NCJ Number
165747
Date Published
1997
Length
84 pages
Annotation
Based upon interviews with gang members, their teachers, school administrators, parents, and extended family members, this study provides information on Latino street gangs in Los Angeles and Ventura Counties and offers suggestions for preventing youth from joining gangs and for intervening to help free youth from gang affiliation.
Abstract
Gang members were approached on the street in their neighborhoods while "hanging out" in front of their homes, in parks, and in a number of similar sites. They were asked questions from a formal questionnaire and then interviewed informally. To qualify for study participation they had to be acknowledged gang members between the ages of 14 and 24 or be non-gang affiliated youths in the same age range and from the same neighborhood. Teachers, school administrators, parents, and extended family members were also interviewed. The formal interview focused on school experiences and achievements, family relationships, reasons for joining or not joining a gang, reasons for dropping out of or continuing school, and whether any family members have been imprisoned. To date, 350 gang members have been interviewed, along with 375 non-gang affiliated youths. This report profiles the neighborhoods involved in the study and presents a brief history of street gangs. After defining a Hispanic gang member, gang characteristics and behaviors are discussed, including taggers and gang graffiti, gang organization, age groups, crimes, clothing, and language. School dropouts are discussed, along with reasons why youth join or do not join gangs. Other sections of the report consider police and community perspectives, females in gangs, and solutions. After examining gang prevention and intervention strategies from across the country, this report concludes that strategies with differing degrees of success include community mobilization; social intervention that involves counseling, tutoring, and other assistance; the provision of opportunities in the community such as job assistance and recreational program; and suppression. Limited empirical data suggest that successful programs have many sponsors, both public and private; involve police and community service agencies; reach out to at-risk youth; and provide a variety of services, such as counseling and positive life experiences and goals.