There is a fragile line between gangs, terrorist and cartel groups and their definitions are becoming more ill-defined and blurred. A criminal officer should try and understand the three groups to be able to have more successful quests and investigations when dealing with each of them individually and in their shared pursuit. There are quite vital comparable elements that subsist between the gangs, terrorist, and cartel groups. These comparable elements comprise the self- motivated leadership, in/out-group attitudes and the techniques of recruitment. Although there are in existence some comparable elements, there are also some notable differences regarding behavior of each group, the objectives of the group and the control levels …show more content…
Cartels primary objectives are to ensure that
they restrict competition and that they benefit from the profits collectively. The most known cartels are the drug cartels. Both cartels and gangs involve violence at a point or another and all recruit young men and women to do their dirty work.
"Sicaritos are children who are assassins, 13 or 14 years old," says Soto. "[The cartels] give them a weapon to use. It's easier for a boy. If he's older, he thinks too much — he may think about the consequences. But when you're young, you think you can take on the world." (Office of the Attorney General of Florida, 2009) The main difference between a gang and a cartel is that cartels have strict structure and organization while gangs can be described to be loosely structured and organized. Cartels are more focused on profit than on any other thing while gangs are less focused on making a profit. Unlike gangs, cartels develop from organizations with influence and power (O’Deane, 2010). Unlike gangs, cartels have been known to have geographic locations that are defined and territorially
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One cannot use age as a discriminating aspect when distinguishing the three since all the three groups tend to have a blend of both adults and youths. Members of all the three groups commit theft, fraud, forgery, weapons trafficking and even violent street crime (Varese, 2010). Gangs, cartels, and terrorist groups are all in the criminal space. Artificial distinctions must be well rethought out so that they can be distinguished separately Gangs, cartels, and terrorists are connected in that it is entirely possible that a group can advance from being a gang group to developing into a terrorist group or even a cartel. Initially, the incentive for organized and gangs crime was principally financial while the incentive for terrorists was mainly political. Gangs have been known to be also inspired by aspects of opportunity. The connection between gangs, cartels, and terrorists is reliant on also the country and the country’s development level. There is little difference between the groups since a gang can end up being a cartel group or a terrorist group. Terrorists and gangs as well as gangs and cartels while are expected to co-exist through business transactions. It is also notable those gangs are becoming more organized and that their criminality relationships are also becoming more diversified with the element of profit being the primary motivator (Carter, Rush &
MS-13 began recruiting and their numbers began increasing with young immigrants wanting to belong. Joining the gang provided these deprived, inner-city teenagers a form of identity, a powerful one with a dangerous gang. According to, Schram, & Tibbetts, (2014) based on the characteristics of social structure in the neighborhood three different types of gangs are formed; conflict gang, criminal gang and retreatist gangs. According to, Logan, &Sullivan, (2010), the youth immigrants were exposed to violence and it is the only thing they know, therefore making them vulnerable to joining MS-13 gangs. MS-13, a gang, which formerly formed for the sole purpose of self-protection, has now escalated into what social structure characteristic would describe as criminal and conflict gang.
The language is different, yet means the same thing. They have codes that they use with their hands. They stay loyal to the gang or they die, they take care of their own. Every member is well taken care of within the group which is the misconception for some who join. Be in a gang and become a part of a family, a brotherhood, make more money than they would with an average job; for most immigrants in California jobs would be becoming a gardener, moving furniture around, manual labor at factories, etc.
Gangs are responsible for an average of 48 percent of violent crime in most jurisdictions, and up to 90 percent in others, according to the 2011 National Gang Threat Assessment. Perhaps one of the most notorious street gangs in the western hemisphere is The Mara Salvatrucha also known as MS 13. “Mara” is Salvadorian for “Group”, although there is debate over the origin and meaning, it is commonly known to mean “street smart. MS 13 was formed on the streets of Los Angeles in the 1980’s by immigrants. “Mara Salvatrucha Stoners” is what MS 13 was originally called, they emphasized on partying, friendship and protecting one another from other gangs in L.A.
17 Nov. 2015. Web. 29 Jan. 2017. Cawley, Marguerite. " Mexico Cartel-US Gang Ties Deepening as Criminal Landscape Fragments."
