Tackling The Gang Problem In The Uk Criminology Essay

Tackling The Gang Problem In The Uk Criminology Essay In the past decade the concept of gangs has been debated thoroughly via research, media and government policy. This has led many to blame the youth of today for being the downfall of society by belonging to a gang. However this is not a new phenomenon, since the 1960s British research has focused on gangs, from a wide variety of groupings such as teddy boys, skinheads, punks, chavs and rudeboys. America is seen as the base for gang research however American researchers have been unable to agree on a uniform definition of gangs. In Britain Klein et al (2001) devised an operational definition of a gang as a durable street-oriented youth group whose involvement in illegal activity is part of the group identity. This definition has been found to have cross-national validity (Decker and Weerman, 2005), and has been adapted in British research and policy (Sharp et al 2006). A problem in inherent in defining such a complex notion is the involvement of the media. This is shown from as early as 1964 with Cohens Mods and Rockers studye. The medias exaggeration and distortion of the events resulted in the negative perception of those who defined themselves as a Mod or Rocker. They were depicted as folk devils and acted out that role accordingly in following years (Muncie, 1999). In todays society young people who become a member of a gang often seek to maintain that label for reasons such as the material, financial and social status gains (Jeffery, 1960). According to NACRO, youth offending fell between 1993 and 2001 and Britain has one of the lowest youth crime rates in Europe. However the media disregards this and continues to make young people folk devils (Cohen, 1980). By doing so it has lead to a moral panic (Cohen, 1980) with 1.5 million Britons considering moving home because of young people hanging around their neighbourhood (The Independent, 2006). Within this essay U.K gangs will be discussed in terms of the problems they cause such as gun and knife crime. The issue of the over-representation of ethnic minority gangs will also be debated. Attempts to prevent gang crime and the successes of prevention programmes will be discussed. The focus will be upon youth gangs as this is where the majority of research is based upon and they arguably have the most impact on British society. The significance of gangs in the U.K relates to the issues they cause in regards society and community cohesion. Although NACRO stated that youth offending had fallen young people involved in gangs are disproportionately involved in crime, especially involving weapons. In 2008 more than 70 youngsters died due to gang violence in Britain (Hughes, 2009). It is the death of innocent bystanders such as Rhys Jones, Sally Ann Byfield and Damilola Taylor. That has shook society, leaving many to be fearful of going to areas dominated by gangs. Such areas are inner-city, economically deprived and have a high ethnic population (Vigil 2002). The Metropolitan Police identified more than 170 gangs in London, with members as young as ten. Many gangs are loose affiliations of friends from the same area intent on controlling a territory, often defined by a post code. The penalty for straying into the wrong area is to be robbed, beaten or stabbed. Many teenagers carry a knife out of fear or to defend themselves if attacked. Recently knife crime has risen across England and Wales, the number of fatal stabbings in 2007-08 was 270, the highest since records began in 1977 (Hughes, 2009). The Home Office reported that gun crime fell by 29%, this could be down to displacement effect as knives are more readily available than guns (Hughes, 2009). It must be noted that official statistics do not offer a complete picture of gun and knife crime because often violence between criminals and offences by children under 16 goes unreported (Golding et al, 2008). An issue of gangs relates to reluctant gangsters (Pitts, 2009). They dont wish to be in a gang but as they fail to gain other employment they return to the gang lifestyle. Those who attempt to leave a gang are at high risk of victimisation (Taylor et al, 2007). The issue of victimisation is also a consequence for family as they may fall victim of a retaliation attack, have physical and mental health problem and endure numerous police raids and community stigma (Pitts, 2009).But as many will join gangs from a young age the effect of their actions is often not apparent before it is too late. Ethnic minorities are over-represented in media reports (Davison 1997) and in British Police accounts of gangs (Marshall et al. 2005). As gangs are more prevalent in areas populated by ethnic minorities (Vigil 2002), people consciously avoid or move from such areas which allows the area to worsen. Possibly rendering it un-fixable even with government or police intervention, this is in line with the Broken