Participants
Five individuals were chosen to participate in this questionnaire. The five people that were selected to participate were unrelated and independent from one another. They included four males and one female, and they ranged in age from 21 to 65 years old. Four out of the five participants were chosen because they work or have worked in the criminal justice system prior to this research. The last participant was chosen because of his younger age and knowledge of the new generation of gangs and crime in his current city. The first individual selected to participate in the questionnaire is a 37-year-old, female, graduate student. She has a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice and she is currently working …show more content…
First, the research paper and the questionnaire are both exclusively about gangs. Second, one question asks “how would you describe a gang”, and knowing what an actual gang is, is an important part of the research paper. The reason this question is important is because law enforcement officers need to know how to identify a gang member and identify the different types of gangs in their cities to be able to fight against crime. It is imperative for law enforcement officers to know the difference because they need to focus on the more dangerous gangs and their criminal activity to reduce crime. Third, another question asks “what can be done to reduce gang activity” and this is related to the research topic because trying to reduce gang activity is the main topic of the research paper. The main topics are significant because law enforcement officers’ need to understand how gangs operate so they can have additional and better knowledge about gangs so they are able to perform their jobs to the best of their ability and reduce gang’s criminal activities. Finally, all of the questions in the questionnaire are related to the research paper because it is important to understand the different types of gangs, as well as understanding how gangs are different today than they were in the past so law enforcement officers can develop new ways of finding and stopping the new generation …show more content…
Strain theorists believe that individuals can become hopeless and feel that the only way to obtain their dreams is by joining a gang (Cooper, 2011). Lastly, is cultural deviance theory and this one is a combination of disorganization and strain theories. Theorists believe criminal behavior is due to the strain people feel and the social isolation that urban areas experience (Cooper, 2011). Cultural deviance theorists say the combination of growing up in deteriorated areas, with the strain of seeing no way out is the reason people join gangs (Cooper, 2011). This theory relates to the more violent gang members because theorists stated that both factors of this theory can push a person to feel they need to take part in violent behavior (Cooper, 2011).
Ethical