NCJ Number
147243
Journal
Criminal Justice Abstracts Volume: 21 Issue: 2 Dated: (June 1989) Pages: 313-329
Date Published
1989
Length
17 pages
Annotation
This article reports on: (1) the connection between youth gangs and gang violence; (2) contemporary gang violence and the introduction of modern, deadly weaponry and the decline of the "rumble"; and (3) the relationship, if any, between gangs and the distribution and use of drugs.
Abstract
Earlier writers on youth gangs categorize them as social organizations revolving around peer relationships and, in most instances, lacking in organizational sophistication. There is no evidence of inevitable movement toward sophisticated forms of deviant organization. Juvenile gang members, if they commit offenses at all, do not specialize in specific or broad offense categories. Their most common offenses are property-related; the most distinctive gang offense is fighting. Although data from recent studies are unclear, it seems likely that gang violence has grown. Historically, youth gangs have played an important role in many theories about crime and delinquency, for two reasons: (1) a substantial proportion of delinquent acts occur in the presence of one or more companions; (2) delinquency or crime is frequently thought to be learned through interaction with other persons. Recent research suggests that it may be the disruption of a stable cultural and social life, leading to a weakening of social controls, that explains gang violence. Delinquency (i.e., non gang crime) is more likely to be a product of poverty, a conceptually distinct correlate of crime which refers to the experience of deprivation and economic conditions in a single population over a longer time period. The article includes sections on: (1) The Chicago Tradition: The How and Why of Ganging; (2) Lower Class Culture and Ganging; (3) Strain Theories: the "Push" of Blocked Opportunity; (4) Control Theory: Drift and Bonding; (5) Labeling Theory; and (6) Recommendations for Research. References