Windows Theory (Wilson and Kelling, 1982) Ethnicity may also not be such a strong predictor of gang membership in England and Wales, as opposed to a more segregated country such as USA (Peach 1996). Research on British gangs provides support for this view: Manchester gangs are ethnically mixed when the neighbourhood is ethnically mixed (Bullock and Tilley 2002), whereas in the more ethnically homogeneous Edinburgh, gangs tend to be mostly white (Bradshaw 2005). The ethnic composition of gangs is not divergent from the ethnic composition of other youth groups in Britain (Sharp et al. 2006). This is in support of Kleins (2001) definition is the what defines a gang is their involvement in crime. In 2007 Tony Blair and Gordon Brown held emergency summits dedicated to gangs, guns and knife crime (Alexander, 2007). The government announced a Three point plan to tackle gun and gang crime, focusing on policing, courts and community prevention (Alexander, 2007). Across the political spectrum policy amendments were called for ranging from David Camerons swiftly recanted Hug a Hoodie establishment of witness protection schemes to the establishment of safe houses for those escaping gangs (Alexander 2007). Police action against gangs is often described as intelligence-led; however, the nature, quality and ethical deployment of gang information continue to be questioned. Ralphs et al (2009) in a British ethnographic study found evidence of youth being targeted solely by association with known gang members, together with evidence of exclusionary experiences for example school exclusion, hampered employment prospects and excessive police attention that were attributed to erroneous labelling. Churchill and Clarke (2009) in a review of parent-focused policy to reduce social exclusion, list 39 separate major initiatives across early years, education, employment, benefit and parenting programme domains during 1997-2008, at a cumulative cost of hundreds of millions of pounds. Yet still numerous new initiatives are being introduced such as The Communities Against Guns, Gangs and Knives Initative at a cost of  £18 million for 2011-2013 (Home Office, 2011) Families have been conceptualised as a source of risk and resilience regarding antisocial and offending behaviour, and as a site for support and intervention. In an international narrative review (Klein and Maxson, 2006), the most consistent discriminator of gang involvement was a low level of parental supervision. It is a known fact the family can be a risk but also protective factor of criminal involvement for young people (Farrington, 2003). Multi-systemic Therapy is a multimodal intervention that is delivered to the families of serious delinquents aged 12-17. The approach sees the adolescents offending as being multiply determined by risk factors in nested socio-ecological risk domains. Multi-systemic Therapy has been evaluated to high standards in the USA, Canada and Norway with little dissent (Littell, 2005). In the British context Multi-systemic Therapy is seen in: Systemic Therapy for At-Risk Teens (START). As it is a new method the it is only recently that the positive effectiveness are beginning to emerge (Baruch and Butler, 2007). Family-oriented policy conceived by UK Labour governments in the 1997-2010 included Parenting Orders. They are civil measures that require parents of children aged 10-17 who truant, show antisocial or offending behaviour to attend parenting support initiatives. However they have been criticised as being out of touch with practice, inconsistently applied, inappropriately placing responsibility on parents and as backdoor criminalisation, whereby non-compliance results in criminal conviction (Burney and Gelsthorpe, 2008). Evaluation of the effects of Parenting Orders on child behaviour is extremely lacking. An inherent problem in parental involvement is that many parents often reject the blame for their childs gang involvement instead locating problems in the broader social context relating to lack of job opportunities and the influence of peers. This sense of misdirected blame, combined with a fear that one or more children could be taken into care, fed through into a mistrust of family support services that were felt to be stigmatising and inadequate (Aldridge et al 2009). Since 1997, Government policy has also focused on the social exclusion of young people who see gang activities conflicting with their community interests. Interventions that have been used are Anti-Social Behaviour Orders and Youth curfews. The government announced this year that Anti-Social Behaviour Orders were going to be replaced as many saw them as a badge of honour. The new Crime Prevention Injunction is aimed at stopping anti-social behaviour before it escalates (BBC, 2011). Youth Curfews have been seen as questionable in terms of their implications for human rights and freedoms and as regards their utility (Walsh, 2002) From the research put forward