Urban Youth male gangsters and analyze tendencies for youth to involve in criminal acts through gangs

Abstract

The experience of Sri Lanka on Gang activities has different forms and shapes due to its own historic, ethnic and political characteristics. It is notable that gang activities in Sri Lanka were not limited to urban setting but it was a countrywide phenomenon. However, as observed, the organized male gangs are active with key gangsters stationed in Colombo. There for this research designed to find out, what are the factors causing youth males to join with gangs and engage in delinquent activities through gangs?, in order to identify concept of gangsters through studying the behavioral patterns of urban male gangs and to analyze tendencies for youth to involve in criminal acts through gangs. 14 locations selected out of 47 wards in Colombo which are quite prominent for gangs and gang related criminal activities were selected as the research area and 493 gang members selected as the research sample using the snow ball technique, available contacts and through observations. Field observation, questionnaires and interviews, focus group studies, participation observation and case studies were used to gather data. The outcome of the research identified friends, freedom, social acceptance and protection, the prevalence of supportive environment for delinquent behavior as well as the easy access for economic benefits become facilitative factors for the existence of delinquent gangs and tendencies for youth to involve in criminal acts through gangs. This research was benefited as a higher investment for the police department of Sri Lanka as 10 police officers had been trained to perform in-depth assessments of gang behavior through this research. Furthermore, this initiative research would guide future studies and researches of refined subjects related to the ganging and related social problems.