Modern Growth of Gangs in Rural and Suburban America Research Paper

Modern Growth of Gangs in Rural and Suburban America - Research Paper Example (Maxson, 1993) Street gangs are therefore, no exception. This paper examines the growth of street gangs in rural America with the emphasis on California. The US Criminal Code describes a street gang as a group containing at least five persons whose main purpose is to commit at least one criminal offense. (US Criminal Code) The Criminal Intelligence Service of Canada offers perhaps, the best definition of street gangs, describing this term of reference as: â€Å"a term that law enforcement traditionally used to categorize crime groups that consisted predominantly of young males from similar ethnic backgrounds that were usually engaged in a low level of criminality, often based within a specific geographical area.† (Criminal Intelligence Service Canada, 2004, 29) The US Department of Justice, however, notes that since the 1990s, street gangs have ceased to be gender specific and have generously spread its reach beyond urban areas and into rural areas. (McGloin, 2003, 1) Moreover, street gang crime has become more prevalent as of the 1990s and is attracting persons of all ethnic groups and ages.(Fleisher and Decker, 2001, 65-77) Criminologists typically agree that street gangs have a largely negative impact on their community and the residents. (McGloin, 2003, 1)This is because street gangs contribute to firearms activity, violence, drug supply and demand, home invasions, auto theft, murder â€Å"and/or general decline in the quality of life,† and other serious crimes. (McGloin, 2003, 2) Since the 1990s the make-up and demographics of street gangs have changed with its growth. (Esbensen and Winfree, 1998, 505-526) As gangs and gang membership increases across America, they are branching out into rural areas and attracting diverse ethnic and gender groups. (Esbensen and Winfree, 1998, 505-526) While street gangs do not demand the

The future status of English as the global language is assured Essay - 1

The future status of English as the global language is assured - Essay Example This means that it is a language that is not going to disappear anytime soon because it is deeply rooted among many cultures. The same could be said of Mandarin. However, Mandarin has historically never had the same global appeal of English due to one thing—colonization. The English language originated from England and was exported around the world the England’s colonies. Countries such as Canada, Australia, and New Zealand have all had their cultures and language shaped due to the influence of England. Mandarin was never allowed to expand like this because China never ventured far outside its own borders. In addition to England, the United States of America also became a great exporter of the English language. After the United States won independence from England, it did contribute much to world affairs. It was only after the Second World War that America started to influence many different countries around the globe. Because they speak the English language, the United States was, and still does, influence they way people talk. Over the centuries, English has long been the language of trade between countries. Although English is only the native language in a few countries, there are considerably more nations that have established English as their second language. The reason for this is simple—trade. Because many of the native English speaking countries are considered to be first world, it is advantageous for poorer nations to do business with them. To accomplish this, it makes sense to learn English in order to be able to communicate effectively with them. It would be unrealistic for an English speaker to learn a language of another country that wants to engage in trade—because the developing country wants to grow, it must learn to speak the language that will help to get them there. Although English will surely be threatened by other upcoming languages, particularly Mandarin, the future status of the English language as