Research topic

My research question is about gangs, why people choose to join them, what comes out of being involved in them and everything in between. This issue is worth addressing because it not only affects the gang itself; it affects members of the community as well. This is so because every time something happens in a “bad part of town” people automatically relate it to gang activity. Well at least that’s how it is where I’m from. Society sees gangs as a threat and they only acknowledge the bad things that go on inside a gang but maybe, just maybe they’re not all that bad. Of course violence is never the answer to any problem but other than that maybe they are people like us and have different ways of finding friends. If this is the case then they may have had good intentions on joining a gang. I just want to know what their motives are for either joining or being affiliated. This subject interests me because a lot of people I know and care about have gotten themselves wrapped up in gangs and younger children are joining them. I asked one guy why he was in a gang and he said “because my brothers are in it.” Personally, I think that it is sad that these kids really don’t know what they are getting themselves into. I already know that it is like anything else in the world, there are going to be people in higher ranks than you are and you have to listen to them. I also know that they are not allowed to talk about what really goes on inside their gang and the things that they do. I also know that gangs have evolved in many ways over the years and some females are joining the gangs. I have questions about that also: why would a female want to join a gang? Some websites say that they join for protection. What exactly do they want to be protected from? Once these individuals are in these gangs how do they get out? Do they get out? Some people say that they would want to die in a gang so that they can be respected but how long do they expect that respect to last? Do individuals realize what their decisions do to their family? I have a lot of questions on this topic because I am really passionate about it. So I may need to cut some of my questions out. There are a lot of things about gangs on the internet. My instructor informed me that there was a program on Frontline called “Cease Fire” so I’ll definitely look that up. I can also look on some documentaries that show notorious gang leaders in prison. I can also look at articles that see gangs as a threat to their community. Also, it would be helpful to review the statistics to see where people in gangs end up whether it’s in jail or dead. I could use more places to look but wherever I look, I’m sure that the information will be sufficient.