The word gang has taken on many meanings over the years. Originally, the word was used only to express a group of people. You've probably heard someone talk about the local gang of boys or something. In the past, the word gang did not have the negative tone that accompanies it today. Over time, the word gang has become a word that many worry about when they hear it. It appears that a "gang" has evolved from a simple group of people to a group of people who band together for criminal or other anti-social purposes. Street gangs have become major distributors of illegal drugs on the streets, gang members smuggle and transport drugs into the country, and many use minors to do their "dirty work" due to the high risks of being arrested. Juveniles do not receive a sentence that a grown adult would receive in court; which leads many gangs to persuade minors to join their “Family”. The discovery of many youth gang-related tattoos is not a surprise due to the large number of street gangs that persecute teenagers who join their associations. Most young people involved in a life of crime live in a single parent home, which plays a large role in their past and present behavior. Gangs take advantage of young people who struggle to find their identity or who have problems integrating with their peers. Street gangs are always looking for young minors to distribute for their association; they are considered "fresh meat", meaning they can shape them to be whatever they want them to be. Large street gangs quickly employ violence to control and expand drug distribution operations, targeting rival gangs and dealers who neglect or refuse to pay extortion payments. .... half of the paper ...... Violence statistics show that the majority of gang members are directly involved in gang-related criminal activity and a third of them have no involvement at all. There is no doubt that gangs have become a major threat in our society. Not only have they grown enormously and affected society, but they have also increased crime to a higher level where it is too difficult to try to control it. So many task forces have been created with the aim of slowing down gang activity, but given past events, stopping gang activity seems unattainable. Law enforcement has made rapid progress and slowed gang activity and drug production, but just as law enforcement improves its techniques for catching criminals, criminals also improve their techniques. Crime will never end, which is why there will always be new opportunities in law enforcement careers.