to the economy and the well-being of the regions from gangs, as well as increase safety.
The substantive importance of the study related to the practical solution is that it may yield practical benefits such as early identification of potentially dangerous areas for gang activity through analyzing socioeconomic and demographic factors. The study focuses on important groups, including youth and people from regions with high gang activity.
The substantive importance of the study regarding knowledge is that it fills a gap in the current literature about factors connected with the occurrence and activity of gang violence in the modern urban environment. It also has implications for further research due to filling a gap in the literature regarding the effectiveness of mentorship interventions in preventing and managing gang violence issues.
In addition, the substantive importance of the study lies in the fact that it increases understanding by suggesting new relationships between gang violence, socioeconomic status, demographics, mentorship interventions, and gang violence.
The theoretical and conceptual importance of the study is associated with the use of current methods to examine the combined effect of socioeconomic status, demographics, and mentorship interventions on gang violence. It also facilitates theory formulation to effectively identify potentially dangerous regions to prevent the development of gang violence.
The importance of the study includes several factors, such as academic knowledge and policy information. In the context of academic knowledge, research fills a gap in the literature by exploring the relationship between gang violence and socioeconomic status and demographics across the United States.
In the context of policy outreach, there is a need to explore in more detail the effectiveness of mentorship programs in deterring gang violence. This will help inform policymakers, communities, and federal, state, and local organizations about the effectiveness of mentoring in managing gang violence so that they can more effectively implement this approach into programs to reduce the level of gang violence.
In addition, the importance of the study lies in its implications for further research in identifying risk groups for gang entry through analysis of socioeconomic and sociodemographic factors and early intervention or prevention of youth gang entry.
References
Anti-Gang Strategies. (n.d.). National Institute of Justice. Web.
Frequently Asked Questions About Gangs. (n.d.). National Gang Center. Web.
Howell, C. J. (2022). What works with gangs: A breakthrough. Criminology & Public Policy. 17(4), 779-782. Web.
National Youth Gang Survey Analysis: Measuring the Extent of Gang Problems. (n.d.). National Gang Center. Web.