NCJ Number
225265
Date Published
2008
Length
12 pages
Annotation
This introductory chapter provides overviews of the major themes of the book--the nature of “street gangs,” issues of migration in the formation and characteristics of street gangs, and ethnicity as a factor in the emergence of gangs--followed by brief summaries of the chapters in the four parts of the book.
Abstract
Throughout the book, the “Eurogang” definition of a “street gang” is applied: “A street gang (or problematic youth group) is any durable, street-oriented youth group whose involvement in illegal activity is part of their group identity.” All of the authors of the chapters address gang formation or gang behavior in relation to the presence of immigrant groups in a society having a mainstream culture that differs from the background culture of immigrant groups. A central framing issue in the chapters pertains to the ways in which migration contributes to gang formation. As used in the book, “ethnicity” refers to an origin or background with which the person identifies as part of his/her self-concept. The two framing issues of the book regarding ethnicity and gangs are the ways in which ethnicity relates to gang characteristics and gang behavior, as well as whether ethnicity is relevant in understanding gangs. One section of this chapter focuses on the stigmatization of immigrants and ethnic groups by mainstream society because of the association between street gangs, their crimes, and their perceived ethnic and immigrant associations. Summaries of the book’s chapters are presented under the following major sections: Part I: “Introduction and Methods;” Part II: “Migration and Youth Gangs;” Part III: “Ethnicity and Youth Gangs;” and Part IV: “Issues and Challenges of Migration and Ethnicity in Dealing With Youth Gangs.” 1 note and 6 references