NCJ Number
146456
Date Published
Unknown
Length
39 pages
Annotation
This study applies elements of social learning theory to an examination of youth gang membership and juvenile delinquency in a sample of 373 male and female 9th and 11th grade students drawn from four schools in a single county located in a southwestern State.
Abstract
Delinquency was measured in terms of theft crimes, joy- riding and property destruction, general personal crimes, and group-context personal crimes. Gangs were identified as youth groups that had a name and some organizational elements, used symbols or colors, and engaged in at least one illicit or illegal activity. The results showed that gang members could be distinguished from nongang youth more in terms of social learning theory than other variables including ethnic group, age, gender, and place of residence. Nearly 90 percent of the sample was correctly identified as either a gang or nongang youth on the basis of their attitudes about the negative social consequences related to gang membership, the level of perceived gang behavior among their best friends, and their attitudes toward gangs and gang conduct. The two variables that were found to be significantly related to measures of self-reported juvenile delinquency included higher identification with pro-gang attitudes and residence in a city. 3 tables, 2 notes, 72 references, and 2 appendixes