Several interrelated social trends have recently emerged that have influenced delinquency in U.S. society in rather dramatic ways. Discuss these trends and how they have influenced delinquency

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

The answer should include the following points:
In the mid-1980s, crack cocaine became widely available in urban areas. There was soon a large demand for this drug and this led to the recruitment of young people into the market to sell crack.
By 1990, the crack epidemic had become a major impetus for the development and spread of drug-trafficking street gangs across the nation. By the end of the 20th century, street gangs were found in nearly every city and in many smaller communities across the United States. One of the consequences of the illegal drug marketplace, to include heroin and methamphetamines, was that young people used guns to protect themselves from being robbed of the illegal substances they were carrying. Significantly, be the early 2000s, the use of guns had spread from individuals involved in drug transactions to larger numbers of young people, and the availability and use of guns, the spread of the drug market, and the growth of street gangs all contributed to a dramatic rise in murder rates among young people. Finally, beginning in the 1980s and continuing through today, young people became increasingly involved in various forms of hate crimes, or crimes committed because of a victim's racial or ethnic characteristics, or religious or gender preferences.