Why Kids Join Gangs

Kids join gangs every day in the United States, and Utah isn’t immune. There are many reasons kids join gangs, and just as many reasons to keep kids out of gangs.

Some Reasons Kids Join Gangs:

• Acceptance—Who doesn’t want to be accepted? Most people want to feel that there are others who like them just for who they are. Gangs will accept your kids for any reason.
• Peer pressure—Every kid feels peer pressure, whether it’s to have the right clothes or be like their friends. The pressure a gang puts on a person can be relentless. A gang has no reason to give up on pressuring your child to join them.
• Curiosity—Have you ever done anything purely out of curiosity? There are a lot of people—kids included—who try something just to see what it’s like. It can be smoking pot or joining a gang, if the individual isn’t given a better option.
• Feeling of Importance—People like to feel important. Some people might join a gang to increase their feelings of being able to be in charge or boss people around. Unfortunately, that can result in criminal activity, too.

Reasons to Keep Kids Out of Gangs:

• Education—Your child’s opportunities to increase his education will dramatically increase if he’s not affiliated with a gang. There aren’t too many gangs that place much importance on a college education.
• Freedom—Gangs are usually involved in some type of criminal activity. Let your kids know that their personal freedom is at stake when they are involved with a gang.
• Finances—There are times when you don’t want to share your wealth. Kids should be able to have a job that allows them to keep their paycheck. Stealing and splitting the ill-gotten gain isn’t the way to financial success.

Keep in touch with your kids. Know their friends and what they do in their spare time. You can have a lot more influence in your children’s lives if you start when they’re young. Just because some kids join gangs doesn’t mean your kids have to.

If you have a child who needs legal help, don’t wait until it’s too late. Call a Utah juvenile defense attorney who will understand the needs of children and who can help you navigate the juvenile justice system in Utah.