A gang is defined as an organized group of people to commit a crime

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1.

A gang is defined as an organized group of people to commit a crime. For many years, there has been a concern about the rising number of gangs across the country. Different gangs have different names by they are all bonded by their desire to cause harm and mayhem, and this makes them a threat to social order and public security. The history of gangs can be traced back to early civilizations, and they have evolved as they respond to the evolving society that we live. A gang is often comprised of people who have similar demographic similarities and the intention to cause social disorder. In the United States, data shows that up to there exists more than a million gangs who account for more than half of the reported criminal activities. Although gangs were previously known to exist in large inner-metropolis, in recent decades, gangs are manifesting themselves into smaller cities and towns, including rural areas of the country. Gangs have infiltrated into most aspects of our lives, including suburbs, rural areas, metropolis, and correctional institutions and, to some extent, schools.

Modern gangs are identified with a variety of characteristics that generally apply across the board. For instance, some of the activities that are standard for gangs include vandalism, swarming, stabbings, drug trafficking, intimidation and extortion, shootings, theft, and murder. Members of gangs often identify themselves with certain dress codes. Gangs in the country are also associated with certain body tattoos and signs that make it easy to identify themselves. It is a culture for gangs to develop certain signs to identify their territories and prevent the encroachment of others in the same neighborhood (Boyd, 2018). Law enforcers have identified certain signs, nicknames, and dress codes that gangs associate with, which makes it simpler to identify and bring them to book. Gang targets public places where their victims are likely to be accessed, including transit stops, parks, malls, streets, schools, public beaches.

In recent years, the brutality of law enforcers in the country has been on the rise, especially towards African American men. Police brutality can be defined as the use of excessive force when dealing with lawbreakers of perceived lawbreakers. Many African Americans have died in the country due to the bullets fired by law enforcers, although there was proof that they did not pose a significant danger to the officers (Ostertag, 2019). As police brutality gained attention in the country, many activists and citizens of goodwill raised concern about the racial profiling that was witnessed as most of those who were victims were of African origin. Many people were concerned that history was repeating itself when African Americans had to deal with racial profiling after many years of fighting for equal rights during the mid-twentieth century. In the 1950s and 1960s, many African Americans faced persecution for being black, and they became victims of racial profiling in the country.

Gangs have a set of informal rules that guide their operations. For instance, some acts by one member that are regarded as betrayal attract punishment that would lead to death. Many gangs operate in secrecy and have gang leaders who are in charge of the operations of the gang and can punish members or individuals considered as going against the set rules. Although gangs often have a code of conduct, there is also the risk of conflicts among members, most of them which are solved through violence. Gang members often do the enforcement of gang rules, and each has a responsibility of ensuring adherence to them. When there is a conflict of interest among gang members, there is a likelihood that other members will take sides and divide into two gangs with a lot of hostility between them.

People have raised concerns about police brutality that is witnessed in the country is similar to gang violence that is being witnessed across different suburbs in the country. Although the argument is based on the recent conduct of law enforcers, there are aspects of truth and falsehood s that come with it. For a start, it is vital to acknowledge that law enforcers are legally established and are expected to adhere to the set code of conduct and the US Constitution. One would compare police officers with gangs based on their conduct, especially when the public feels that they are perpetuating injustices of marginalized groups. Recent actions of law enforcers shooting innocent people in different places across the country continue to give a reason for people to compare law enforcers to gangs. As legal bodies and people who are expected to protect the lives of every American, the police officers should be held in high regard. However, their actions have been disappointing in recent years.

In recent decades, there have been incidences where police officers have shot dead unarmed African American men under mysterious circumstances. When law enforcers appear to be rogue and act in total disregard for the rule of law, it creates a feeling that forces other people to compare them with gangs. Gangs like law enforcers who act in disregard to the provisions of law, cause mayhem to innocent people and often kill them without respecting their rights. A few years ago, activists who were concerned about the increased police brutality to innocent killing African Americans started the ‘black lives matters.’ It was aimed at ensuring that law enforcers were held accountable for their perceived racial discrimination against people of African descent. As the campaign gained publicity in the US and the globe, many people started comparing the police brutality to that of gangs. The actions of some rogue police officers significantly tainted the image of the law enforcers, and this offers insights into why some people compare them with the operations of criminal gangs.

Community policing is vital in helping to foster the relationship between African Americans and police officers. It seems as if there is bad blood between law enforcers and the people of African descent, and this should be addressed. It will start by developing a strategy that addresses the misconceptions that exist between the two factions of society and help create a new platform for their interactions. There is a need to create public awareness among the African American community that there is a need to be calm with police officers and do what they ask of them as long as it is within the law. This is because there is a perception that most youths from African descent are defiant, and they are unwilling to respond to law enforcer’s request because they are always armed. Making it clear to African Americans that the responsibility of law enforcers is to protect them and act in the interest of public goodwill. This would ensure that most of them do what is expected of them when interacting with police officers.

The use of body and dashboard cameras would help African Americans offer evidence when law enforcers are mistreating them, and in instances where one dies, they can offer alternative evidence to police accounts of events. They would also act as a deterrent against police brutality as law enforcers would realize that they are being watched. There have been instances where African Americans have been shot even when they surrender to law enforcers and proving that cases have always been difficult. Technology is the only alternative to providence proof of what transfers in instances where there is suspected police brutality. Encouraging the installing dashboard and body cameras would help gather evidence in instances of police brutality against African Americans.

White supremacy involves the advancement and support of ideas and beliefs that are based on the natural superiority of white races to other groups, especially against those of Hispanic and African descent (Lane, 2018). Other terms have been used to describe white supremacists, including fascist, ultranationalist, and racist. Most groups that are regarded as white supremacists employ violence in implementing and spreading their ideas. Although there are interventions that have been developed to address the issue of police brutality against African Americans, white supremacists are undermining them.

