NCJ Number
158843
Date Published
1996
Length
262 pages
Annotation
This book examines Vietnamese gangs in America, and attempts to determine why so many young Indochinese are turning to gang life and violent crime.
Abstract
Following the Vietnam War, thousands of refugees fled Indochina to seek a better and safer life in the United States. While many immigrants successfully adapted to their new homeland, others found it difficult to survive in a totally alien culture. They were often thrust into troubled neighborhoods ruled by gangs and the drug subculture. This book includes true stories of some of those troubled youths and the author's experiences as a counselor to Vietnamese, Amerasian, Cambodian, and Laotian children. The book explains why so many Indochinese youngsters turn to gang life and crime and act the way they do, illustrates the nature of the difficulties they face on the street and in school, and shows why drugs and gang life are so alluring. The author's objective is to focus attention on a problem that, if ignored, may very well unravel a significant piece of the American social fabric. Notes, references, index