Archive for 17. April 2010

Gangs-Casey Gunnell (FGCU)

17. April 2010 by student.

Gangs are perceived as violent sub-societal groups. They follow their own rules of conduct and have specific qualifications on who can join the gang. Even the way members make money and meet their needs is a way of their own. The most common “jobs” held by gang members are selling drugs, and selling stolen goods such as gun, cars, and other items picked up in a victim’s house. This image is fueled by the media. Local news stations rarely have anything positive to say about the members of gangs and the overall workings of gangs. When was the last time the news ticker said, “Two gang members rescued a child’s kitten from a tree.” The more suiting headline is, “Two gang members shot and killed three over a drug dispute.” The media loves to broadcast the rivalry of gangs. The Bloods and Crips will forever make headlines for their unforgiving street wars.

According to a CNN article, the main reason why people join gangs is poverty. Those in the poor, urban cities have a difficult time securing their needs in honest ways. The cities mainly provide laborious, low-income jobs. Not having their needs met they turn to gangs to make enough money to survive. In addition to poverty the lack of education is another common reason to join a gang. If the child drops out of school, normally related to learning disabilities, they have a higher chance of joining a gang. The media also blames peer pressure, boredom, self esteem, drug use, poor family environment, and preexisting violent behavior as risk factors for joining.

Of those who join gangs the majority of them are male and are between 13-26 years old. There are few outliers as young as 8 and those that stay involved until they die. There are gangs assorted with every nationality. The Surenos, for example are a Hispanic gang and the Asian BoyZ is an Asian gang. Although all nationalities have their own gangs, African Americans are the group with the most gang members.

In order to combat the growing problem of gang violence, a USA Today article believes we should improve failing schools, provide job training for ex-convicts, and stimulate jobs. A CNN article says religion and positive role models will help reduce crime in the African-American community, and therefore lower gang involvement.         

 The reasons teens join gangs are poverty, poor home environment, self esteem issues, limited ways to gain means legitimately, low levels of education, boredom, and negative role models. Teens are at a five times greater risk if their home is inadequate, have mental issues, and learning disabilities according to Aggression and Violent Behavior.

To combat the gang problem the involvement of the citizens, improving education levels and poverty are crucial. The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention have implemented a Gang Reduction Program and had yielded positive results. The program focuses on getting local citizens in communities with high gang rates and former gang members to get involved, provides education services and job training, intervention programs like schools and churches to reach out to the gang members, monitoring gang members, then designing and implementing policies to further reduce gang membership in the future. In Los Angles, for example, has seen reduced gang activities and low numbers of shootings and violence. This program hits on education with tutoring centers and, poverty rates with their job training and employment programs. The Gang Reduction Program could not function if not for the help of the people in the community. This program should be implemented in more areas, not just in the
United States but, around the world.         

Posted in Social Problems | 1 Comment »

College Suicide- Casey Gunnell (FGCU)

17. April 2010 by student.

College is a new start in a student’s life, and unfortunately may lead to an early end in a student’s life. The new pressures, temptations, and situations put college students at a higher suicide risk. In a study conducted over 14 years (1991-2004) the total number of college suicides was 1,404. The pressure of maintaining a decent grade point average while balancing a social life can be overwhelming. The new stressors may trigger physiological disorders such as depression in students whom have never showed any symptoms before. While anyone encountering stress is at risk of committing suicide, white males have the largest number of successful suicides. Suicide is the 8th leading cause of death for American men; they are four times more likely to commit suicide than women, and twice more likely than African Americans. In a study at Yale University 25 students took their lives and 24 of them were white males.

New environments, excessive drug or alcohol use, stress attributed to school work, previous mental disorders, isolation, and aggressive behavior were contributors to student suicide. The mental and physical health of students is a large concern for universities. Many have free counseling, tutoring, and information sessions on how to cope with the new experiences of college. When universities inform its students about the dangers of substance abuse, how to manage stress, and dealing with new interpersonal relationships they lower the risk of suicide on their campuses. We can’t forget that the student must be willing to tap into the variety of resources offered to him in order to gain control over his own life.   

cites used: http://find.galegroup.com/gtx/retrieve.do?contentSet=IAC-Documents&resultListType=RESULT_LIST&qrySerId=Locale%28en%2C%2C%29%3AFQE%3D%28ke%2CNone%2C18%29suicide+in+college%24&sgHitCountType=None&inPS=true&sort=DateDescend&searchType=AdvancedSearchForm&tabID=T002&prodId=AONE&searchId=R2&currentPosition=13&userGroupName=gale15690&docId=A147665237&docType=IAC

http://www.stateuniversity.com/blog/permalink/Suicide-and-Suicidal-Behaviors-Among-College-Students.html

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2603745/pdf/yjbm00645-0021.pdf

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Drug Abuse by Hannah Smith (Edison)

17. April 2010 by student.

Drug Abuse:Before diving into this subject, one must understand the difference between drug abuse and addiction. Many people use these terms to explain the harm inflicted to the person and others due to the drug. However, these two words have separate meanings. According to Psychology in Action written by Karen Huffman, she explains their intended meanings, “The term drug abuse generally refers to drug taking that causes emotional or physical harm to the individual or others. The drug consumption is also typically impulsive, frequent, and intense. Addiction is a broad term referring to a condition in which a person feels compelled to use a specific drug” (186 Huffman). A drug’s effect can be categorized in two main ways. Some drugs have a positive reinforcement, while others have a negative reinforcement. According to the website WiseToSocialIssue.com it explain that Positive reinforcement comes from drugs such as “alcohol, nicotine, caffeine, cocaine, amphetamines, marijuana, opium, and barbiturates”  They are called a positive reinforcement  ” because they bring pleasure to a person who is in a normal state of mind” (paragraph 3 Drug Abuse). Negative reinforcement is described as drugs that numb distasteful feelings or pain. Drug abuse is a social problem in America. Drugs not only affect the person taking them, but those around them. I have seen in my own life those whose lives were affected by drugs. I had friends who lost family members due to overdosing. Drug abuse can lead to devastating consequences. According to statistics in 2004 given by ParentingTeens.com it explained that the most common drugs for seniors were marijuana. The use of such drugs are a social problem not just because of the physical affects, but because it is also against the law. However, drug abuse is not only limited to illegal drugs. Many people are addicted to over the counter drugs. We are constantly bombarded with propaganda telling us that for whatever ails you there’s a drug. Drugs have their uses, but they may be only covering up the true problem. Why are people getting addicted in the first place? Many times it is because they want to escape reality and all the pain that’s associated with it. How can one solve a major aspect of drug abuse? First one must look underneath the surface. See if there is more to the story than just wanting to get high.  

Posted in Mr. Andoscia, Social Problems | 2 Comments »

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