Ethnic Youth Gangs in Australia, Do They Exist? Report No. 5, Latin American Young People

• NCJ Number: 190039
• Author(s): Rob White; Santina Perrone; Carmel Guerra; Rosario Lampugnani
• Date Published: 1999
• Length: 49 pages
• Sale Source: Australian Multicultural Foundation
• Publication Format: Document
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: Australia
• Note: Downloaded August 29, 2001; for other papers in the series, see NCJ-190040-45.

Annotation

This report -- one of six that present findings of a study of "ethnic youth gangs" in the Melbourne (Australia) metropolitan area over the period 1996-98 -- focuses on Latin American youth.

Abstract

Study methods included a review of relevant literature, the collection of existing relevant information and statistical data, interviews with 20 youth across 5 different areas of Melbourne (total of 100 youth) that had a high incidence of ethnic youth gang activity, interviews with 20 youth with an Latin American background, and the use of youth and community workers to contact youth and conduct the interviews. The Latin American youth interviewed were part of fairly stable family and community networks. Almost all were engaged in some type of education or training and were generally reliant upon parents and State benefits for financial support. They apparently had strong peer relationships with other members of the Latin American communities and rarely had friends from other ethnic groups. One of the key findings of the study was that ethnic background and identity were often equated with gang membership. These were also linked to street-level violence, usually in the form of fights between and within various ethnic groups. The study's recommendations pertained to the nature of inter-ethnic relations that involved ethnic minority groups, as well as Anglo Australian youth, and the impact of violence or the threat of violence on youth's use of public spaces and educational institutions. Recommendations included the provision of education in cross-cultural issues, with attention to anti-racist education; the development of a series of youth reconciliation projects at the local, regional, and State levels; the development of conflict resolution and anti-violence strategies; and the development of programs for youth whose behavior might normally exclude them from school but who still required educational and social services. Because of the frequent complaint by interviewed youth that Latin American youth were given negative coverage in the media, the study recommends that the media review program and reporting content to provide a more balanced account of specific ethnic minority groups. 18 tables and 57 references