NCJ Number
129764
Date Published
1991
Length
393 pages
Annotation
This first-hand examination of urban gangs provides new insights into the underworld of violence, defiance, and criminal activity among street gangs.
Abstract
The author ate, slept, and sometimes fought with gangs in New York, Boston, and Los Angeles to obtain first-hand knowledge from gang members, public officials, and community members affected by gangs. He looks at how gangs as organizations outlast efforts of law enforcement agencies and negative media campaigns and why some gangs rise and thrive while others decline or die. The author presents a world of surprising entrepreneurial drive and sometimes stringent hierarchical order and discipline among gangs. He probes the often close ties between gangs and politicians and investigates media hype and sensationalism over gang activities. Following a detailed discussion of gangs and their environment and links between gangs and the outside world, reasons for the persistence of gangs are evaluated. It is concluded that gangs persist in part because the gangs themselves make concerted organizational efforts to ensure their own survival and in part because public policymakers either fail to understand gangs or find themselves in a policy quagmire. It is noted that policy analysts tend to shy away from investigating why current policies have failed to control gangs. This may be the case because the issues are potentially too sensitive and people do not want to open a social and political Pandora's box or because the problem extends into so many areas of American life that it seems overwhelming. A summary of gangs studied is appended. 147 references and 338 notes