NCJ Number
143206
Journal
Youth and Society Volume: 24 Issue: 4 Dated: (June 1993) Pages: 399-418
Date Published
1993
Length
20 pages
Annotation
A sample of 306 Indianapolis residents were surveyed in late 1984 to early 1985 regarding types of victimization experiences at the hands of youth gangs, types of information on gang crime they had gathered from various sources, and perceptions of the area's youth gang problem. The sample was drawn from two distinct urban areas, one that had a substantial number of youth gangs, and another that was a low gang area.
Abstract
The most important finding was the distinction respondents drew between their own neighborhood and other areas of the city in terms of a youth gang problem; respondents consistently saw youth gang crime as a more serious and increasing problem in other parts of Indianapolis than where they lived. Young respondents were more likely to observe gang activity in their neighborhoods, while older respondents were more likely to offer mid-range assessments. Exposure to the media, which was not influenced by age, appeared to be a significant factor in people's perceptions about the seriousness of the youth gang crime problem in other areas of the city. Victimization experience was the most consistent influence on perceptions of youth gang crime; victims were more likely to see gang crime as a problem in their own area, to consider their neighborhood to be dangerous, and to think that youth gang crime was increasing in volume there. The research supports the concept that perceptions of street crime and youth gang crime vary depending on whether they are based on personal experience or on generalized images. 4 tables, 4 notes, and 32 references