Gang would recruit these juveniles to sell drugs at a school or a university. Juveniles who would be in involved in gangs were grown up around all the drugs and may have a parent or family member or maybe even a friend addicted to these drugs. Juveniles in such gangs would start out early and be in the gang until they have been killed or kicked out. Most people who leave a gang on their own wouldn't live much longer. Gangs and drug sales.
History of Latino gangs Gangs are defined as 'any ongoing organization, association, or group of three or more persons, whether formal or informal, having as one of its primary activities the commission of one ore more of the criminal acts […], which has a common name or common identifying sign or symbol, whose members individually or collectively engage in or have engaged in a pattern of criminal gang activity. ' whereas a gang member is defined as 'any person who actively participates in any gang with knowledge that its members engage in or have engaged in a pattern of criminal gang activity, and who willfully promotes, furthers, or assists in any felonious criminal conduct by members of that gang. ' (Hoover n.p.) Latino gangs began forming in California during the early 1920s and started as loose-knit groups1 for unity and socializing in the barrios2 where everybody had the same culture, customs and language.
In the prison system today, a growing dilemma of prison gangs are emerging. Prison gangs, also referred to as “security threat groups,” are racial or ethnic groups of organized inmates who commit acts of violence, smuggling, and racketeering inside the prison they reside
Members continue doing these acts because of the advantages they get. These advantages can range from “financial opportunity, identity status, peer pressure or just looking for fun and excitement”(pg. 40 Eghigian, Petrenko). Gangs do not want to be stopped, “ When prohibition was over they opened illegal gambling clubs and organized prostitution to make up for the loss of income from liquor. In time they began selling drugs”(pg.42 Bardem,
African American and Hispanic youth are more likely to join gangs than white youth (Bartollas & Miller, 2017). This is often attributed to a variety of factors such as poverty, lack of opportunities, and social exclusion. In addition, some scholars argue that gang membership may serve as a form of identity and a way to cope with feelings of alienation and marginalization (Freng & Esbensen, 2007). Moreover, it has been found that youth of color are more likely to be arrested and charged with gang-related offenses and may face harsher penalties than white youth for the same offense. This has led to concerns about racial disparities in the juvenile justice system.
Also ”gangs offer protection and governance in places where established institutions fail, and that it makes sense for prisoners to join them,” (Skarbek). This is the main reason people join gangs they are forced to in order to insure their safety. The reason the leaders of the gang allow people to join and keep the safe is explained here ”Gangs can trade far more effectively than lone inmates. Prisoners listen when they threaten violence; members can ease trade from the outside after their release. Consumers, in this case buyers of drugs, benefit too.
Each clique has four organizational divisions, designed to create a de facto division of labor. From the top, down these divisions are: Jefes Nactionales, Ranfleros, Palabreros, and neighborhood-level street gang members. Gang members are often recruited on the streets and promised a better life filled with opportunity in an expansive family. Suffice it to say, MS-13 recruiters will often target adolescents from the slums into their ranks. Street-level gang members are also recruited in prison.
Gang Definition and Classification Classifying gangs is no simple task and to begin you must thoroughly understand the definition and requirements of being classified as a such. There are multiple definitions of a gang, according to The Modern Gang Reader but the one I will focus on is “A street gang is any durable street-oriented youth group whose involvement in illegal activity is part of its group identity.” Now that the definition has been identified it needs to be broken down further to clearly differentiate why this definition is essential.
Such intent can include corruption within politicians and government officials and even law enforcement. The corruption can be used to monopolize businesses and contracts, influence and even pure greed. Understanding the different aspects of what makes an organized crime and the structure within it, we can understand and outline specific organizations and apply it to our everyday interactions within society. I think it is essential to not only understand organized crime, but also how it plays a role within our community. References Federal Bureau of Investigations, (n.d.).
This paper draws on existing sociological research in identifying a number of theories used in explaining the formation of gangs. The theories discussed are social structure theories, social conflict theory, and social process theories all of which highlight elements of strain in different forms as they relates to gang formation. According to Merton, (as cited in Schneider & Tilly, 2004) structural theories significantly emphasize the role of social and economic structures as the causes of delinquent behavior and tend to treat criminal behavior as the result of the undesirable and dysfunctional structures (P. 3.).
Most gangs are made up of young males that are of a similar background and have a desire of acquiring