NCJ Number
167838
Date Published
1995
Length
354 pages
Annotation
Youth gangs in the United States are systematically analyzed based on research, historical and comparative analysis, and the author's first-hand experience, from the perspectives of community disorganization and the plight of the underclass.
Abstract
The focus is on gang member personality, gang dynamics, and criminal organization and on the influence of family, school, prisons, and politics on youth gangs. The response of criminal justice agencies and community groups to the youth gang problem is discussed. Techniques used by social agencies, schools, employment programs, criminal justice agencies, and grass roots organizations to deal with gangs are described, and gang prevention strategies emphasizing the use of local resources, planning, and collaborative procedures are suggested. Book chapters specifically explore the scope and seriousness of the youth gang problem, gang drug use and drug trafficking, gang- related violence, gang member demographics, gang subcultures, gang structure, and the link between gangs and organized crime. Policies and programs to control youth gangs and reduce gang- related violence are detailed that encompass the police, prosecution, probation, corrections, parole, social intervention, and community mobilization. Appendixes provide further information on community mobilization and planning, the nature of the youth gang problem, and strategic gang prevention activities and structures for use in particular settings. References, tables, and figures