The Street Gang Phenomenon

According to Delaney (2014) there were almost two million juvenile arrests in the United States during 2009. One of the common policing problems with a common street gang is the juvenile membership within the gang. Due to lack of culpability, society generally believes juveniles should not be processed through the criminal justice system in the same manner. This encourages recruitment of adolescents into a street gang more attractive. Although there are various reasons for someone to join a gang, there are similar social environments that allow for a criminal street gang to thrive. Your research paper will discuss some of the common problems and trends associated with criminal street gangs. In your paper, cover the following issues:

• Legal issues and other problems the criminal justice system faces in dealing with street gangs;
• Gang trends;
• Juvenile issues;
• Minorities;
• Compare and contrast at least two criminological theories related to street gangs;
• Traditional policing methods and public policies on gang suppression and deterrence; and
• Current methods of prevention and intervention, to include some promising strategies for the future.

The paper will be formatted and written in APA 6th Edition with a title page and reference page. All research and sources will be cited within the body of the paper with the appropriate use of in-text citations. The paper will be no less than 1500 words and have a minimum of 6 academic quality references.

Websites such as Wikipedia, blogs, and social networking forums (e.g.,Facebook) are not to be used. Information obtained from official websites, such as state/federal governments or government agencies, is acceptable and may be used as sources sparingly. I have provided you with an APA formatted paper shell and a presentation on citing and references in your research paper assignment link. Please review the Research Paper Rubric to see how I will be grading this assignment.