NCJ Number
178962
Date Published
1997
Length
22 pages
Annotation
This article challenges recent portrayals of the demonic character of female gang members through an examination of the life histories and social organization of several female gang groups.
Abstract
The article is specifically concerned with illuminating the ways in which the groups’ different types of social organization are connected with particular situations of violence, i.e., how a group’s organization is related to involvement in violent situations both as offenders and as victims. The article considers existing frameworks of gang organization and examines variations in female gang organization and violence among members interviewed in an ethnographic study. The study included 65 qualitative interviews with African American, Latina, and Samoan gang members. The women experienced extensive violence in their relationships with boyfriends; a significant number were in verbally and physically abusive relationships. Women in auxiliary gangs were more subject to “violence prone situations” than those in an independent gang. The article recommends further research on the various types of female involvement in gangs, the situations of violence the women encounter, and the role of the alcohol violence-prone situations. Tables, references