NCJ Number
145695
Date Published
1992
Length
36 pages
Annotation
This paper compares media portraits of girls in gangs with research findings on this subject.
Abstract
Currently, the media typically portray the incidence and behavior of girls in gangs as more prevalent and violent. The implication is that the American society has entered an unprecedented period in which female criminality is increasingly like male criminality. Current ethnographic research on girl gangs has moved beyond stereotypical notions about them as nothing more than the female auxiliaries of male gangs. Research has focused on the role of the gang in the girls' lives. Of particular significance are those elements of female gangs that foster the skills necessary for the girls to cope with the harsh realities of their daily lives and their bleak prospects for the future. None of the studies of girls' involvement in gangs produces significant evidence to support the media image of the hyperviolent, amoral girl whose behavior is so much worse than that of females in the previous generation. The studies do confirm that girls today do commit a wider range of delinquent behavior than customarily believed. These offenses apparently stem from a complex lifestyle of "hanging out," "partying," and fighting to defend friends or territory. Research shows that girl's experiences with gangs cannot be simply portrayed as "breaking into" a male world. Girls have long been in gangs, and their participation in these gangs, even their violence, is heavily influenced by their gender. 59 references