NCJ Number
196985
Date Published
1998
Length
7 pages
Annotation
This study assessed the risk factors for female gang involvement.
Abstract
The authors interviewed 31 female students who were recruited from an alternative school in an urban neighborhood with high levels of gang activity. The interviews focused on the girls’ perceptions of why females join gangs. The ages of the participants ranged from 12 to 17 years. All reported direct personal experience with gangs. The researchers presented four categories of risk factors and asked the girls to chose the category that had the greatest influence on female gang involvement. The categories under consideration were family, friends, neighborhood, and self. Results of ANOVA analysis indicated that friends had a significantly greater influence over female gang involvement than the other three categories. Furthermore, within the Friends category, the participants revealed that peer pressure, the desire for group affiliation, excitement, and money-making opportunities were the main reasons for becoming involved with a gang. The authors also report the main variables that led to gang involvement within the neighborhood and family categories. Within the neighborhood category, the need for protection and living in a high crime neighborhood were significant factors involved in the decision to join a gang. Within the family category, respondents reported that female gang involvement was due to parents who did not seem to care about their children. Within the last category, self, there was no statistical difference between the variables of “getting respect,” feeling important, belonging, feeling good about themselves, and higher self-confidence. 5 Tables