Introduction In sociology, deviance refers to any action or conduct that violates societal norms. It also refers to a state or condition noticeably different from the norm (Dotter, 2004, p.26). Sociologists examine how society forms its norms, imposes them, as well as how they transform over time. Norms refer to rules and regulations in a society that guide the behavior of people. Social norms vary because of the different cultures in the society (Dotter, 2004, p.29). This means that a deviant act in one society can have a different explanation and meaning in another society. Sociologists have identified various explanations of deviance in the context of social norms. The first explanation identifies deviance as anything that members of a social group consider being against their values (Dotter, 2004, p.34). The second explanation identifies deviance as a contradiction of standards set by a group or society. The third explanation describes deviance as behavior that contradicts the agreed meaning of allowed and disallowed behavior followed by members of a group (Dotter, 2004, p.39). The fourth explanation identifies deviance as any behavior that ceases to apply in norms of a social unit due to losses of any kind. The final explanation argues that deviance is any conduct intolerable by a social unit beyond certain limits (Dotter, 2004, p.44). Deviance occurs in the form of behaviors such as crime, discrimination such as racism and conditions such as dwarfism. Youth Gangs A youth gang refers to a group of young people who engage in illegal activities and as a result, collide with law enforcement institutions (Covey, 2010, p.45). Gangs establish themselves in vacuums identified in the society and the economy. Youth gangs are usually large, organized in a complicated manner, have access to weapons and most members fall below the legal age (Covey, 2010, p.50). Young people join gangs due to various reasons that mostly relate to social and economic factors. Some of the factors that influence young people to join gangs include lack of cohesiveness in their families, peer pressure, economic needs, need for friendship and the psychological needs (Chaskin, 2010, p.30). Natural role models like parents, grandparents and older siblings are usually absent from the lives of these youths who end up with no one to guide them (Covey, 2010, p.54). Factors such as poor social skills and unfriendly attitudes influence significantly on the emergence and development of youth gangs. Most young people who find solace in gangs have a history of unfulfilling relationships prior to joining the gangs (Covey, 2010, p.57). Youth gangs have three diverse divisions. The first division is the corporate gangs whose main aim is to make money (Chaskin, 2010, p.42). The main features of corporate gangs are division of labor, a vertical hierarchy of command and group violence. The second division is territorial gangs that focus on possessing territories (Chaskin, 2010, p.45). The main features of this gang include good organization and a flat hierarchy of command that has limited control over individual members in the gang. The third division is the scavenger gangs with little organization (Chaskin, 2010, p.49). They engage in unprecedented crimes since the de