NCJ Number
172523
Date Published
1996
Length
74 pages
Annotation
An integrated theory is presented to explain gang formation and organization that draws on aspects of control, strain, opportunity, and social disorganization theories and on symbolic interactionism, and ethnographic studies of gangs are reviewed.
Abstract
The integrated theory is developed to address gangs in general and Vietnamese-American gangs in particular and to examine the different criminal activities in which gangs participate. The integrated theory highlights early interactions between parents and children as being important in the formation of social bonds, but it places these interactions in the context of factors related to social disorganization and differential opportunity structures. The integrated theory is applied to Vietnamese-American gangs to show how these gangs operate. The author notes Vietnamese gangs have been in the United States for about 20 years, the home invasion robbery as a criminal enterprise has gained the Vietnamese notoriety, and processes within the Vietnamese culture and group environment lead to gang formation and organization. The author concludes that any theory of gangs must take into account historical processes and events and points out that the formation of Vietnamese-American gangs has clearly been shaped by historical events related to the Vietnam War. 24 references