Criminal Business Organizations, Street Gangs and "Wanna-Be" Groups: A Vancouver Perspective

• NCJ Number: 180389
• Journal: Canadian Journal of Criminology Volume: 42 Issue: 1 Dated: January 2000 Pages: 39-60
• Author(s): Robert M. Gordon
• Date Published: 2000
• Length: 22 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: Canada

Annotation

The Greater Vancouver Gang Study (Canada) involved research on and with 128 known gang members for the purposes of developing profile data (e.g., age and ethnicity), testing classifications and definitions of gangs and groups, and determining why individuals become involved with gangs.

Abstract

The research focused on three main groups: criminal business organizations, street gangs, and "wanna-be" groups. Criminal business organizations are organized groups that exhibit a formal structure and a high degree of sophistication; they are comprised primarily of adults. Street gangs are groups of youth who band together to form a semistructured organization that engages in planned and profitable criminal behavior or organized violence against rival street gangs. "Wanna-be" groups are clusters of youth who band together in a loosely structured group to engage in spontaneous social activity and exciting, impulsive criminal activity, including collective violence against other groups of youth. The research subjects were all adults and youth on the caseloads of corrections personnel in the Greater Vancouver area in January 1995, as well as those who were added to their caseloads during the following 6 months and were identified by these personnel as being involved with gangs. The research involved reviewing and extracting information from client files, interviews with clients who were willing to participate (33 of the 128 subjects agreed to be interviewed), and discussions of individual cases with probation officers and police officers. The research found that the reasons why individuals become involved with these organizations, gangs, and groups are economic and ethnic marginality, material gain, the attraction of supportive peer groups, and escape from abusive family circumstances. To be effective, policy and program responses must recognize the differences among organizations, gangs, and groups, as well as the various factors that underlie initial and continued membership. 5 notes and 25 references