NCJ Number
137902
Date Published
1990
Length
13 pages
Annotation
The phenomenon of youth gangs or groups has become an issue of serious concern in metropolitan Toronto. This discussion paper touches on concepts that will have an impact on problem definition and the development of comprehensive interventions.
Abstract
Two questions immediately surface when organizing a framework to explain this phenomenon: how to define gangs and how to explain why young people join gangs. A brief review of the literature points out the complexities presented by the biological, psychological, social, situational, and family influences in these youths' lives. While much of the literature is deterministic, focusing on poverty, much of the gang problem in Toronto involves middle class youth as both perpetrators and victims. The patterns of association and identification, noted in previous research on youth gangs, are not as evident in the Toronto groups, where there is great heterogeneity both within and between youth groups. There are some limitations to the existing literature. First of all, there is little attention paid to the wide developmental differences between young, middle, and older adolescents. There has been little effort to get the perspective of gang members on this phenomenon and little acknowledgement of the potential role of the media in youth gang activity. A comprehensive intervention strategy will need to proceed along short- and long-term timelines, addressing the individual, the individual in small groups, and social/systemic factors. It will require input from schools, police, businesses, community groups, churches, government, and young people and their families. 29 references