Buy an essay on There Is Little Comparison between Street Gangs in the United States and Gangs in Contemporary Britain; How Do You Agree with This Statement?

Table of contents:
Introduction
Similarities between street gangs in the US and UK
Differences between street gangs in the US and UK
The common ground for street gangs in the US and UK
Conclusion
Works cited

 
Introduction
Today, the problem of street gangs affects both the US and the UK. The emergence of gangs is often accompanied by the trend to the change of gangs’ demographics, including the change of the age of gang members, ethnic origin of gang members and so on. Historically, street gangs in the US and the UK developed in isolation from each other and they did not intersect in their criminal activities. Law enforcement agencies in the US and the UK used different methods of struggle against street gangs but both criminal justice systems in the UK and the US tended to the punitive methods of struggle. Remarkably outcomes of such struggle were similar and what is more this struggle was not very effective. Thus, street gangs kept growing and progressing in both the US and the UK. As a result, today, they represent a serious threat to the existing social order because street gangs are responsible for high street crime rates and violence, especially in large cities of both the US and the UK. In such a situation, a widely-spread belief that the physical distance and historical separation of street gangs in the US and the UK is growing popular. However, in actuality, street gangs in the US and the UK, being quite different tend to be quite similar because of the similar causes of their origin and because of the current trend to globalization which eliminates cultural differences between countries, while crime has always being in the avant-garde of the international integration of countries.
Similarities between street gangs in the US and UK
On analyzing the development of street gangs in the US and UK, it is possible to trace certain similar trends. For instance, one of the most disturbing trends concerning the development of street gangs is the growth of crime rates. In this respect, it is possible to refer to recent studies dedicated to the problem of street gangs in the US and the UK.
According to one of the recent studies (Youth Violence, 2007), it is possible to reveal several key facts that indicate to the trend of gangs and crimes in the US growing younger and committed by gangs:
• In 1998, among youth ages 10 to 19 in the United States, there were 2,054 suicides, which were one of the major causes of death among the youth.
• Over 60 percent of youth suicides in 1998 involved firearms used to commit suicides.
• From 1993 to 1998, suicide rates for teens ages 15 to 19 dropped by 18 percent.
• In 1998, among youth ages 10 to 19 in the United States, there were 2,570 homicide deaths. The number of male murderers prevailed over female murderers consistently up to four times.
• From 1993 to1998, homicide rates for teens ages 15 to 19 dropped by 43 percent.
• From 1993 to 1998, nonfatal firearm injuries from crime dropped by 49 percent, and firearm injuries from suicide attempts dropped by 48 percent in that same time period
At the same time, the study conducted in the UK (Street Robberies Soar by 28%), revealed the fact that there are several key areas where reported crime is on the rise are:
• Violent crime increased by 11% to 812,000 incidents
• Murders increased by 4% to 886 whereas attempted murders increased by 21% to 858
• Robbery increased by 28% to more than 121,000 incidents, among which there were a 31% increase in robbery of personal property.
• Rapes up 14%
• Soliciting up 60%
In such a way, it is obvious that both street crimes tend to grow in both the US and the UK.
However, the growth of crime rates does not necessarily imply the similarity of street gangs. In this respect, the location, where street gangs operate is much more important. In this regard, the location of street gangs in the US and the UK is also similar. To put it more precisely, one of the recent studies conducted in the UK by Hill (2007) reveals the fact that street gangs are located in the largest cities of the country. To put it more precisely, according to Hill (2007) the violence racking Britain’s cities is as follows:
Manchester
Doddington Boys, Pitt Bull Crew, Pepperhill Gang, Gooch Close Gang, Longsight Crew. All of the aforementioned street gangs were located around the Moss Side area from where they have been conducting their criminal activities and criminal war since the Nineties.
Liverpool
Croxteth Crew are the rivals of the Strand Crew from Norris Green. Liam Smith, 19, alleged leader of the Strand Crew, was murdered last year.
Birmingham
The Burger Bar Boys gang organized the murders of Letisha Shakespeare and Charlene Ellis in 2003.
London
The A Team, The Bombers, Clapham’s Clap Town Boys, Peckham’s Blood Set and the PDC in Brixton – which claims to have renounced violence – are all established gangs. In this respect, it is important to lay emphasis on the fact that street gangs comprised of immigrants have come into power in the area.
Nottingham
Two members of the Waterfront Gang were sentenced for life in October 2005 for the drive-by murder of a schoolgirl.
The similar location is typical for street gangs in the US. The FBI (1996) reports that violent street gangs are active in 94% of the medium- and large-sized cities in the United States (many of these cities have up to 40 different gangs), and that gang membership exceeds 400,000. More worrisome than the actual number of street gangs, however, is their rate of growth. (In 1991, there were an estimated 249,324 gang members.) This exponential increase is also apparent from the number of US cities reporting gang involvement (before 1961 = 54; up to 1970 = 94; up to 1980 = 172; up to 1992 = 766) (Klein, 1993), and escalating violence attributed to gang activity (Gangs in the United States, 2004). Obviously, street gangs in the US and the UK are located in large cities mainly. Small towns are not vulnerable to the development of street crimes.