6.1 Crime Trends

Malcolm, a 15-year-old teenager from a run-down neighbourhood, experienced hard times during his childhood. His father left the family when he was five, so they lived in a one-bedroom flat. His mother struggled to pay the bills and take care of Malcolm and his younger brother Sam. She worked long hours at the local hospital, so Malcolm spent his time after school on the streets with other boys.

The children had nothing to do because the youth club had been closed years ago and the only place to hang out was the streets. Malcolm joined a gang because belonging to the Giants gave him a sense of identity and made him feel safe on the streets. Although he had a sense of belonging, crime worried him because there was a lot of shoplifting and mugging going on. What really scared him were the guns. Some of the older boys from the gang got into armed robbery and they stole huge amounts of money. The gang became very territorial and started spraying signs and graffiti on buildings in the neighbourhood.

This form of vandalism showed the other gangs who was in control of the area, while guns and knives were the tools that kept them out.

Malcolm was terrified but didn't know how to get out. Then one day, as he was walking home from school, a boy from a rival gang shot Malcolm twice in an act of revenge. The leader of the boy's gang had been attacked the previous day, and Malcolm was the one to pay the price. His mum was devastated, as she had no idea that her son was a member of a gang, so seeing her cry made him think carefully about everything.

After four weeks, he was released from hospital, where he had spent his time searching the Internet to find a solution to his problem. He discovered a programme for kids who want to escape from gang culture and get back to school and a normal life.

“Teen Change”, the programme, and his mentor Elijah, who used to be a gang member himself when he was Malcolm's age, changed Malcolm's life. Elijah understood gang mentality because he had been involved in a car theft and had spent time in prison for the offence. The programme and Elijah gave Malcolm the courage to turn his life around and to get out of the gang. He got involved in various projects in the teen centre and has returned to school. Now, he only thinks about his future; the gang is a thing of the past. Malcolm chose to live, not to end up in jail or die young.

Police have found the person that they believe is responsible for six car thefts in Sussex. The suspect, 19-year-old Melissa Summers, was caught breaking into her neighbour’s BMW early this morning. She admitted to the crime right on the spot, although she had the right to remain silent and wait for her lawyer to arrive. Many people blame Melissa's parents for her crimes because her mother was punished for shoplifting a couple of times and her father has just been released from prison, having served time for armed robbery.

Everyone is sure that Melissa's parents approved of her behaviour and were proud of her following their criminal footsteps. They never talked to Melissa about her offences and have never stopped her from taking other people's cars. Although Melissa is young and the least to blame, the townspeople are hoping that the judge will sentence her to prison, and they hope that this will deter Melissa from stealing their cars when she is released.