Friends who refuse to join the gang may be in jeopardy because of their refusal. These friends are often discarded for their fellow gang members. Parents can be subjected to heavy financial bills for legal services, medical treatment, jail housing, and restitution to victims. The gang involved youth can expect to be arrested and prosecuted for their criminal activity. Most parents are not aware that if a crime is gang related, the violator will not only be prosecuted for this crime, they can also be charged with criminal gang enhancements.
Gang members commit a variety of crimes.
These include robbery, burglary, thefts, vandalism, assaults, arson, witness intimidation, weapons and narcotic offenses. Graffiti is probably the most visible and common crime. Gangs use graffiti to let the community know they exist, to mark their territory, to make statements about their gang, or to issue challenges to other gangs. Graffiti is not just an idle crime and is a great source of gang information. Gang members actively seek violent conflicts.