Who are the people in gangs?
Those who have older siblings or family members that are or have been in gangs are at greater risk of gang affiliation. There are occasions, however, where they are the only family member to be in involved in a gang.
Many contributory factors attract youngsters to join negative peer groups and can vary from individual to individual. A multitude of social and economic reasons can be involved:
Power, status, security, friendship, family substitute, economic profit, substance abuse influences from others including media, and numerous other factors can influence teenagers to join gangs. Often if a sibling is in a gang then other siblings may be at risk of also getting involved.