2. Gang A gang can be a group of criminals or delinquents who band together for mutual protection and profit. A gang can also be a group of people who associate together or act as an organized body.

3. Street Gangs Prison Gangs Outlaw Motorcycle Gangs Safety Gangs Type of Gangs

4. Street Gangs, Prison Gangs, Outlaw Motorcycle Gangs Pose a threat to the society. These gangs are located throughout the United States and can be very different in size, composition, and structure. Main distributors of illegal drugs.

5. Street Gangs, Prison Gangs, Outlaw Motorcycle Gangs These gangs also smuggle, produce, and transport drugs in the United States. Street Gangs deal with mostly cocaine and angel dust. Outlaw Motorcycle Gangs mainly produce and deal with marijuana and methamphetamine.

6. Safety Gangs A safety gang is an organized group of people who mainly try to protect people or cities. They walk the streets of cities and prevent bad things from occurring.

7. Causes of Gang Enrollment Three Main Causes: Acceptance Peer Pressure Money

8. Acceptance Most common reason. Gives the individual a sense of family. The leader of the group is like the parent and the followers are like the children.

9. Money A person might join for financial needs. If a person is in debt or need of money. A person with no money who joins a gang that is involved in illegal drug operations will be able to make some money. But this would be very dangerous.

10. Peer Pressure Teenagers really want to be accepted and liked by their peers. Others just do it to prove themselves. This could also be very dangerous.

11. According to the National Drug Intelligence Center, there are at least 21,500 gangs and more than 731,000 active gang members in the United States. There is criminal activity from gangs in all 50 states and U.S. territories. Gang Violence

12. Initiation Rites Going through an initiation can be something as easy as learning a set of rules and regulations and then restating them in front of the leaders of the group. Or the initiation may be the complete opposite and require the person who is going to join to endure some hardship that will cause pain on him or somebody else.

13. Initiation Rites Gang member usually refer to joining a gang as blood in and blood out. Blood in meaning they have to shed the blood of somebody else. Blood out means the gang member can only leave the gang by his natural death or his death cause by his fellow gang members.

14. Gang Language Three types of gang language: Graffiti Hand Signs Colors of clothing

15. Graffiti Graffiti is usually symbolic. May contain more information about the gang’s activities, values, and their current enemies.

16. Hand Signs Black gang members started using hand signs in the United States in the mid 1950s. First in Los Angeles. Hand signs are the most powerful nonverbal form of communication. Have very specific meanings and have been quickly accepted and used by gangs across the nation.

17. Colors of Clothing Gang colors are the types of color of clothing that are worn by gang members to identify each other. Street gangs can be many colors, but gang members only wear the chosen color of their gang.