NCJ Number
250785
Date Published
May 2017
Length
63 pages
Annotation
Based on stakeholder interviews in four tribal sites, this study documented the prevalence and nature of youth gangs in these sites, institutional responses to youth gangs, and other problems faced by youth in the four sites.
Abstract
The reported prevalence of Native-American youth gangs varied across sites. Stakeholders at one site reported an ongoing gang problem; at another, a historic gang problem had been resolved; and in two sites, stakeholders provided mixed accounts of gang activity among tribal youth. In their analysis of motivating factors that cause youth to become involved in gangs, stakeholders mentioned the influence of popular youth culture, the desire for protection, a means of getting money, and peer and family influences. Where tribal youth gangs were perceived to be operating, stakeholders viewed them as intergenerational, with younger members being drawn into gangs by older family members. Various social problems influencing youth were also cited as risk factors for gang membership, including alcohol and drug use, exposure to violence, family instability, poverty, lack of school engagement, and lack of pro-social activities. Gangs were reported to be involved in various types of crime, including property crimes, graffiti, vandalism, drug sales and use, and fighting. The tribal community efforts to counter gangs focused on legal responses, including gang ordinances and targeting of gang members by prosecutors. There were also cooperative responses to gangs that involved tribal law enforcement and non-tribal law enforcement in communities adjoining tribal lands. Gang-specific prevention, intervention, and reentry programming was reported to be under-funded. The report concludes with recommendations for funding organizations and researchers interested in conducting research in tribal settings. 25 references and appended questionnaire