NCJ Number
130369
Journal
Crime to Court Dated: (May 1991) Pages: 15-21
Date Published
1991
Length
7 pages
Annotation
Youth gangs are defined and discussed.
Abstract
A youth gang is a group of individuals between 14- and 24-years old, engaged in criminal-type activity, who associate on a continuous basis. The group, usually organized along ethnic or economic lines, is joined for four major reasons: (1) identify or recognition; (2) protection; (3) fellowship and brotherhood; and (4) intimidation. The structure or involvement by members is generally broken into these areas: hardcore, associates, peripheral, and cliques. The most frequent violent crime committed by youth gangs is the "drive-by" shooting. Gang members can be identified by self-admission, implication by a co-subject, tattoos, articles of clothing, and graffiti. The causes of youth gang violence are many and range from revenge for a real or imagined wrongdoing to competition for control over a particular criminal enterprise such as extortion. As youth gangs have become more sophisticated, the types of weapons have evolved from fists and feet to automatic weapons.