STREET GANGS OF NEW YORK - A PROTOTYPE OF ORGANIZED YOUTH CRIME

• NCJ Number: 39419
• Journal: Law and Order Volume: 25 Issue: 1 Dated: (JANUARY 1977) Pages: 6,10-12,14,16 AND 51
• Author(s): H C COLLINS
• Date Published: 1977
• Length: 7 pages
• Corporate Author: Copp Organization, Inc
• Publication Format: Article
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

ARTICLE GIVES GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF GANGS IN NEW YORK CITY, AND THE DIFFICULTY THEY PRESENT FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT.

Abstract

YOUTH GANGS, FROM THE 'TOP PREZ' TO THE MARGINAL MEMBERS, REPRESENT A THORNY PROBLEM FOR POLICE WORK. STATISTICS SHOW THAT IN THE PAST FIVE YEARS GANG ACTIVITY HAS RESURGED TO THE POINT THAT IT NOW REPRESENTS THE LOWEST FORM OF ORGANIZED CRIME IN THE COUNTRY. NEW YORK CITY GANGS RANGE IN SIZE FROM 25 TO 100 MEMBERS, ALTHOUGH SOME ARE REPUTED TO HAVE MORE THAN 1,000 MEMBERS. GANGS HAVE VERTICAL ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURES ALTHOUGH SOME HAVE HORIZONTAL STRUCTURES. ONE HAS A DIVISION IN THE VIRGIN ISLANDS. THE AUTHOR, A POLICE SERGEANT IN THE BRONX GANG UNIT, DISCUSSES COMMITMENT TO THE GANG, THE GANG'S CLUBHOUSE GANG WEAPONRY, THE FEMALE GANG MEMBER, AND PERPETUATION OF THE GANG....BS