Gang violence is a huge problem that exists today in many parts of the United States, as well as the rest of the world. Many of us have heard of gangs like the Bloods and the Crips, which are primarily African-American gangs that have gained a large following in the United States. This large following, combined with the amount of violence these gangs take part in, has attracted a lot of attention from the national public. However, the Bloods and Crips are not the only gangs operating in modern society across the country, there are others as well. All of these gangs are made up of members who take pride in their drug dealing and violent behavior. This type of influence is disastrous for children as they look to these adults as role models. From the point of view of social work, this kind of environment goes against the well-being of the person and is extremely harmful to health, therefore it has a negative effect on both society and families. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay A big part of looking at gang violence from a social worker's perspective is the effect it has on the youth community. More and more kids today participate in group activities. These include drug dealing, robbery, beating/bashing, murder, and other violent crimes. These kids grow up in an environment where the adults in their lives take part in group activities. These are the men these guys look up to. They see the fear their role models inspire in others and the strong focus on respect they hold so close and want to be exactly like them. As a result, these kids want to be in gangs and want to participate in these crimes because in some cases that's all they know. Violence is a big part of gangs in general. If a person is a member of a gang, according to Scott (2014), “he or she is very likely to participate in acts of violent delinquency” (p. 784). All gang members are forced to participate in violence at some point after being inducted into the gang. Many gangs have even been accused of killing their own member due to their desire to leave the gang lifestyle. This combination of youth and violence is horrible for any society. According to Scott (2014), “research has found that the more youth are placed in a gang, the slower their rate of desistance from the gang” (p. 784). In other words, the younger gang members are, the less likely they are to stop their criminal activity. This points to the truth that young people are easily influenced and manipulated into acting according to the wishes of their gang leaders. Simply put, the older these gang members are, the less likely they are to participate in the lifestyle. Gang activity, according to various studies, is similar in their functioning regardless of their geographical location. For example, according to Pyrooz and Decker (2012) “this study observed rates of self-reported delinquency and gang involvement [in China] not dissimilar to Western countries” (p. 251). In the United States, according to Pyrooz and Decker (2012) “52% of boys and girls reported the presence of gangs in their neighborhood, while 49% of Chinese boys and 47% of Chinese girls reported the presence of gangs in your neighborhood. neighborhoods” (p. 255). This is evidence that points to the idea that Chinese and American societies may be comparable in terms of their respective countries' youth and their exposure to gangs. This is important, as China has not been able to match the amount of data collected by the United States on the issue and is alsostruggling with the problem of gang violence. Additionally, being a gang member puts a person at risk for dangerous everyday situations such as an altercation with a rival gang member. Gang members often identify themselves by things like hand gestures to the clothes they wear and are able to recognize members of other gangs. With the constant influence of drugs and alcohol, this often creates a situation where all participants will likely be even more aggressive than they would be sober. According to Melde and Esbensen (2012) “gang involvement increases exposure to high-risk situations, including unstructured social forums where alcohol, drugs, and delinquent peers, including members of rival gangs, are present” (p. 146) . The risk in many of these “situations” can often be death. These gang members will risk their lives to protect their egos, their pride, and the respect and fear they demand from their peers and rival gang members. Gang violence has as much to do with images as it does with pride. Gangs will take part in violent behavior to prove that they are better or stronger than another gang. It gives them a boost in status if they can demonstrate that they are more ruthless in their treatment of others. This type of dynamic is behind the attention gangs have received in the United States as well as around the world. These gangs have built a reputation based solely on violence. Although gangs participate in all different types of criminal activity, the crimes that people seem most susceptible to are those of a violent nature. According to Melde and Esbensen (2012) “research on gangs suggests that violence is a tool for acquiring, maintaining and improving one's status in the group [or gang]” (p. 147). This barbaric behavior is a way for these gang members to feel important compared to their peers; it is undoubtedly competitive. An attempt has been made to demonstrate, through studies, a connection between drug use and violence among members of street gangs. The data was collected, mainly based on information taken from the United States and Mexico. According to Volkmann et al. (2012) “The findings [based on the drug-violence theory] reveal that drug use increases gang members' propensity to commit violent acts” (p.67). In other words, the drug-violence nexus theory is a theory that states that there is indeed a connection between increased violence and drug use. The evidence points towards the idea that this theory could be proven. Although most data on this topic has been collected primarily in the United States and Mexico, the relationship between drugs and gang violence has also been analyzed in Brazil and throughout Latin America. According to Volkmann et al. (2012) “researchers examined the association between drugs and gang violence in many countries… gangs involved in drug trafficking tended to engage in more violent behavior [in Brazil and Latin America]” (p. 67). The researchers also tested the theory that people most exposed to gangs and their violence would be more likely to be familiar with drugs. The evidence gathered strongly pointed towards the truth of this theory. The investigation carried out determined that, according to Volkmann et al. (2012) “40% [of respondents] reported being exposed to gang violence…[and] 83% of respondents reported that gangs were active in the community” (p. 73). Based on the data collected in this survey, the evidence supports the truth behind the researchers' hypothesis. According to Volkmann et al. (2012) “those who reported being exposed to gang violence also reported a.