"CRIMINAL STREET GANG' MEANS ANY ONGOING

ORGANIZATION, ASSOCIATION OR GROUP OF THREE OR MORE

Hello, my name is Coke, I am 18 years old. My PERSONS, WHETHER FORMAL OR INFORMAL, HAVING AS ONE
father was addicted to drugs and alcohol and OF ITS PRIMARY ACTIVITIES THE COMMISSION OF ONE OR
died when I was 5 years old. A month before my MORE OF THE CRIMINAL ACTS [...], HAVING A COMMON NAME
OR COMMON IDENTIFYING SIGN OR SYMBOL, AND WHOSE
sister Aine was born, my mother got fired from MEMBERS INDIVIDUALLY OR COLLECTIVELY ENGAGE IN OR
a gun’s factory and she also became addicted HAVE ENGAGED IN A PATTERN OF CRIMINAL GANG ACTIVITY.
to alcohol. I had to take care of my sister
during our childhood.
I decided to search for a job to help my
mother with the bills and that's when my INDIVIDUAL PEER GROUP
cousin Pablo told me about some guys who could ILLEGAL GUN HIGH COMMITMENT
help me. I went to talk to them and started to OWNERSHIP TO DELINQUENT
DRUG TRAFFICKING PEERS
do some tasks. I started to earn some money DESIRE FOR GROUP STREET
but, when I noticed, I already was a part of D.C. REWARDS SUCH AS SOCIALIZATION
Born Killers at the age of 16. STATUS, IDENTITY, GANG MEMBERS IN
Two years later, I was walking in the city SELF-ESTEEM, CLASS
COMPANIONSHIP AND INTERACTION WITH
downtown with my 12 year old sister when 3 PROTECTION DELINQUENT
hooded men showed up and killed her with a ANTI-SOCIAL PEERS
headshot. I got shot in the leg but I survived. ATTITUDES PRE-TEEN
They ran away but me and my gang wanted AGGRESSION EXPOSURE TO
ALCOHOL AND DRUG STRESS
revenge, so we decided to go to the USE
restaurant where the rival gang used to have
SCHOOL FAMILY
meetings. We arrived and started shooting FAMILY
POOR SCHOOL
but they managed to escape and, when we PERFORMANCE DISORGANIZATION,
noticed, police had surrounded us. INCLUDING BROKEN
LOW EDUCATIONAL HOMES AND PARENTAL
At the trial the judge had given me two ASPIRATIONS, DRUG AND/OR ALCOHOL
ESPECIALLY AMONG ABUSE
choices: either go to jail for ten years or do a
YOUNG FEMALES FAMILY VIOLENCE,
series of community service activities (since I NEGATIVE LABELLING NEGLECT AND DRUG
told him you do not wish to be apart of the gang BY TEACHERS ADDICTION
HIGH LEVELS OF ANTI- FAMILY MEMBERS IN A
but you can’t find your way out). I chose to do GANG
SOCIAL BEHAVIOUR LACK OF ADULT AND
community service. FEW TEACHER ROLE PARENTAL ROLE
MODELS MODELS, PARENTAL
EDUCATIONAL CRIMINALITY,
FRUSTRATION PARENTS WITH
LOW ATTACHMENT TO VIOLENT ATTITUDES,
SIBLINGS WITH ANTI-
SCHOOL SOCIAL BEHAVIOURS
LEARNING EXTREME ECONOMIC
DIFFICULTIES DEPRIVATION
 Usually you can
identify a gang
member by his
daily customs .
Normaly they use
large and dark
clothes, have
tattos,
handshakes and
jewerly