Cross-National Comparison of Gangs in the United States and Trinidad and Tobago

• NCJ Number: 237491
• Journal: International Criminal Justice Review Volume: 21 Issue: 3 Dated: September 2011 Pages: 243-262
• Author(s): Charles M. Katz; Edward R. Maguire; David Choate
• Date Published: September 2011
• Length: 20 pages
• Sponsoring Agency: Maricopa Cty Government; Ministry of National Security of Trinidad and Tobago
• Publication Format: Article; Correspondence
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This study compared the gang problem the United States and in Trinidad and Tobago.

Abstract

This study compares the scope and nature of the gang problem in two communities: one in the United States and one in Trinidad and Tobago, a small-island developing state in the eastern Caribbean that has experienced a serious outbreak of violence over the past decade. Data drawn from surveys of adult arrestees reveal that among respondents, 3.2 percent of those in the U.S. sample and 5.1 percent of those in the Trinidad sample reported being a member of a gang. While there were a number of similarities between the two samples, significant differences were found between gang members in both countries. Most notably, gang members in Trinidad reported substantially more violence than gang members in the United States. (Published Abstract)