Reference no: EM133390058
Assignment:
People involved in gang activity are just that-people. Like all of us, they have families, hopes, dreams, motivations, disappointments, and sorrows. They have rights, just like other U.S. citizens, that need to be protected. They are likely to have had logical, rational reasons for becoming involved in a gang. They are more than the crime, or crimes, they have committed. They are not animals as some people have described them, but people.
To be able to prevent, intervene in, and suppress gang activity in our communities, we need to learn people's stories. What trauma did these individuals encounter in their lives? What protective factors were present to help them resist gang involvement? Protective factors, for example, include the existence of role models outside gang life, parents who were not gang members themselves, and family and community support. In other words, we need to learn their story.
This assignment will help you to see the personal side of gang life by taking an in-depth look at the story of someone who has been involved in it. You have two choices for the subject of your story:
You may choose to analyze Pearl Arredondo's story, My Story, From Gangland Daughter to Star Teacher, or Gerardo Lopez's story, I Was an MS-13 Gang Member. Here's How I Got Out.
OR
You may analyze the life story of someone you know or a character in a movie (for example, Boyz n the Hood and American Me) or book (for example, Out of the Red: My Life of Gangs, Prison, and Redemption) who has been involved in gang life.
Using the information on pages 125-130 (Table 5.2) of your textbook, 4 to 6 paper in which you:
1. Outline how your selected individual was able to rise above crime, delinquency, and gang life.
2. Determine at least four factors critical to understanding the origins of your selected individual's delinquent behavior as a juvenile.
3. Identify the protective and risk factors present in your selected individual's life.
4. Apply at least two research-based early intervention programs described of your textbook that could be implemented in community or school programs.
5. Use three sources to support your writing.
- Choose sources that are credible, relevant, and appropriate.