This research essay was conducted because I lost of a friend to gang violence and am associated with many who have spent their youth living the violent lifestyle of being an active gang member. Seeing this damage many individuals was my primary inspiration to fulfill this English project; to uncover effective solutions which will steer youth away from - and minimize the draw towards - the pressure and need-based decision to join a gang. Abstract A research paper which supports effective gang prevention measurements through a more focused study on the early stages before gang members reach their criminal peek. This research provides insight why gang members may become deviant and how to correct deviant behavior. Also, it will provide focus on the relation between behavior modification and life building skills taught through organized programs relating to prevent children from growing up without values to prevent gang violence and crime from rising in the future. My research provides that after-school programs are an effective method, which can be a tool to help train young people who struggle in this area to have a opportunity to live a prosperous life and become productive citizens who can help other to also live in peace and harmony with others. Keywords – gang prevention, delinquency, after-school programs, skills, training Why are young adults in cities involved with gangs? Countless innocent people in the U.S. die from youth violence unintentionally; either being an innocent bystander caught in the recklessness of activities done from gang violence or dying a tragic death of being wrongfully victimized. Children continue to suffered theses effects of crime caused by the growth of urban gangs as countless neighborhoods in urban cities become much more unsafe for children to grow and live flourishing lives, only to have fallen to the gangs in their society. In the past, most of America never knew the realistic danger of a terrorized neighborhood caused by violent acts from gangs. Today, nearly half of America is now witnessing the danger and street violence caused by gangs, either by watching their local news, just to see how close the violence is to them, only to learn this violence is happening in their own city. Or by witnessing in first hand, by seeing the signs of gang graffiti, witnessing the sounds of shootings, or witnessing other acts of violence done around them. More and more, youth violence is spreading to cities where gangs aren't even supposed to be, as young teenagers want to be more rebellious. Today just about everyone has an idea of what gangs are, some people think their just a group of friends who started their own cool clique, others know it as violent groups of people running the streets doing illegal activities. Gangs basically feel like they can do what they want and rebel against what is right. They range from all levels of illegal activities, from sale and distribute whatever might be highly illegal to gain capital, to banging (representing) territories onto other gangs from different hoods (neighborhoods) and status for reputation on the streets. Gangs pretty much get into all sorts of trouble, or cause trouble to get things their way. There way of thinking is troubling to all advocates who want to put a stop to this. Gang violence has hurt many people, it caused heartache of losing loved ones, it changes a member’s life for the worst, and it also puts a member’s life and other life at risk, and so on. So why are teenagers turning to gangs? Why do they choose to live in that lifestyle, knowing the trouble they may face? In recent discussions of, “Effective ways to prevent youth from turning to the gang lifestyle," a controversial issue has been whether to assign more policing task forces enforce on kids or provide after-school programs as an effective method to prevent children turning to gangs. I found several other report studies of measurements of gang prevention, such as the U.S. Department of Justice, the Bureau of Justice and other academic books, which bases claims on gang prevention. On one hand, some argue that prevention with positive programs for the youth and educating them to build integrity, such as Gang Resistance Education And Training (GREAT), a school-based gang prevention program is better and is very helpful for an individual to gain something from (the Institute for Intergovernmental Research, 2012). Others perspective on this is, children who are brought up in poor neighborhoods can be given a chance to make an impacting future for themselves. In the words of Larson and Eccles (2005), "Community-based youth programs provide a rich source of support for the healthy development of young people enhances healthy and thriving psychological and social development, including positive changes pertinent to logical and social development, identity, moral development, and civic engagement" (p.xi). This idea provides us with an understanding of how