NCJ Number
148552
Date Published
1992
Length
13 pages
Annotation
Questionnaires were mailed to superintendents of the 1,062 public school districts in Texas to probe youth gang issues in Texas schools.
Abstract
As of March 1992, data had been received from 49 percent of the respondents. The questionnaire, consisting of 161 items, was based on the Spergel and Curry open-ended questionnaire used in a national survey of 45 cities. A review of the literature was also conducted to examine gangs in schools, delinquent subcultures, the development of delinquent groups as an alternative to school system norms, the effect of social disorganization in neighborhoods and schools on delinquent peer group influences, school violence, and the link between academic performance and gang membership. This review specifically included studies of delinquent group norms in Great Britain's public schools, peer group pressures, the role of gangs in meeting youth's needs for status and success, the incidence of violent gang activities in U.S. high schools, school crime in California and New York, street gangs in Chicago, student fear of school gangs in Philadelphia, and the incidence of school dropouts among gang members. Survey findings are not reported because data collection was ongoing. 27 references