Title: Gang - Wikipedia
Headings: Gang
Gang
Contents
Definition
History
Current numbers
United States
Rest of the world
Notable examples
Types and structure
Involvement
Membership
Non-member women in gang culture
Typical activities
Gang violence
Gang violence in schools
Sexual violence
Motives
Identification
Debate surrounding impact
Gang membership in the US military
See also
Sources
References
Bibliography
External links

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A gang is a group or society of associates, friends or members of a family with a defined leadership and internal organization that identifies with or claims control over territory in a community and engages, either individually or collectively, in illegal, and possibly violent, behavior. Gangs arose in America by the middle of the nineteenth century and were a concern for city leaders from the time they appeared. Some members of criminal gangs are "jumped in" (by going through a process of initiation), or have to prove their loyalty and right to belong by committing certain acts, usually theft or violence. A number of gangs have gained notoriety in the course of history, including the Sicilian Mafia, Italian-American Mafia, and various other Italian organized crime groups, such as the Camorra; the Russian mafia, the Albanian mafia, the Irish Mob, the D-Company, various organizations within the French underworld, particularly Corsican mafia groups such as Unione Corse and the Gang de la Brise de Mer; British Firms, the Jewish Mob, the Greek mafia, the Nigerian mafia, Triads, the Yakuza, the Jamaican posse and Yardie gangs; the African-American Bloods and Crips; the Armenian Mob;