NCJ Number
129901
Journal
Contemporary Crises Volume: 11 Dated: (1987) Pages: 129-158
Date Published
1987
Length
30 pages
Annotation
In the late 1970's and 1980's, much public and media attention was focused on the alleged increase in Chicano youth gang activity in Phoenix. This paper suggests that it was the social imagery of Chicano youth gangs rather than a display of particular behaviors that led social control agents to declare a gang crisis in the city.
Abstract
Qualitative and quantitative data obtained from media reports, interviews, and court records are used to substantiate this theory. The author points out that, despite allegations that one-quarter of Chicano youths in the area were involved in gangs, the incidence of violent crime increased only slightly in the late 1970's and decreased in the early 1980's. Furthermore, social service agencies in the community disagreed strongly with police estimates of gang strength. An analysis of court data indicates that, although Chicano boys were referred to court and recommended for detention disproportionately to other population groups, the gang members were not involved in serious crimes any more often than their nongang counterparts. The author suggests that three factors converged to create a negative social imagery of Chicano youth gangs: the interests of the Phoenix police in justifying an application for Federal funds, the imagery of gangs in general as violent, and the imagery of Mexicans and Chicanos as "different." 3 tables, 13 notes, and 53 references (Author abstract modified)