Is there a predictable profile of a typical gang member?
Most gang members come from a family environment where we find one of five family factors: 1. Divorce 2. Separation 3. Physical Abuse 4. Sexual Abuse (verbal abuse alone is an uncommon factor) 5. One of the parents is severely dysfunctional, such as alcoholism A new factor that now accounts for 5–15% of gang recruitment outside of the inner-city is: Both parents work full-time jobs, both don’t have to work full-time jobs. See Suburban Gang Update for more information. Additionally, over 75% of gang youths have the Missing Protector Factor (MPF) operative in their lives, which is explained below. The ruptured/broken home acts as a magnifying glass on a youth’s rebellion, particularly those who already have a more rebellious bent than their peers. When frustration, anger, loneliness, isolation, etc. become exaggerated, youths find those like themselves. The result: the gang. Other factors, such as destructive entertainment media, inspire gang variants, but the primal root cause of gangs
