# Gangs in US - how has the problem been dealt with?



## ska invita (Jul 6, 2007)

Whats the experience of getting people out of gangs in the US been? Is there less gang warfare than in the past?

London is seeing increased gang brawls - gangs tend to be made up of younger kids than in the US (from what I gather) - but I'm wondering if there is anything that can be learnt from the US experience.

Is there anything (other than destorying capitalism!) that can get people out of gangs?


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## waverunner (Jul 6, 2007)

I don't know about getting people out of gangs, but if you look up 'gangs' and 'Nick Tilley' you'll see he's written a couple of papers about initiatives implemented in the US that have successfully reduced gang-related violence and crime in the areas selected. Having read these papers, I think there are some things that the UK could consider but given resources and the differing law system some of them are almost null and void over here.


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## ska invita (Jul 7, 2007)

Will do that search in a bit - but a point you hint at is right - its not about destroying gangs, which work as extended family network and are, or can be friendship circles - it is about reducing violenet behaviour within groups and individuals.


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## Idaho (Jul 7, 2007)

Forgive the sweeping statement, but are problematic gangs 99% of the time drug selling operations?


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## Johnny Canuck3 (Jul 7, 2007)

http://blogs.nationalgeographic.com/channel/blog/2006/01/explorer_gangs.html


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## ska invita (Jul 8, 2007)

Idaho said:
			
		

> Forgive the sweeping statement, but are problematic gangs 99% of the time drug selling operations?


Operations is a loaded word - do kids in gangs take drugs - yes - do kids who takes drugs deal some - yes - "operation" though implies some depth - almost everyone I know who took drugs delt/grew drugs at some stage, and to different degrees.

A lot of the violent behaviour in UK gangs is just blood lust, in my experience.  I don't think drugs is _THE _factor here - in britain i think we,ve just a got a genration of bravado macho teenage boys in gangs - take out the drugs you'ld still get killings and violence.


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## ska invita (Jul 8, 2007)

waverunner said:
			
		

> I don't know about getting people out of gangs, but if you look up 'gangs' and 'Nick Tilley'


heres a bit from a paper he co-wrote in Manchester:



> Ways forward: The proposed crime reduction strategy
> 
> The primary concern of the project was to save lives and to reduce serious injury. The most promising interventions, adapted from the Boston project, were:
> 
> ...


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## Dhimmi (Jul 8, 2007)

niksativa said:
			
		

> Is there anything (other than destroying capitalism!) that can get people out of gangs?






			
				niksativa said:
			
		

> it is about reducing violent behaviour within groups and individuals.



Hmmmmm.


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