For instance, where people have the idea of white supremacists, they consider people from other races as inferior, and they are more likely to abuse or exercise extreme brutality towards them. This makes curbing the problem of law enforcers’ brutality to people of African descent difficult. White supremacist uses violence to spread their ideas, and this is likely to encourage law enforcers who are tolerating their ideas to use more force towards African Americans. If the white supremacists succeed in spreading their white supremacy in the country, there is a likelihood that the country will experience increased violence against people of African descent from not only law enforcers but also their sympathizers. There is a need for more research on the extent to which the training of police officers would be contributing to increased police brutality towards African Americans. Many law enforcers have developed a notion that people of African descent are more likely to commit a crime compared to white people hence the need for more research on the origin of this perception. It would be vital in explaining the police perception of African Americans and shape the interventions that may be needed to address the problem.

2. What is child maltreatment, and what is the scope of this problem?

Child maltreatment is defined as any act of commission or omission that is likely to cause harm o people to consider being under the age of 18 years. It includes all forms of child abuse that may cause physical, emotional, psychological, and social harm. Some actions that are considered child maltreatment include child neglect, ill-treatment, negligence for children’s welfare, and any other form of exploitation of children. Child maltreatment is a global concern for many stakeholders, and there has been a concerted effort to address the issue, although the interventions have not been comprehensive and effective. Child abuse will threaten the health, development, survival, and dignity of children. In the United States, child maltreatment is a concern for many organizations that deal with the welfare of children as the trend has been increasing over the years.

According to statistics by the World Health Organization (WHO), about a quarter of adults globally report having undergone at least one form of physical abuse at childhood. According to reports from the Child Maltreatment Prevention statistics, more than five million children in the country have undergone one or more forms of child maltreatment. The most common form of child maltreatment in the country is physical, emotional, and sexual and neglect. They account for more than ninety percent of reported child maltreatment hence raising much concern on what interventions are necessary to address the problem (Branson et al. 2017).

Delinquency is a major concern in the United States as the numbers of juvenile crime continue to increase in the country. The numbers of children and teenagers who are being arrested and sent to the juvenile justice system have been rising. Stakeholders in the country are raising concerns about the trend. What is of more concern is that some of the juveniles are being involved in the armed crime that would attract large prison terms. According to sociological research, studies on delinquency reveal that socioeconomic status is the primary driver of juvenile crimes in the country, although other factors come into play. Generally, juveniles from poor backgrounds or neighborhoods regarded as low-income earners are more likely to engage in delinquency compared to those from more affluent families. This mentions that some of them engage in crimes due to pressure from socioeconomic factors they face. Other factors that affect criminal activities in juveniles include drug abuse, neglect, gang membership, and age (Crosby, 2016).

A trauma-informed practice in our juvenile systems is the practice that is based on the acknowledgment of the turmoil that juveniles undergo under certain circumstances, which would lead to the commitment of crimes. The aim of integrating trauma-informed practices into the juvenile system is to ensure that they are responsive to the traumatic events which teens who are convicted have undergone or are undergoing to offer a holistic approach to rehabilitation. It aims at addressing the cause of post-trauma stress disorders (PTSD) such as sexual abuse, poverty, violence, gender identity, neglect, racism, disability, and any form of discrimination that would be traumatizing to juveniles.

Trauma in juveniles results from socioeconomic factors that are linked with their source of income for families and access to basic essential services. Dealing with trauma in teenagers would require a holistic approach that would address the social-economic factors that are attributed to trauma. Research has shown that trauma is a significant contributor to juvenile crimes land addressing the causes would significantly reduce the upward trend of trauma in the country. The critical consideration in dealing with the issue of trauma is developing interventions that addressing the root cause. This makes it possible to minimize the risk of juveniles experiencing the trauma and limiting its severity when it happens. Interventions should be aimed at addressing socioeconomic factors that cause trauma.

Research assessing the different implementation processes that are adopted in family and juvenile court systems indicates that they are quite different from standard criminal justice systems. The juvenile and family court systems are designed to offer offenders a second shot at life without entirely condemning them. On the contrary, the standard criminal justice system adheres to strict laws and aims to ensure that people are held accountable for their actions as per the criminal justice system.

Although there is more desire and effort to promote the integration of trauma-informed practice within the juvenile court systems, there are numerous setbacks that make it difficult for full integration. The high numbers of juveniles who are sent to juvenile justice systems have overwhelmed the number of personnel involved in the provision of trauma-integrated hence compromising its effectiveness. There is also concern that there is a need for more interventions aimed at preventing trauma that would increase the number of teenagers sent to the juvenile justice system as a long term solution to the problem of trauma in delinquency. As time goes by, the effectiveness of trauma-informed practices in the juvenile court systems would be assessed, and more data generated would be used to make them more responsive to current trends.

References

Boyd, R. W. (2018). Police violence and the built harm of structural racism.

Branson, C. E., Baetz, C. L., Horwitz, S. M., & Hoagwood, K. E. (2017). Trauma-informed juvenile justice systems: A systematic review of definitions and core components. Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy, 9(6), 635.

Crosby, S. D. (2016). Trauma‐informed approaches to juvenile justice: A critical race perspective. Juvenile and Family Court Journal, 67(1), 5-18.

Lane, B. (2018). Racial Integration and White Supremacy in America: Can America Integrate its Power Structures and Liberate Them From White Supremacy.

Ostertag, S. (2019). Anti-Racism Movements and the US Civil Sphere: The Case of Black Lives Matter.