Findings suggest that gangs are perceived by the general public, and by local and Federal agencies, as a problem worthy of attention. There is a strong correlation between gang membership and criminality supported by empirical research. The study's hypothesis is that gangs can be defined as a social problem. Using the Socratic method, several questions are posed and examined: what is a social problem; how are definitions developed; are definitions always right; what is a gang; what are gang-related activities; what is a criminal gang; and how are gangs perceived? The results, and answers to the questions, demonstrated that gangs are a social problem, a private issue that has risen to the level of a public issue based on perceptions (public opinion/collective definition) of its harmfulness to society. References