in this essay it is apparent that Gangs are still significant in contemporary society there are still issues related to their use of weapons and the over-emphasis on ethnicity in gangs. More needs to be done to help those seen as reluctant gangsters (Pitts, 2008) as individuals increasingly feel that they are unable to leave a gang in fear or retaliation on themselves, their family or the inability to survive financially. The media still has a strong impact on how society sees gangs which does not help such interventions that are attempting to decrease gang crime and culture. But it is clear nothing can be done to change the medias portrayal as they always need a social group to use as scapegoat for the problems within society and in the last decade gangs have been used as the moral panic (Cohen, 1980). To conclude, the success of interventions is varied, there have been numerous interventions brought in by the government with the most promising one being the most recent. As it is apparent the previous interventions have not been seen to be entirely beneficial otherwise there would not be a need for a new intervention. As can be seen by the cost of intervention programmes, Gang Crime is costing society billions of pounds not to mention the human cost. Like the new Crime Prevention Injunction more initiatives should seek to address to stop anti-social behaviour before it escalates (BBC, 2011). This is being piloted in the form of an early intervention initiative in Nottingham, which seeks to reach those under 12 who are deemed at risk of offending. There is strong support for involving family in the prevention method but this too should be instigated at an early age. As when individuals realise the detrimental effects of being a gang member it is too late and at the later point in life it may also be harder for the parents to convince the parents to comply with intervention (Aldridge et al 2009). Multi-systemic Therapy should be continued to be implemented in programs as it seems to be a promising method (Baruch and Butler, 2007). Like any prevention method it will take a few years to see the success of such and as prevention of gang crime is a relatively new procedure perhaps it is that we are not yet seeing the positive effects of the interventions that have been implemented.

Social Effects of Alzheimer’s

â€Å"What Are the Social Effects of Alzheimer’s Disease? † The growing epidemic of Alzheimer’s Disease plagues more than 4 million people nationwide, according to the National Institute for Aging. The social and financial costs associated with Alzheimer’s Disease are on the rise with no relief in sight. Alzheimer’s Disease (AD), is the most common form of Dementia. It is an irreversible disease that destroys the brain over a period of time. AD is equivalent to child development in reverse. Scientists have found that AD patients share the abnormal processing and degradation of the beta-amyloid precursor protein. Scientists have noted that there are 2 changes in the brain cells. That is plaque and tangles. Plaques are made up of a sticky protein called beta amyloid, which builds up into small, sticky clumps in the cortex of the brain, intermingled with the functioning nerve cells. Tangles are made up of tau molecules, which normally form tiny tubes that support the structure of the brain cell. In Alzheimer’s patients, the molecules change shape so that the tubes collapse, causing the cell to shrink and die. It is still unknown how these changes occur. Alois Alzheimer first identified this disease in 1907. Generally, a person can develop this disease anywhere from 2 to 20 years after the first warning signs appear. Both men and women can become effected by AD. The older person is more likely to have it than the younger person. Rare inherited forms of AD such as Familal AD, can develop in individuals as early as their 30's and 40's. Most people develop it between the ages of 65 and 75 years old. AD has no single cause, but in the last 15 years, scientists have found several risk factors that increase one’s likelihood in developing the disease. One of the main risk factors is increasing age. According to the Multi-Institutional Research in Alzheimer’s Genetic Epidemiology (MIRAGE) project based at Boston University School of Medicine shows that at all ages a women’s risk of the disease is somewhat higher than men’s. Scientists also believe genetic predisposition plays a role to some degree. Based upon the MIRAGE project’s findings, it was found that people who’s both parents had AD had 1. 