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Definition of gangs

1. USAID Bureau for Latin America and the Caribbean Central American and Mexico
Gang Assessment
(http://pdf.usaid.gov/pdf_docs/Pnadg834.pdf)

- In this report, the author defines gang as refers to any durable, street-oriented youth
group whose involvement in illegal activity is part of its identity (Professor Malcolm Klein,
Voices from the Field Conference, February 2005)

- interestingly, the report comes up with a complex typology of gang structure and
clearly distinguishes gang members from vulnerable youth at risk of joining the gang. The
report finds that vulnerable youth group are youths ages 8-18 whose lives are characterized
by several risk factors, making them susceptible to joining a gang.11 The majority of youths
in this group are poor, live in marginalized urban areas, have limited to no educational or job
opportunities, and represent the lowest level of the gang supply chain.

- the risk factors vary depending on the country. Importantly, one of the risk in El
Salvador is by having parents living in the United States, the children are more vulnerable
and at risk at becoming gang members.

With parents working elsew here,there are numerous cases of children raised by
relatives who abuse and/or neglect them, do not fully accept them as family members, and
treat them as outsiders. This can cause fear or rebellion, which may drive some children to
the streets to seek relief. (p.50)

This might aid the argument to categorize this group of children as a particular social
group because they are inherently at higher risk of becoming gang members than other young
people.

2. UNODC Crime and Development in Central America


(http://www.unodc.org/documents/data-and-analysis/Central-america-study-en.pdf)

The UNODC points out an interesting identity of the gang in Central America, which
is that the gang is an institutionalised gang.

An institutionalised gang is a framework through which the membership flows, often


across generations, and has its own set of conventions and rules. These generally include a
stylised and secret gang history, initiation rituals, a ranking system, rites of passage, rules of
conduct, and bereavement rituals.

- the members of the gang identify themselves with the institution. Gang members
take pains to identify themselves as such, adopting characteristic dress, tattoos, graffiti, hand
signs, and slang. They are often, but not always, bound to a particular territory where most of
the membership resides.
- Gang codes often explicitly commit members to involvement in crime and
opposition to law enforcement. Consequently, gang members commit crime not just as a
means to an end (such as profits or other forms of personal gain), but as an essential
manifestation of who they are
Comment

Committing a crime seems to be one of strong characteristics of a gang members.


This might help distinguish a child who stays in his or her house and does not committing
any crime to belong to a separate social group from gang members.

3. C. Seelke Gangs in Central American


(https://fas.org/sgp/crs/row/RL34112.pdf)

Generally, experts agree that most gangs have a name and some sense of identity,
which can sometimes be indicated by symbols such as clothing, graffiti, colors, and hand
signs that are unique to the group. Gangs are thought to be composed of members ranging in
age from 12 to 24, but some gang members are older adults and others are younger, often
forcibly recruited (page 2)

Importantly, the article looks at the definition of gang in the U.S. National Gang
center.
(https://www.nationalgangcenter.gov/Survey-Analysis/Defining-Gangs)

According to the U.S. National Gang Center, group criminality is the most important
factor used to identify gang-related activity in the United States, followed by displaying gang
symbols.7 Gangs may be involved in criminal activities ranging from graffiti, vandalism,
petty theft, robbery, extortion, and assaults to more serious criminal activities, such as drug
trafficking, rape, and murder.

Comment
Again, committing a crime is highlighted as an important characteristic of being a
gang member. Thus, not involving in any crime, the children in our cases should be
categorised as not belonging to the gang.

4. Eileen R. Larence - Combating Gangs: Federal Agencies Have Implemented a Central


American Gang
(https://books.google.com/books?id=bFmzKT8vizQC&pg=PA41&lpg=PA41&dq=USAID.+
Central+America+and+Mexico+Gang+Assessment.+April+2006.&source=bl&ots=s0pmLtyr
rB&sig=3n-
5PSpoMQZ5mCzUIqXbJ_BeDDY&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjD9oHe4OvWAhXK1CY
KHanxDJ44ChDoAQgnMAA - )

The book has a list of the measures combating gang crimes and violence in the Northern
triangle. I think it would be a good starting point to find out how agency distinguishes gang
members from non-gang members. It is also a good evidence that authorities have grouped
the vulnerable youth apart from the gang members.

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