NCJ Number
147671
Journal
Gang Journal Volume: 1 Issue: 1 Dated: (1992) Pages: 73-86
Date Published
1992
Length
14 pages
Annotation
This article presents a preliminary analysis of the first set of data collected in a long-term research project in Las Vegas that is comparing the characteristics of young adult offenders identified as gang members (50) with those considered not to be gang members (30).
Abstract
Subjects were compared according to selected legal and nonlegal variables. One significant finding was that in contrast to nongang offenders, gang members were more likely to have grown up in the Las Vegas area and to be residents of known gang territories, especially housing projects. The two groups differed little in their previous criminal activities; over 80 percent of each group had five or more arrests. One exception was arrests for violent crimes; approximately one-third of gang members had three or more arrests for these crimes compared to less than 10 percent of the nongang members. Gang members, however, were more than three times as likely to have been a victim of a violent crime. Both groups were almost equally likely to live in single-parent families. Also, gang members had a far more extensive juvenile court record. Gang members were more likely to have dropped out of school; the highest grade achieved was significantly lower than for nongang members. Further, gang members were more likely to have been excluded or to have withdrawn from school and to have experienced this event more than nongang members. 3 tables and 19 references