The issue of youth gangs has been a major concern in many societies. Youth gangs exist in almost every country. Many studies have been carried out by various academics, government and non-government agencies in trying to resolve the problem. Many traditional researches were conducted in trying to explain the phenomenon suggesting different causes for its existence, which included poverty, poor family background, lack of protection, and bad associations, etc. In the new age of technology advancement, the acquisition of knowledge through different media and the Internet has become much easier and widespread. Young people nowadays should have much better awareness on the risks and fallacies in joining youth gangs, yet the phenomenon continues to happen. Some other intriguing reason must be present in attracting young people to join or stay in gangs. One of which might be the excitement created from voluntary risk taking as suggested in the concept of 'Edgework'. In the following paper, I will try to explore the effect of the 'Edgework' theory has on youth gangs.
Definition of Gang.
Despite the many researches conducted on gangs all over the world, there has not been a universal definition due to its diversity. Nevertheless, most established definitions are linked to some forms of delinquencies (Hagedorn 1988, Klein 1971, Miller 1975). One of the more recent definitions on gang suggested that there are six main characteristics on a gang. In gist, it is denotable as a group, using symbols for its membership, having certain ways of communication be it verbal or non-verbal, having some permanency, having its own turf, and involving in a degree of criminal activities (Curry and Decker 2003).
Push and Pull Perspective.
The reasons for young person to join a gang vary. Academics have tried to understand the motivation in joining gangs through a framework of "push" and "pull" factors (Decker and Van Winkle,1996).