NCJ Number
170906
Date Published
1996
Length
96 pages
Annotation
Some of the processes by which street gangs become violent are now understood, and important beginnings have also been made in identifying the nature of macro-level forces that lead to street gang formation.
Abstract
Among these forces, the spread of gang culture, youth culture, and a growing underclass are paramount but differentially so at the community level. More than ever before, young people are targeted for commercial exploitation, are isolated from mainstream adult roles and institutions, and are faced with economic conditions beyond their control. Economic decline, severe unemployment, and lack of good jobs are associated with street gangs and the transformation of street gangs into economic gangs, including drug gangs, and with ethnic, racial, and class-related identities and antagonisms that lead to collective violence. Although important beginnings have been made, the exact processes that result in interpersonal violence, gang violence, and other forms of collective violence must remain a high priority for future research. Research is also needed on forces and processes that influence social capital formation and maintenance. In addition, research needs to focus on the nature of youth gangs and on how group processes relate to behavior. Understanding gang diversity and change requires that unsupervised youth groups be studied before they become involved in delinquency, particularly since unsupervised youth groups are more likely than supervised groups to be violent and to be deviant in other ways. Further, policies are needed to strengthen families and community institutions. Differences between group and other collective behavior processes are considered, as well as the link between ethnic conflict and youth violence, street gang prevalence, and gangs and the community. Attention is also focused on the role of immigration, race-ethnicity, and poverty in shaping street gangs. 143 references and 16 notes