Opinion: Stop calling youth gang members. Address them as youth impacted by gangs

I have worked with youth impacted by gangs through my gang intervention efforts in juvenile facilities and communities across California, and I have also served as a gang expert in court and supported attorneys in adult and juvenile cases. When working with professionals, I address youth labeled or classified as gang members as youth impacted by gangs. The reason for this is that no child is born wanting to be in a gang, yet a gang ultimately impacts a youth’s life positively or negatively. How people are addressed matters, as shown by the importance of naming newborns. 

The term gang member carries a strong negative connotation and is problematic when used and misused, especially for adults and even more so for youth under eighteen. I have observed how this term shapes the manner in which youth are punished in communities, schools, juvenile facilities, and courts. I have worked with kids as young as twelve who were labeled gang members simply for wearing red or blue, or for having tattoos believed to be gang-related or earned by committing a crime for the gang. 

In my professional work, I have found that colors, tattoos, social media images, or rap videos alone are not reliable indicators of someone’s involvement with a gang. As a gang expert, I have reviewed reports that focus solely on the term gang member and overlook the realities of positive youth involvement in communities, schools, programs or familial relationships, which can lead to youth being deemed “not amenable to rehabilitation” in juvenile hearings. 

When I was sixteen, several working professionals across various fields labeled me a gang member, which led me to believe I was one. During my adolescence, I was treated differently from other youth who did not carry that label. 

I observed the same treatment of the youth I worked with through my credible messenger mentoring program. In 2023, I reviewed a youth’s school behavioral contract that resembled more of a gang contract, filled with gang language that could negatively influence kids and become a self-fulfilling prophecy. The youth was fifteen and faced harsh punishment from a school that maintained a chart ranking students they believed were gang members in a hierarchy. 

He had no criminal history, was documented as a gang member, and fell into depression. His grades declined, he disconnected from school and his parents suffered significantly. The younger brother was wrongly classified as a gang member because school staff claimed he associated with other youth whom the school documented as gang members. Their parents feared that this term would follow their sons and lead to them being ostracized from sports, school activities and postsecondary job opportunities. These opportunities are crucial for fostering new pro-social identities. This approach to documenting youth who are struggling internally and need support proved ineffective and was found to be more harmful to their development and academic achievement. 

This is one of many youth cases I worked on in which this term harmed young people in the community and in juvenile court. In juvenile facilities and in the community, I have asked youth how they feel about being documented as a gang member. The youth I worked with revealed that people already see them as gang members and constantly call them that, so they start to believe that is their future. 

Classifying and misclassifying youth as gang members can harm them because it might lead them to believe they truly are gang members and could result in their inclusion in the California Gang Database. This database has been controversial because 43 individuals have been falsely identified as gang members and young Black and Latino individuals are overrepresented. 

For undocumented youth, being classified as a gang member could have serious immigration consequences. As they become adults, they might be deported if their past documentation surfaces, which could lead to being sent to the Terrorism Confinement Center (CECOT), a maximum-security prison in El Salvador designated for those alleged to be gang members. 

The classification and misclassification of youth as gang members harms and unfairly stereotypes young people who are still maturing, coping with trauma and in need of support. Professionals and community members should avoid labeling and documenting youth as gang members because it can negatively impact positive youth development. I have witnessed youth become isolated from friends and activities that could have a substantial positive impact. 

I caution against documenting youth as gang members simply for wearing a football team shirt or jersey. A color should not be used to justify treating a youth differently from others or placing them in categories that harm them. Color is a poor indicator of involvement. If a kid wears specific colors that are considered to be part of a gang, the focus shouldn't be on punishing or classifying them. Instead, focus on helping them connect with programs or identify positive alternatives where they can develop a new identity and feel a sense of belonging in their community or schools. 

Youth identities are not fixed; they evolve as individuals mature and encounter new experiences that shape them.