Brief History.
It is important to look at a brief history of gangs in order to gain an understanding of how they evolved in what they are today. The presence of gangs in societies dates back to the early fourteenth and fifteenth centuries in Europe. They committed various forms of theft and robbery, along with extortion and rape. In the U.S., large numbers of gangs didn't exist until the nineteenth century. An early study by the Illinois State Police noted that a gang called the Forty Thieves was founded in New York about 1820 and this gang was believed to be the first youth gang in the United States (Sheldon, 1997). Early gangs divided themselves primarily among ethnic, racial, and cultural lines and were friendship groups who were committed to protecting themselves and their neighborhoods. During the 1920's gangs evolved to form major crime organizations. There was an estimated 1,313 gangs in Chicago and more than twenty-five thousand members. Gang wars erupted as each group wanted control of specific territories and illegal activities (illegal alcohol, bookmaking, extortion, and gunrunning). The 30's and 40's had a strong presence of European-derived gangs. After WW II, African-American, Puerto Rican, and Mexican-American gained power, especially in the northern cities. In the 50's, gang warfare between African-American and Hispanic gangs peaked in big cities like Boston, Detroit, Philadelphia, Chicago, New York, and Los Angeles. Female gangs also erupted in the 50's. By 1961, it was estimated that there were at least six thousand girls in gangs. Female gang activities varied from drinking and smoking marijuana to mugging and shoplifting. They had close ties with the male gangs and often would carry weapons for them since they were generally less likely to be searched by police officers. The national focus in the 60's was on the Vietnam War, civil rights, and urban riots and gang membership was not apparent.