Fear of Gang Crime: A Qualitative Examination of the Four Perspectives

• NCJ Number: 197447
• Journal: Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency Volume: 39 Issue: 4 Dated: November 2002 Pages: 437-471
• Author(s): Jodi Lane
• Date Published: November 2002
• Length: 35 pages
• Grant Number(s): SBR-9631719
• Sponsoring Agency: National Science Foundation
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: Components of this article were presented at the 1998 American Society of Criminology meetings in Washington, DC, and the 2001 American Sociological Association meetings in Anaheim, CA.

Annotation

This study used qualitative data from focus groups conducted in 1997 in Santa Ana, California, to describe in residents' own words how they viewed gang crime and their reasons for being afraid of personal victimization by gang members.

Abstract

Santa Ana was considered an ideal location for neighborhood research on fear of gangs. Santa Ana has a reputation in the county as "gang infested," and it has yielded reports of high levels of gang crime. Further, Santa Ana is well-suited for neighborhood research because it has structured neighborhoods with geographically defined boundaries and organizations through which to recruit participants. Although Santa Ana had the most gang-related homicides (16) in the county during 1997 (the year the focus groups were conducted), homicides had been declining for 4 years in a row. Some of this decrease may have been due to a county policing strategy to reduce gang crime. The focus-group participants were recruited from six neighborhoods in Santa Ana: two upper income, two middle-income, and two lower income areas. Although most residents reported a fear of gangs, the intensity and urgency of this fear differed by neighborhood. For those who lived in middle-income and upper income neighborhoods, the fear of gangs was only urgent when they drove through certain parts of town or saw someone whom they believed to be a gang member. On the other hand, people who lived in the lower income neighborhoods were confronted daily with the possibility of violent victimization by gangs in their own neighborhoods. Their fear was more urgent and intense. All residents, however, regardless of the economic status of their neighborhoods, believed there were connections between the increasing influx of undocumented Latino immigrants and negative changes in their communities, which involved more disorder, decline, crime, and gangs. This study suggests that decreasing disorder and community deterioration through code enforcement and increasing cultural competency are important considerations for policymakers who want to make their constituencies feel safer. 12 notes and 89 references