NCJ Number
147677
Journal
Gang Journal Volume: 1 Issue: 2 Dated: (1993) Pages: 49-58
Date Published
1993
Length
10 pages
Annotation
This article reviews Martin Sanchez Jankowski's Islands in the Streets, a 10-year study of gangs in lower-class communities, which draws on Walter Miller's theory of lower- class culture generating gang delinquency.
Abstract
In this study, Jankowski attempts to overcome what he sees as negative stereotypes of gang members through his analysis. This review discusses Jankowski's research findings in terms of gang members as individual, gangs as organizations, relations between gangs and the community, gangs and society, gangs and social policy, and Jankowski's use of grounded theory as applied to inner-city gangs. The second section of the review critiques the methodology used in the study, including Jankowski's techniques to gain access to the research environment, gain the trust of the subjects, classify gang organization structure and recruitment procedures, recruit informants in the field, code his field notes, and present his data in a reliable and objective manner. 22 references