NCJ Number
191651
Journal
Peace & Change Volume: 24 Issue: 4 Dated: October 1999 Pages: 476-504
Date Published
October 1999
Length
29 pages
Annotation
This paper examines the extent to which norms found in the interstate system are operative in the inter-gang system, and considers whether an expansion of these norms could serve to reduce the level of inter-gang conflict.
Abstract
The violent deaths of urban youth are seen as primarily occurring through inter-gang violence. As long as youths view gangs as a source of status or a means of coping with the insecurity and powerlessness of their lives, gangs are likely to remain part of America's urban scenery. The idea of eradicating gangs is not simply to arrest and incarcerate youth but to address the larger issues that compel individuals to join gangs. A useful approach in reducing inter-gang violence identified and discussed in this paper is applying norms of behavior that have met with some success in the international system to inter-gang relations. In examining the extent to which norms found in the interstate/international system have been operating in the inter-gang system, this paper discusses several issues: (1) the interaction of gangs with the domestic political context in which they are situated that constrains or facilitates their activity; (2) comparing and contrasting the structure of the interstate and inter-gang systems; (3) a discussion of several more prevalent norms operative in both systems; (4) consideration of the prospects for extending to inter-gang relations conflict-reduction norms; (5) discuss the challenges of expanding norms in the inter-gang system to reduce inter-gang violence; and (6) discuss some of the policy and research implications of the study. With the high costs of inter-gang violence on society, the government's approach, over the last number of years has been tougher law enforcement. However, this study's contention is that society needs to address problems, such as poverty, racism, drugs, and social marginalization to reduce the attractiveness of gangs. This paper argues for the promotion of conflict-reduction norms among territorial urban youth gangs mirroring those in the interstate system, such as the protection of noncombatants, the requirement to seek peaceful settlement of disputes, a prohibition on the threat or use of force, and respect for human rights. This paper is intended as a modest attempt towards the provision of a model that understands the nature of the inter-gang environment and the steps necessary to reduce inter-gang violence. References