Gang (Meaning and Explanation)

We explain what a gang is and what types exist. In addition, we tell you why criminal gangs are a current social problem.

A biker gang gathers by the road. — A gang is a group that meets to carry out different activities together.

What is a gang?

a gang It is an informal group of people who share a sense of identity, a way of life, and often an emotional relationship (friendship, companionship), and that they can jointly carry out different types of activities. The term comes from Latin tambourinetranslatable as “deploy” or “extend”, specifically in the sense of the deployment of the troops of an army.

The gangs They are generally made up of young individuals who share interests either for criminal purposes, such as street gangs or criminal gangs (known in some Latin American countries as “maras”, “mafias” or “combos”), or rather as an urban tribe that seeks to differentiate itself from the established culture.

Criminal gangs

Members of the Japanese yakuza gang show off their tattoos at the Sanja Matsuri festival. — Some gangs, such as the Yakuza, became known by becoming more organized.

In the context of criminal groups, gangs are a social problem that occurs alongside drug trafficking, robbery, kidnapping and extortion, human trafficking, vandalism and other serious crimes. This is why In many cases, gangs are considered a form of organized crime

The history of criminal gangs, however, is not at all new. Already in ancient times there were groups dedicated to criminal activities and that were fought in the same way by States and governments. There are references to gangs of armed youths in the accounts of ancient Rome by Marcus Tullius Cicero (106-43 BC), for example, and many other cases are known throughout history, especially during periods of crisis and economic need, and many of them were made up of former soldiers or combatants.

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Many gangs emerged during interwar periods and some played an important role in the destabilization of governments through the generation of social unrest. Some even became known by acquiring greater organization and influence, such as the Order of Assassins or Hashashin from the Middle East (between the 10th and 13th centuries); the Thuggee or Indian stranglers (active between the Middle Ages and the 19th century); the Spanish Garduña (from the 15th to the 19th century); the famous Italian Camorra or the Japanese Yakuza.

Currently, much of Latin America faces the problem of large-scale criminal gangs a phenomenon that had its origin in the United States, where groups of Latin American migrants in the mid-20th century formed more or less formal criminal organizations. After being deported by the US government, these gang members exported the practice to their countries of origin.

Types of gangs

Although there is no universal classification of gangs, in general they are differentiated according to their activities and their area of action, as follows:

Military gangs made up of soldiers or former combatants who, instead of laying down their arms and integrating into society, decide to act as free agents.
Drug gangs established around the business of drug trafficking and other similar illegal operations, act as an economic organization, as well as a criminal one.
Prison gangs made up of inmates or prisoners within a prison institution, often to claim rights, oppose their rivals and/or control illicit activities within the prison.
Maras made up of young criminals organized as a kind of guerrilla force, their name comes from the term “marabunta”, which is known as the migratory ants that destroy everything in their path. They are particularly active in different Latin American countries, such as Mexico, Honduras and El Salvador.