NCJ Number
176273
Journal
Gazette Volume: 60 Issue: 11 Dated: November 1998 Pages: 30-31
Date Published
1998
Length
2 pages
Annotation
Juvenile gangs are described with respect to their nature, composition, involvement in violence and other crime, homicide, impacts on individual offending levels, and other characteristics, based on a review of research on gangs, based on a 1997 report from the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP).
Abstract
Studies of urban youth indicate that from 14 to 30 percent join gangs at some point. Most youth gang members are young adults. The number of cities reporting youth gang problems has increased from 286 jurisdiction with more than 2,000 gangs and nearly 100,000 members in 1980 to about 2,000 jurisdictions with more than 23,000 gangs and more than 650,000 members in 1995. Half of cities and towns with populations under 25,000 also reported youth gang problems. Youth gang violence may be increasing; youth gang homicides have clearly increased. Female gang and crime involvement appears to be increasing as well. Studies of large urban samples reveal that gang members are responsible for a large proportion of violent offenses. However, several studies in different cities have refuted the presumed strong correlation between gang-related homicides and drug trafficking. In addition, most cities had local gangs before the onset of gang migration. Law enforcement and student surveys differ with respect to their findings on the racial and ethnic composition of gangs. Telephone number of Juvenile Justice Clearinghouse and OJJDP web site address