Introduction
Currently, in the United Kingdom as well as throughout the whole world, there are a number of problems related to gangs and violence. Among many important and problematic issues in society, youngsters’ lives, gang involvement, and drug use need to be researched to find the causes of criminal activities.
The main aim of this research paper was to concentrate on the young generation of the United Kingdom and why they join gangs, why they use drugs, how their family affects them, what background they have, whether social services provide support, what help they have been offered, and whether gang members have asked for help to leave the gang. These sorts of questions will be analyzed during the research.
This dissertation aims to change some perspectives towards youngsters and bring a better understanding of their lifestyle. There are some reasons and factors that lead people to get involved in this activity, the primary causes of which are social, economic, and psychological. The second most significant factors are age and gender, which are involved in influencing youngsters and young adults to become addicted to drugs. In this research, I will mainly concentrate on how and why people are joining gangs and how and why they are using drugs. Also, I will research the effect of parental impact on youngsters, examine psychological issues and physical needs, and examine any correlation between poor background and educational issues during the dissertation. Many factors can lead to other factors that may trigger deviant behavior. For example, drugs and gangs are related issues. However, this doesn’t mean all drug users are gang members, but there is a correlation between them because both activities are illegal and considered criminal activities.
Literature Review
Reason for this research (Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs, 2022; HM Inspectorate of Probation, 2024): there is an increasing problem in the UK and the world
Many youngsters are in danger. It would be beneficial to support youngsters in their troubles. However, we need to understand the problems before trying to help them. We can produce ideas and suggestions to solve the problems. In this dissertation, I intend to explain what young people feel about their criminal actions. Do they have any feelings about doing drugs or hurting people? One of the studies shows that young people cannot understand or recognize sadness, but they acknowledge happiness, anger, and fear equally well. [Austin 1986 cited in Clive R Hollin 1992] Another study shows that offenders cannot cope with social challenges as well as non-offenders [freedman et al., 1978 quoted in Clive R Hollin 1992]. The feelings of youngsters and an understanding of their problems will be the primary issues in this essay. Whether youngsters choose to be gang members willingly or unwillingly, social media and social factors play leading roles in their decisions. Young people who do not have the right education do not understand the consequences of their actions. They are not capable of making reasonable choices in their lives.
The proposed area of study
Why do youth join gangs, what makes gangs attractive to them, and why do parents not prevent them from joining gangs? Why are youngsters interested in using drugs? Parental impact on them, psychological issues, ethnic background, and gender will be researched. All of the specified factors are briefly discussed in the research. It is assumed that these factors could be the basis of converting the positive and highly educated youth individuals towards gang drugs and other social problems (Howell, 2010).
During the research, some of the theories that will be applied include social learning theory, choice theory, and psychological theories. The research may require more theories for the analysis of the factors that would be responsible for the development of the psychology of social issues, the most prominent of which are teenagers’ and adults’ psychological issues. These issues are rising with time, and we don’t have enough time to wait for them to be handled because of the rapid increase in the number of individuals becoming involved in these problems.
Key Skills and Research Questions
During the research, the key skills include approaching the problems in criminological, sociological, and psychological ways, as well as understanding the situation and observing it from a different perspective, which would help in resolving the problems and answering a number of questions that arise on every similar social issue. For example, what causes youngsters to join gangs, and how do we solve the problems? The parental approach to youth will be analyzed. What are the social community roles toward youngsters? All the steps will be followed to help find the best answers, including the evaluation, suggestions, discussions, and critical analyses. These steps will be easily implemented and help conclude the final output and solution to the problem as described.
Aim of study
The study’s main concerns are social issues, such as gang drugs, youth involvement, and some reasons. The study’s main aim is to help elaborate on the concerns more prominently. Solving a problem is the core purpose of the study, and it produces enough content to help understand similar problems among adults and teenagers (National Institute on Drug Abuse, n.d.).
- Try to understand why youth is interested in gangs and drugs,
- Are there any parental impacts on them?
- What are the attractive things for youth?
- Can we identify the problems and find any solutions for the problematic areas like criminal behavior?
- Are there any suggestive ideas or ideas already put into practice and what can be included?
- Psychological issues and any mental disorders
These questions are efficiently answered and help with the parental impacts and attractive things for youth. As shown above, many acts have proposed solutions for it.
In the discussed aims of the study, it is required for the study to find a way of understanding the reasons the youth is involved in gangs and drugs. Several factors are causing the increase in the levels of parental impact on the young and teenagers who are tempted towards drugs and gang activities. Parental influence is one of the main factors that could be included in the research, and it should be understood that this is one of the most influential factors that could help reduce social crimes among teenagers, young adults, and overall youth.
Ethical considerations
I will use secondary sources that may have contact with some of the victims during the research. However, ethical regulations will be followed. Participants will be asked whether they consent to answer questions or have their names included in the research essay. Parental information and the names of close relatives or gang members will not be given unless a person gives consent. It is always required that these ethical considerations be strictly followed. They should not be violated for security and to keep the individual away from the media and other social networks.
Methodology and Data
I will use books, journals, articles, Google Scholar, internet sources, newspapers, magazines, quantitative data, and qualitative data during the research. Personal interviews will also be conducted upon demand. A good number of books were studied, which helped in elaborating and resolving the underlying issues. The books I have read and interpreted to complete my research without any hindrances include the Oxford Handbook of Criminology, Criminal Behaviour by Clive R. Hollins, A World Of Gangs by John M. Hagedorn, and Criminology by Tim Newburn. These are the main sources as well as the primary data sources which have elaborated the main and the basic concept.
Conclusion
In a nutshell, it can be explained that in the current conditions around the world and with the influence of drugs everywhere, it is necessary to understand the problem completely by doing research and finding some better solutions. It will be highly recommended to implement those solutions as soon as possible so that the problems of society, like gangs, drugs, parental impact, and youth victimization, can be understood and resolved. In the United Kingdom, many cities are affected by this problem, and it is explained that this problem will increase if not handled properly with the help of parents and government officials. Due to a lack of understanding of the problems of the young community, we are forcing them to engage in crimes that are not expected to be practiced in the country.
Bibliography
Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs. (2022). Drug misuse prevention review. UK Home Office.
Howell, J. C. (2010). Gang prevention: An overview of research and programs. Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.
HM Inspectorate of Probation. (2024). Children involved in urban street gangs.
National Institute on Drug Abuse. (n.d.). Prevention.
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