Family and Neighborhood Risk Factors that Influence Youth to Become Involved with Gangs

Youth gangs continue to present serious issues for individuals and communities, as well as for law enforcement. The presence of gangs in communities exposes it violence and increases the likelihood that youth in those communities will engage in violence. This study has examined various risk factors, such as structure of the family, multi-generational gang membership, and community disorganization to determine the role they play in youth???s decisions to become involved in gangs. The available literature that was reviewed supported that the existence of multiple risk factors in youth can influence their decision to join a gang. Additionally, this study reviews literature that addresses two specific evidence-based practices (i.e. Multisystemic and functional family therapy) that have been utilized to intervene with youth???s involvement in gangs. Results from 8 randomized controlled studies show evidence that suggests these interventions have been effective in rehabilitating adolescents. The studies have shown that there are lowered recidivism rates among youth with behavioral or delinquent problems. One study compared FFT and MST and concluded that youth provided with the MST intervention scored significantly higher than those given the FFT intervention in reducing behavioral problems among youth. This study is presented to assist social workers in understanding the dynamics of why youth join gangs as well as the warning signs to help in the prevention process. Furthermore, this study was created to look further into policies, such as gang injunctions that have the potential to target minority males due to the fact that more minorities are associated with gangs than white individuals. Future research should address the factors that reduce youth gang involvement in order to design prevention or intervention programs accordingly for each youth