5 times the risk of people with just one affected parent and 5 times the risk of people with 2 unaffected parents. It was also found that most people with one affected parent do not develop AD themselves. Scientists have also found that genetic mutations on chromosomes 1, 14, 12 and 21greatly increase the risk of this disease in some families. Specifically chromosome 21 cause AD in people with down syndrome. A gene on chromosomes 12 and 19 play a significant role in late on-set AD, the most common type of AD. Scientists believe that ethnicity and environmental   factors play a role in the development in this disease. It has also been founded that high fat/low fiber diets have been linked to increase the risk of AD, as well as strokes, heart disease, hypertension and diabetes. It is believed that regular, moderate exercise also helps to prevent AD too. In 1998, AD researchers Erasmus University in Rotterdam found that women smokers are 2 times as likely to develop AD and men who smoke have 6 times the risk. More research is needed, as there is still no clear answer to the cause of this disease. There are 7 stages of Alzheimer’s Disease. The first stage is when the patient is cognitively normal. This is when there are no complaints or indication of any memory problems. The second stage is when the patient is very mild and cognitive deficit. In this stage, there is forgetfulness of new names or where they put things such as glasses or keys. The third stage is when the patient has a mild cognitive decline. This is when there is trouble remembering the names of objects and material they just read. The fourth stage is when the patient has a moderate cognitive decline. This is when the patient gets lost going to familiar places and having difficulty counting and recognizing familiar people. The fifth stage is when the patient has a moderately severe cognitive decline. This is when the patient has early dementia. It is when the patient needs assistance to survive. They forget their address, phone number and where they are. The sixth stage is when the patient has a severe cognitive decline. This is when the patient has middle dementia. In this stage, they forget relatives names but not their own. They have no idea of where they are or what the date is. They seem nervous and paranoid and usually lash out. Other times they are peaceful. They also lose bladder and bowel control. Finally, in the seventh stage, the patient has a very severe cognitive decline. It is the final stage of dementia. They later cannot feed themselves, and eventually lose the ability to walk and talk. The 10 Warnings signs generally associated with AD are: memory loss, difficulty performing familiar tasks, problems with language, disorientation with regard to time and place, poor or decreased judgment, problems with abstract thinking, misplacing things, hanges in mood or behavior, changes in personality and loss of initiative. A diagnosis of Alzheimer’s Disease with 100% accuracy requires an examination of the brain tissue. This is typically done with an autopsy after a person dies. An autopsy of a person with Alzheimer’s shows their brains literally tangled and deteriorated. Although a diagnosis of probable Alzheimer’s is very accurate wit hout autopsy with a complete physical examination of the patient. The diagnosis of AD is through a process of elimination after all possible causes of the symptoms are ruled out. Early diagnosis of this horrible disease is very important, as it will give time to the patient to make plans for the care of themselves and their finances. There are no cures for AD. Only 5 prescription drugs to treat AD have been approved by the FDA. Unfortunately, none of these drugs stops the disease itself, but it slows down the process for a limited time and helps control some of the behavioral symptoms. There is no way of preventing AD. There is some indication that antioxidants such as Vitamin E and some anti-inflammatory drugs such as ibuprofen may reduce the risk of starting it. It is believed that approximately 2-4 million Americans have AD. More than 70% of Alzheimer’s sufferers live in their own home and the average out of pocket cost is $12,500 a year. For Alzheimer’s patients in residential care centers or nursing homes, the average cost is $42,000-$70,000 per person per year depending upon where they live. The average cost of Alzheimer’s care from diagnosis until death is $174,000. AD is very costly. Most assistant living facilities are self-financed. Unfortunately, most people cannot afford it. V. A. benefits maybe an option for veterans. Medicare pays for up to 150 days of nursing home care, but AD does not qualify because there is no possibility of rehabilitation. Medicaid is a federal program administered by individual states that pay for long term care. Unfortunately, there are many restrictions and depending upon the state and or the stage of AD, the sufferer is in dictates whether or not they qualify for such a benefit. That is why this is a health crisis facing our nation. The government must be willing to provide more money towards research, and until a cure is found the restrictions of Medicaid must be reorganized to aid those in need.

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How Did Labor Change After The American Revolution

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