NCJ Number
145076
Journal
Journal of Contemporary Criminal Justice Volume: 9 Issue: 2 Dated: (May 1993) Pages: 94-116
Date Published
1993
Length
23 pages
Annotation
Data from the Denver Youth Survey, a longitudinal study of families, were used to examine characteristics of juvenile gang members. A sample of 1,527 completed interviews included youths between the ages of 7 and 15 who were 52 percent male, 33 percent black, 45 percent Hispanic, 10 percent Anglo, and 12 percent Asian and American Indian.
Abstract
The findings showed that respondents in their mid-teens had the highest gang membership. Gang members have higher rates of criminal offending than nongang members. However, gang members and other juvenile delinquents were as involved in eight conventional activities as were the youth defined as nonoffenders. Both gang members and other offenders were more likely to continue associating with friends even though those friends may get them into trouble. There was some support found for differences in perceived negative labeling; the gang members believed their teachers viewed them less favorably than did the other groups of respondents. Compared to gang members and other juvenile offenders, nonoffenders had a lower level of commitment to delinquent peers; higher commitment to positive peers; lower levels of normlessness in the contexts of family, school, and peer group; and lower tolerance for deviance. 7 notes, 48 references, and 2 appendixes