NCJ Number
147412
Journal
Adolescence Volume: 10 Issue: 40 Dated: (Winter 1975) Pages: 563-607
Date Published
1975
Length
45 pages
Annotation
From data collected on 536 youth juvenile males, incarcerated in three correctional facilities in the Philadelphia area, researchers constructed a profile of Philadelphia gang youth. Extensive evaluations and assessments provided information on psychological, demographic, sociological, and family background factors.
Abstract
These multiple factors were combined within a single comparative procedure of analysis which made it possible to determine the hierarchical structure of variables most frequently associated with street gang membership. The attribute of violence overshadowed all other measures in the assessment battery and the findings showed that street gang members were must more likely to engage in violent behavior than non-members. The second most powerful factor was the number of advantages that the subject cited as being provided by gang membership, including protection, excitement, heterosexual contacts, and companionship. When these factors were removed from the analysis, defiance of parents emerged as the strongest predictor of gang membership, followed by criminal history, truancy, alcohol abuse, and drug use. In addition, gang members expressed less guilt in response to projectile stories in which the "hero" committed various violent acts. Gang members rated their mothers as less important in their lives than other family members and had more unrealistic expectations for success. 2 tables and 34 references