Topic Forum

For each week, you will have a choice of which forums to participate in.（Answer one of three questions below. Do not answer all the question）

1 What makes a “prison gang” different from a street gang or a disruptive group? Discuss how/why the Mexican Mafia emerged as the first U.S. prison gang and how they have evolved since the 1960’s. Who are La Eme’s main allies and rivals? Finally, what is the relationship between La Eme and the Sureños, and what influence does the Mexican Mafia continue to exert today? .

 
2  What is the relationship between guns, street gangs, and drug trafficking organizations? Why do you think guns are such a significant part of the gang culture? What value does a gun have for a gang member? Explain why and how violence can change a person, from all three of the perspectives: victim, witness, and perpetrator. 

3 Why is corruption so important for gangs and cartels? What unique problems do corrupt law enforcement officials pose? Why is corruption more severe in Mexico than in the U.S.? How would/could you control corruption within a law enforcement agency or government when billions of dollars are available? Discuss the impact of corruption on the U.S. side of border.

Your posts must be supported by assigned reading citations, lecture, outside text, or internet reference. Robust commentary is expected. Make sure that your ideas relate to the subject at hand and include properly cited information taken from the course materials, lectures or text! Opinions matter, but posts should draw from, and properly cite, the course materials too.  Each forum post should be a minimum of 6 to 8 paragraphs long. Each paragraph should have 6 to 10 sentences with proper English. Do not post foul language and photographs.You must also cite at the end of your posts; these are mini-papers, make sure you write a throughout the response to show that you can appropriately apply course concepts.The content in your posts is important. If you use material from the text or outside source, please cite appropriately. You can state your opinion based on experience.