NCJ Number
171578
Journal
Journal of Gang Research Volume: 5 Issue: 1 Dated: (Fall 1997) Pages: 55-61
Date Published
1997
Length
7 pages
Annotation
This article reports on youth gangs in Belgium.
Abstract
The article is part of a 4-year investigation into "Citification, Social Exclusion of Youngsters and Street Delinquency." The study examined Brussels youngsters on their leisure behavior and needs in an effort to discover relationships between the socioeconomic and environmental organization of the city, the leisure problems among young people, and youth delinquency. The study further examined these relationships in a thorough look at three selected neighborhoods. In a concentrated analysis of the phenomenon of gang formation, the article describes the life stories of some "hard core" gang members. The article cites newspaper articles repeatedly written about gangs just to tell readers that gangs do not exist in Belgium. In addition, the article repeats a Rotterdam policeman's view that labeling groups of youngsters as "gangs" is the only way to convince the authorities to appropriate enough money to fight youth delinquency. Bibliography, notes