Teen Gangs - Connecticut Clearinghouse Fact Sheet Teen Gangs Gang violence is intensifying. Drive-by shootings, assault, robbery, and murder are vicious gang activities in which innocent people are often hurt or killed. Even young children can earn hundreds of dollars by acting as lookouts or making drug and weapon deliveries. Money can be a real incentive to teens who live in poverty and want to contribute income to their families. By becoming part of a large and feared group kids gain a sense of power, identity, and belonging.
Gangs offer teens the chance to rebel against authority and gain a ready-made group of friends.
Often a child joins a gang to emulate an older brother, cousin, or neighbor. Gangs become a normal part of life. The brotherhood and rules of a gang are appealing to a child who lacks a stable family life, community ties, clear values, firm rules. When school involvement is unsatisfactory, unemployment is high and life seems to be going nowhere, a gang, with its chances for identity, community and money, looks pretty inviting. Gang prevention efforts must be increased.