Teens

The Incubation Period by Mike Ramey

by Mike Ramey
08/03/25
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     It takes a cold or flu some 5 to 10 days to incubate in a person (after initial exposure) until it comes to manifestation as a full-blown cold or flu. The same thing may be said for a child or a teen becoming a full-blown Modern Street Gang member. Mark the day when that teen is first arrested committing a crime and count the days backward to when they received ‘first exposure’ to those implements associated with gang life.

     The incubation time period for a future gang member is something that law enforcement, the juvenile justice system, nor the media are prepared to address. They are more interested in the end result rather than dealing with the intricacies of when ‘the crime weed’ infected the teen and led to the ‘bitter fruit’ of juvie, jail, or prison time.

     When does a teen or young person become ‘exposed’ to the gang crime germ? Since gang crime is an outgrowth of sin, exposure to it is likely to take place in those ‘tween’ or ‘pre-teen’ years, just as the hormones start to kick in young men between the ages of 8 to 10 years old. Now, let me bring forth some full disclosure at this point: I’m not a Sociologist—but I have spent enough time covering juvenile issues over the years from a variety of vantage points—ranging from crime reporting to serving as a high-risk caseload Probation Officer, to teaching in a variety of classrooms.

     I have noticed that there is ALWAYS one child who seems to have a direct pipeline to the street life…and who ALWAYS seems to scoop up more than enough followers to support their shady adventures and endeavors. So, the first thing a parent should be aware of is the type of child/teen their child/teen is hanging out with, or is calling a ‘friend.’  The old saying rings true: “Show me who you run with in the present, and I’ll show you your future.”

     During my days as a Probation Officer with my county juvenile court, I handled a high-risk caseload: Many a juvenile who were one step away from the Indiana Department of Corrections crossed my desk. There were more than a few times when I had a juvenile and their parent/guardian in my office as I went over their criminal history. The common denominator? How many ‘friends’ of a juvenile in question already had rap sheets. Many of the parents had failed to teach/encourage their teen to stay away from the wrong crowd…only to face the shame that their ‘baby’ was fully infected with ‘the gang crime germ.’

     It’s still not that hard to see that bad companions lead to worse results.

     Mike Ramey is a retired Gospel Minister, Modern Street Gang Specialist, and Founder of “The Gang Line,” a Christian-Based anti-gang ministry based in Indianapolis, Indiana since 2007. Ramey served as a post-production consultant for the “Black Angel” comic by Chick Publications. The motto of “The Gang Line: “Spiritual Solutions for Spiritual Problems.”  Ramey can be reached at [email protected]. “Remember: It is easier to pay for anti-gang training than for a teen’s funeral!”  ©2025 Barnstorm Communications International.