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The combination of gangs and drugs has loomed for years as a particularly threatening aspect of the gang problem. It has now become an epidemic and MUST be stopped!! Although youth gangs have existed in the cities of the United States almost as long as the nation itself, trends during the last two decades have alarmed school and community officials. Gangs, now more violent than ever, are spreading to new locations. Warns Clarence Terhune, director of the California Youth Authority, "the problem can erupt anywhere at almost any time" (Kay McKinney 1988). In the 1996 National Youth Gang Survey of law enforcement agencies, the participation of youth gang members in drug sales and the role of gangs in drug distribution was analyzed. Although the authors found widespread drug trafficking among youth gangs, they report that serious involvement seems concentrated in a small number of areas and is overwhelmingly connected to young adult, rather than juvenile, gang members. This was in 1996!!! It is now 2001 and the involvement is drastically increased and gang members are now aged in the single digits!! Analysis of recent National Youth Gang Surveys have shown an increase in gangs in rural areas. They have grown from being large city urban area problems to so widespread and no longer staying within the urban boundaries, that a small town of 1500 people can also have gang problems. Read more on the proliferation of youth gangs by James C. Howell and Debra K. Gleason here. 15% of U.S students report gangs present at their schools (this is only the reported percentage). 35% of them feared an attack at their school. Children as young as 7 years of age are in gangs. .They are children A The Site Fights Anti-Gang Website How widespread are Gangs?? What are gangs and how are they formed? Why do kids join gangs? How can I tell if my child is in a gang? |