# Peers and Crime Part of the Crime Prevention Merit Badge Digital Resource Guide: [Introduction & Overview](https://merit-badge.university/merit-badges/crime-prevention/guide/index.md) *7. Peers & Crime* > **7.** Discuss the following with your counselor: This requirement covers four topics about the role peers play in crime: - **The role peers play** in crime, crime prevention, and experiencing crime - **How to resist peer influence** - **Bullying and hazing** behaviors and warning signs - **The impact of gangs** on communities ## Requirement 7a: Role of Peers Your peers — the people around your age who you interact with at school, in activities, and online — have an enormous influence on your behavior. That influence can push in two very different directions. ### Peers and Crime Research consistently shows that having friends who engage in criminal behavior is one of the strongest predictors that a young person will also break the law. This happens through several mechanisms: - **Normalization** — When everyone in your group shoplifts, vandalizes, or experiments with drugs, those behaviors start to seem normal and acceptable - **Pressure** — Direct challenges like "I dare you" or "Are you scared?" push people to do things they wouldn't do alone - **Opportunity** — Groups create situations where crime becomes possible (one person acts as a lookout while another steals) - **Diffusion of responsibility** — "Everyone was doing it" makes individuals feel less personally accountable ### Peers and Crime Prevention The flip side is equally powerful. Positive peer groups prevent crime by: - **Setting high standards** — When your friends value honesty, respect, and achievement, those values become your norm too - **Providing accountability** — Friends who call out bad decisions before they escalate - **Offering alternatives** — Having fun, meaningful activities with friends means you don't need risky behavior for excitement - **Supporting each other** — Friends who notice when someone is struggling and help them get support Your Scout troop is a prime example of a positive peer group. The Scout Oath and Scout Law create shared values, and the patrol system means you're surrounded by peers who encourage your best self. ### Peers and Experiencing Crime Peers also affect how young people experience and respond to crime as victims or witnesses: - A friend who witnesses bullying and speaks up can stop it - A peer who notices warning signs in a friend's home life might be the first person to report abuse - Unfortunately, peers can also discourage reporting — "don't be a snitch" culture can keep victims silent ## Requirement 7b: Resisting Peer Influence Knowing that peer pressure exists isn't enough. You need specific strategies to resist it in the moment, when emotions are high and thinking clearly is hard. ### The STOP Method - **S — Stop** before you act. Take a breath. The urge to go along usually fades if you give yourself even 10 seconds. - **T — Think** about the consequences. What happens if this goes wrong? Will this affect your family, your Scout advancement, your future? - **O — Observe** the situation. Who's really pushing this? Are they looking out for you, or using you? - **P — Plan** your response. Have a go-to line ready: "Nah, I'm good" or "I've gotta get home" or simply walk away. ### Practical Exit Strategies Sometimes you need a concrete way to leave a bad situation: - **The phone excuse:** "My mom just texted — I have to go." (Pre-arrange with a parent that you can use them as an excuse anytime.) - **The buddy system:** Agree with a trusted friend that either of you can say "Let's go" and the other will leave immediately, no questions asked. - **The broken record:** Just repeat "No thanks" calmly without explaining or defending yourself. You don't owe anyone a reason. - **The future self:** Ask yourself, "Will I be proud of this decision tomorrow morning?" If not, don't do it. > **Tip** > > Practice saying no before you need to. It sounds simple, but rehearsing refusal makes it dramatically easier when real pressure hits. Role-play scenarios with a parent, counselor, or trusted friend so the words come naturally when it matters. ## Requirement 7c: Bullying and Hazing ### What Is Bullying? Bullying is repeated aggressive behavior intended to hurt, intimidate, or control another person. It involves a real or perceived power imbalance — the target feels unable to stop it. Bullying takes several forms: - **Physical:** Hitting, pushing, tripping, taking or breaking someone's belongings - **Verbal:** Name-calling, insults, threats, taunting - **Social/relational:** Spreading rumors, excluding someone from a group, embarrassing someone publicly - **Cyberbullying:** Harassment through texts, social media, gaming platforms, or email (covered more in Req 9) ### What Is Hazing? Hazing is forcing someone to do humiliating, degrading, or dangerous things as a condition of joining or being accepted by a group. It's sometimes disguised as "tradition" or "initiation," but it's harmful and often illegal. Examples include: - Forcing someone to eat or drink disgusting substances - Physical endurance challenges that risk injury - Public humiliation or embarrassment - Sleep deprivation - Being forced to do illegal acts to "prove loyalty" Scouting has a zero-tolerance policy for hazing. No tradition, no matter how long-standing, justifies putting someone through a humiliating or dangerous experience. ### Warning Signs That a Friend Is Being Bullied - Sudden reluctance to go to school or participate in activities - Unexplained injuries or damaged belongings - Changes in eating or sleeping habits - Loss of interest in things they used to enjoy - Withdrawal from friends and social situations - Declining grades - Talking about feeling helpless, hopeless, or like nobody cares > **Be Prepared! If You Witness Bullying** > > You have more power as a bystander than you might think. Research shows that when a bystander intervenes, bullying stops within 10 seconds more than half the time. > > - **Don't join in** — Even laughing at bullying encourages it > - **Speak up if safe** — "Hey, that's not cool" or "Leave them alone" can be enough > - **Support the target** — Stand near them, sit with them, include them > - **Report it** — Tell a teacher, coach, counselor, or parent what you saw > - **Check in later** — Ask the person who was bullied if they're okay and help them report if they haven't ## Requirement 7d: Gang Impact Gangs are groups that use intimidation, violence, and criminal activity to maintain power over a territory. Their impact on communities extends far beyond the crimes they commit. ### How Gangs Harm Communities - **Violence** — Gang-related violence puts innocent bystanders at risk and creates an atmosphere of fear - **Drug distribution** — Many gangs are involved in selling drugs, which fuels addiction, overdose deaths, and secondary crimes - **Economic damage** — Businesses leave, property values drop, and residents who can afford to move often do - **Youth recruitment** — Gangs target young people who feel disconnected, offering a sense of belonging and identity that comes with dangerous strings attached - **Strained resources** — Law enforcement, hospitals, and social services are stretched thin responding to gang-related incidents ### Why Young People Join Gangs Understanding why helps point the way toward prevention: - **Belonging** — Gangs offer family-like bonds to young people who feel isolated - **Protection** — In high-crime areas, some youth join gangs because they feel safer inside than outside - **Money** — Economic opportunity through illegal activities when legal options seem unavailable - **Identity and respect** — Gangs offer status and recognition - **Family tradition** — Some young people have relatives in gangs and see it as expected ### What Prevents Gang Involvement The antidotes are the same positive forces you've been learning about throughout this badge: - Strong family connections and involved adults - After-school programs and structured activities - Mentoring relationships - Job training and employment opportunities - Positive peer groups — like your Scout troop [StopBullying.gov](https://www.stopbullying.gov/): Federal government resources on bullying prevention, cyberbullying, and how to get help. ![A group of teenagers working together on a community service project, cleaning up a park and demonstrating positive peer influence](https://ik.imagekit.io/doulacoop/tr:w-800/mbu-assets/merit-badges/crime-prevention/guide/positive-peer-group?v=3c85cbe8) --- - Previous: [Reporting Crime](https://merit-badge.university/merit-badges/crime-prevention/guide/req6/index.md) - Next: [Substance Use and Crime](https://merit-badge.university/merit-badges/crime-prevention/guide/req8/index.md)