7 Recent research about youth gangs reveals that most members join before the age of 18, and, contrary to popular belief, they do not make membership a lifelong commitment. Unfortunately, gang lifestyles are sensationalized in fashion, music, and the mass media. Such attention serves to reinforce the attractiveness of gang membership, especially to adolescents, for whom a sense of belonging is an important aspect of identity formation. 9 Research conducted in California indicates that there was an increase in drug sales by gang members that paralleled high unemployment and the rise of the crack cocaine economy in the 1980s, but in general, drugs remain peripheral to the purposes and activities of the gang. Even though most gang members are not involved in organized drug trafficking, oncern over drugs and violence related to gangs is not unfounded.
Studies show that young gang members have a higher drug usage rate than non-gang members.
In addition, delinquency rates, including drug use, commission of violent offenses, and arrest rates, were higher for gang members. Perhaps the most threatening aspect of gang proliferation has been the increasing use of firearms. Gang members are shown to possess significantly more guns than other at-risk youth. When gangs exist in a community, they can seriously impact schools, using them as recruitment centers and claiming them as gang territory. A report issued by the U.S. Departments of Education and Justice found that the percentage of students reporting gangs at school nearly doubled between 1989 and 1995.