Gang Deconstruction

gangs, including foreign and transnational gangs, hold that the only way to leave the
gang is through death. This is sometimes informally called the "morgue rule".
Gang membership represents the phenomenon of a chronic group criminal spin,
accordingly the criminality of members is greater when they belong to the gang than
when they are not in the gang—either before or after being in the gang. In addition,
when together, the gang criminality as a whole is greater than that of its members when
they are alone. The gang operates as a whole greater than its parts and influences the
behavior of its members in the direction of greater extend and stronger degree of
criminality.
Non-Member Women In Gang Culture
Women associated with gangs but who lack membership are typically categorized
based on their relation to gang members. A survey of Mexican American gang members
and associates defined these categories as girlfriends, hoodrats, good girls, and
relatives. Girlfriends are longterm partners of male gang members, and may have
children with them. Hoodrats are seen as being sexually promiscuous and heavy drug
and alcohol users. Gang members may engage in casual sex with these girls, but they
are not viewed as potential longterm partners and are severely stigmatized by both men
and women in gang culture. Good girls are long term friends of members, often from
childhood, and relatives are typically sisters or cousins. These are fluid categories, and
women often change status as they move between them. Valdez found that women with
ties to gang members are often used to hold illegal weapons and drugs, typically,
because members believe the girls are less likely to be searched by police for such
items.
Typical Activities
The United Nations estimates that gangs make most of their money through the drugs
trade, which is thought to be worth $352 billion in total. The United States Department of
Justice estimates there are approximately 30,000 gangs, with 760,000 members,
impacting 2,500 communities across the United States.
Gangs are involved in all areas of street-crime activities like extortion, drug
trafficking, both in and outside the prison system, and theft. Gangs also victimize
individuals by robbery and kidnapping. Cocaine is the primary drug of distribution by
gangs in America, which have used the cities Chicago, Cape Town, and Rio de
Janeiro to transport drugs internationally. Brazilian urbanization has driven the drug
trade to the favelas of Rio. Often, gangs hire "lookouts" to warn members of upcoming
law enforcement. The dense environments of favelas in Rio and public housing projects
in Chicago have helped gang members hide from police easily.
Street gangs take over territory or "turf" in a particular city and are often involved in
"providing protection", often a thin cover for extortion, as the "protection" is usually from
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