Again am not sure whatyou are agreeing with or disagreeing with? This thread has nothing to do with youth and how they come to being in a gang.

It was about in prison and gangs against gangs, also that this prison riot had nothing to do with overcrowding, not in this case.

On reading this, SKye I believe was talking in the sense now as an adult.

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We will have to agree to disagree then

I know what I've seen, what I've witnessed and the choices that are out here in the free world.

Joining a gang is not for survival, plain and simple.

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William Jennings Bryan

Yes, I was. And you are right, this was about adults in the adult prisons and adults on the streets.

Though, regardless of age, there is always a choice.

Perhaps the reader only read one part of the thread.

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William Jennings Bryan

No one has to join a gang for survival . it is a conscious choice . Regardless of their back ground they make a decision to be come involved . Despite myth no one is forced into a gang . A abusive background is never helpful and can lead to prison it can also lead to psych hospital or homelessness and other things . It is one part of the puzzle not the sole reason for people going to prison .

Most pope who join gangs will tell you if they are honest they did so because of the "status" in their neighborhood it gave them the fast cars, fast women and easy cash slinging dope and the thrill of gang activities not any other reason .

In prison they join for status and money Often they never come out or if they do it is in a body bag or permanently injured for .

There are lots of people in prison who did not have abusive backgrounds .I was one of them ! All but one of My Friends come for good normal families . They made stupid impulsive decisions that lead to incarceration .

Not all prisoners come from messed up families join gangs . most do not Gangsareaboyut 10 _ 15 % of the total prison population .
"The system " is not doing a great job ,At some point people have to step up and take responsibility . That can mean working to change "the system" .

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William Jennings Bryan

Yes this thread is about "UNDERSTANDING GANGS" the other one was about the riots, and to do that (understand gangs) you have to dig deep into the "culture and structure" many that are in prison gangs are so because they have joined on the streets as many of us know and understand from the experiences of our friends and loved ones like Jayesbabe has tried to explain and this flows over to the prison system once inside.

Some people do have to join a gang to survive, whether we agree or disagree it is a fact for many growing up in tough neighborhoods, it is THEIR survival, their way of life and reality. Some of these kids end up growing up, but many more are killed in the "war" not seeing adulthood. It is a vicious cycle and one that is not easily broken by those wanting to escape that life, others are happy with their "family" and are prepared to die for them, held in high regard by the gang members left behind. Like i said before their are so many different reasons why people would take up and affiliate with a gang inside, and honestly it is not about hate as it is about a sense of belonging and protection.

Jaysbabe, it is hard for many of us to understand the way of life for some growing up surrounded in the gang culture, but like you i have had the raw hard facts not only explained to me but i have been apart of them as a friend. Watching from the sidelines the effect gangs have on individuals, the way in which they target their victims, hearing many of the harsh realities some face when they cross the line or no longer want to be apart of that life after having come to the realization and reality of their actions. Over time and with maturity many do want out, but they are trapped for want of a better word. It maybe easy to say just make that choice and get out, but in all reality it does not work that way, you often then become the target you once sought.
I too have heard your husbands story many a time, no excuses or sob stories, it is the truth for many in today's world where kids are having kids and the societies in which we live are becoming more and more for self with the attitude of "lock em up and throw away the key" especially identified gang members, leaving little room for redemption and growth in their later years.

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If you are compassionate in your approach to all tasks in life, believing that all "problems" contain valuable lessons, you will find peace of mind.
~Dr. Lee Jampolsky

I've dealt with the reality of gangs and have had them all too close to home.

It is at the end of the day a CHOICE. With that CHOICE comes consequences for their actions.

It is not survival to join a street gang, even when living in the inner city, or in 'the hood'.

It is a choice. Be that choice to make more money, or to have a fast life, but none the less it is a choice.

They chose the gangs for whatever reason and with that they choose to commit crimes. (And most of the time those crimes are aggrivated crimes including and not limited to murder)

So... the racisim that comes along with gangs is that for survival to? I think not.

@ the end of the day we will all make opinions based on our life experiences. We each see it differently from different sets of eyes. Some what they read online and some what they actually live.

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William Jennings Bryan

Yes,that is fine smiley, now back to the prison and the adults who are now in the present time, still in gangs and drug wars, what do we do with them any solutions?

I know many qualified minds with on hands experience in the US are struggling to find what to do with the adults who keep making the choice of remaining a part of the gang and drug control.

All countries are having drug problems and gang issues yet each country has to handle the mind set to their own, as Mexico is doing now. As we are too along with Mexico being so close to our borders.
Many will be in prison due to the choices they continue even if a bad childhood, that can only last so long then enough is enough, there is plenty of help if the person themselves makes the choice to take that hand,.


Actually what you have posted all know that already for yrs, and have been teaching the kids about drugs and gangs, education etc, yes even in the poorest neighborhoods to the richest too, as far as future for the next generations.

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Gangs will never be totally off our streets because they are just another form of "club" and most of us in some fashion are apart of a group, it is natural to gravitate to those that have similar interest, geographic and ethnic back grounds etc. You even find "gangs" throughout the prison system working on the other side off the fence and in the force (A group of people that call those who surround them family), but for the most part they are not destructive like we see, but that also is depending on who is doing the looking and what standards they also hold themselves too.

This is part of what i believe would help reduce the gangs and violence as i understand......

"There is no single strategy and no easy solution to the youth gang problem in the United States. There are, however, substantial steps we can take, and they must be honestly and systematically tested. Offering a practical and alternative approach to a serious social problem, The Youth Gang Problem: A Community Approach is a major and long-awaited contribution to this dilemma. It is required reading for criminal justice personnel, school staff, social workers, policy makers, students and scholars of urban and organizational sociology, and the general reader concerned with the youth gang problem and how to control, intervene, and prevent it."

Oxford University Press: The Youth Gang Problem: Irving A. Spergel

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If you are compassionate in your approach to all tasks in life, believing that all "problems" contain valuable lessons, you will find peace of mind.
~Dr. Lee Jampolsky

Yes,that has been going on for youths.

Now do you have any idea the drug war going on in Mexico so many lives lost thousands, adults gangs drug cartels. The war on drugs not the justice war on drugs. Control Drugs.
This is also a large part of Cali prisons inmates, gangs drug control even from inside. Of course it will be race against race to have control of cartels.

These are not guys who are afraid to leave the gang for sure. These are cold blooded do anything to win control.

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