NCJ Number
157153
Date Published
1994
Length
53 pages
Annotation
Files of 41 male gang members held in provincial correctional centers in British Columbia, Canada, were analyzed as part of a general census of youth and adult facilities.
Abstract
Special interviews were conducted with 25 gang members, most of whom were 25 years of age or younger. The largest single ethnic group of incarcerated gang members was Caucasian, followed by Asian. Regardless of ethnicity, most gang members were born in Canada and the majority had been charged with violent crimes. Information was obtained on family and school backgrounds of gang members, processes of joining and leaving gangs, professed reasons for becoming involved with gangs, and gang organization and activities. Recommendations are offered for standardizing definitions of various groupings referred to as gangs, analyzing the multicultural composition of gangs, and examining reasons why young people become involved with gangs. The importance of not focusing solely on immigration issues when trying to understand the emergence of gangs is emphasized. An appendix contains file date retrieval instruments and interview protocols used in the study. 8 references