NCJ Number
114944
Date Published
1988
Length
237 pages
Annotation
This book profiles Milwaukee's gangs as the basis for challenging popular stereotypes and current theoretical explanations of the nature of gangs.
Abstract
This study involved interviews with Milwaukee's gang leaders between December 1985 and June 1986, using a 2-hour questionnaire based on Moore's Los Angeles interviews. Forty-seven gang members were interviewed from 19 of Milwaukee's gangs, and 42 of them participated in the founding of the 19 gangs. The study also relies on the findings of a 1987 conference of representatives from 15 middle-sized and small-sized midwestern cities which compared cities' gang experiences. On one level, this book is about Milwaukee's gangs, their origins and structure, the adult status of the gang founders, the effect of race and ethnicity on gang formation, and the public response to the gang problem. A major study conclusion is that modern gangs are unique and variable, depending on local factors which require a flexible response to gangs. On another level, the book challenges both sociologists and practitioners to go beyond the law enforcement paradigm of gangs in both theory and policy. The development of an urban minority underclass in the last decades, first in large cities and more recently in middle-sized and small-sized cities, has altered the nature of gangs and demands new investigation and new policies. The entrenchment of gangs in cities presents problems that cannot be solved by policies of more police and more prisons. 12 tables and charts, subject index, 156-item bibliography.