NCJ Number
147619
Date Published
1992
Length
26 pages
Annotation
Because of concern among public policymakers, school officials, and law enforcement agencies, a school-based survey was conducted during the spring of 1991 to assess the prevalence of gangs in Dona Ana County, New Mexico.
Abstract
The project involved a random sample survey of 9th and 11th grade students in two of the county's school districts, one urban and the other rural. The findings reported in this paper came from an analysis of 373 self-administered questionnaires. Although the gang problem in Dona Ana County is not of the same magnitude as in places like Los Angeles, one in four of the 9th and 11th grade students reported they were gang members, using a restrictive definition of gang. To be considered a gang member, the group with which the respondent was affiliated had to have at least one of the following characteristics: an initiation, a specific leader or leaders, and gang "nicknames" for members. Gang members also had to use one of the following symbols: colors, tattoos, hand signs, or jewelry. In addition to those who qualified as gang members, another 25 percent were either interested in youth gangs or claimed membership in what the researchers classified as a "near-gang." The significance of involvement in gangs for self-reported delinquency is discussed, along with policy implications of the findings. 5 tables and 22 references