Chapter 9
Page 1: Title Page
Juvenile Delinquency, Fourth Edition
Chapter 9: Gangs and Delinquency
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Page 2: Street Gangs and Organized Crime (1 of 2)
Urban street gangs have evolved over 30 years into small criminal empires.
Equipped with military weapons (Uzis, AK-47s, M-16s) for various operations:
Narcotics
Auto theft
Prostitution
Gun running
Extortion
Illegal drugs are central to gang operations:
Crack, fentanyl, PCP, heroin, methamphetamine, MDMA (Ecstasy).
Although adult-led, juveniles play crucial roles in daily gang activities.
Page 3: Street Gangs and Organized Crime (2 of 2)
Increased business-like operations have led to partnerships with organized crime groups:
Mexican drug cartels
Asian criminal groups
Russian organized crime.
Gangs utilize technology (computers, phones, Internet) to conduct and conceal operations.
Youth gangs present a problem in urban, suburban, and rural areas across the U.S.
Page 4: Nature and Extent of Gang Activity
2012 National Gang Survey: Over 30,000 gangs and 850,000 gang members in the U.S.
2023 FBI data: Approximately 33,000 violent street, motorcycle, and prison gangs are active today.
Gangs have evolved from transient groups to organized supergangs and violent drug-trafficking entities.
Page 5: Development of Gangs in the Twentieth and Early Twenty-First Centuries
Page 6: Figure 9–1
Percentage of Law Enforcement Agency Reporting Gang Problems by Community Type, 1996-2012.
Page 7: Definitions of Gangs
Gang: A group of youths bound by mutual interests, identifiable leadership, and collective goals, primarily involving illegal activity.
Page 8: Historical Contributions to Gang Understanding
Frederick Thrasher (1927): Defined youth gangs; studied over a thousand in Chicago.
Martín Sánchez Jankowski: Studied 37 gangs in NYC and LA; explored urban poverty and gang involvement.
Walter B. Miller: Analyzed changes in gangs from the 1960s till 2004.
Joan Moore: Researched female gangs in LA, highlighting their evolution and criminal involvement.
James Diego Vigil: Explored gang members' self-identity in Chicago's barrios.
James F. Short, Jr.: Focused on social process theories in gang dynamics.
Irving Spergel: Known for gang prevention and intervention strategies.
Finn-Aage Esbensen: Developed comprehensive youth gang definitions considering demographics and sense of identity.
Page 9: Profiles of Gang Members
Key dimensions:
Age of membership
Size of the gang
Commitment to the gang
Attraction of the gang
Page 10: Table 9–1: Attraction of Gangs (1 of 3)
Reasons for Gang Formation:
Social discrimination leads to longing for acceptance.
Lack of family structures fosters need for surrogate families.
Feelings of powerlessness drive desire for power.
Abuse and fear result in needing security.
Economic deprivation spurs search for financial means.
Page 11: Table 9–1: Attraction of Gangs (2 of 3)
Additional reasons:
School failure pushes towards gangs as alternatives.
Low self-esteem seeking opportunities for enhancement.
Lack of rites of passage drives need for alternate adulthood pathways.
Boredom prompts association with gangs.
Pathological needs create environments for aggression expression.
Influence of migrating gang members impacts youth engagement.
Page 12: Table 9–1: Attraction of Gangs (3 of 3)
Influences:
Media portrayals of gangs reinforce attraction.
Peer pressure and tradition strong impacts on youth engagement.
Page 13: Gangs in Schools (1 of 2)
Schools serve as hotspots for gang violence.
Violence varies based on community socio-economic conditions and gang traditions.
Page 14: Figure 9–2
Percentage of Students Ages 12–18 Reporting Gang Presence at School, 2001-2015 by Urbanicity.
Page 15: Gangs in Schools (2 of 2)
Gang violence methods include:
Gang-affiliated students more likely to carry firearms.
Recruiting tactics involve physical threats against non-members.
Regular conflicts arise due to multiple gangs in schools.
Rivalry between schools adds to violence issues.
Page 16: Gangs, Schools, and Drugs
Gangs have shifted to drug dealing as an economic base.
Selling techniques:
Signals from windows to non-students.
Selling in bathrooms, lunchrooms, parking lots.
Younger children often serve as lookouts and later become couriers.
Page 17: Figure 9-3
Three Gang Recruitment Strategies:
Fraternity type - Presentation as 'in' organization.
Obligation type - Pressure to join as a duty.
Coercive type - Direct threats to individuals or family for joining.
Page 18: Gang Recruitment and Initiation Rites (1 of 2)
Recruitment is targeted at younger members, vulnerable in junior high.
Common initiation methods include:
"Blessed in"
"Jumped in" (fight with members)
Female initiation often requires sexual service.
Page 19: Gang Recruitment and Initiation Rites (2 of 2)
New members may need to:
Participate in illegal acts.
Assist in drug trafficking.
Engage in violent acts such as shootings.
Commit gang-assigned murders.
Page 20: Law-Violating Behaviors and Gang Activities
Core members engage in more serious delinquency than fringe members.
National Youth Gang Survey identified:
Drug-related factors
Intergang conflict as top contributors to local violence.
Technology increasingly utilized for criminal activity.
Trend towards gangs becoming organized crime groups.
Page 21: Figure 9-4
Factors Influencing Local Gang Violence:
Gang member migration from outside the U.S.
Internal migration.
Intra- and intergang conflict.
Drug-related factors.
Page 22: Gangs in Small Communities (1 of 2)
Since the 1990s, gang presence has been notable in various community types.
Emerging gangs: Youth gangs formed in the late 1980s-1990s, evolving continuously.
Development linked to:
Drug-trafficking gangs recruiting locals for crack cocaine sales.
Page 23: Gangs in Small Communities (2 of 2)
Other factors for gang formation in small communities:
Independent drug-trafficking networks sprouting from local youths.
Urban gang members relocating establishing local chapters.
Locally developed gang structures where external intervention is minimal.
Development stages of emerging gangs affect their activity levels.
Page 24: Figure 9-5
Stages of Gang Development:
Implementation
Expansion and conflict
Organization and consolidation
Gang intimidation and community reaction
Expansion of drug markets
Gang takeover
Community deterioration
Page 25: Racial and Ethnic Gangs (1 of 2)
Types of racial and ethnic gangs:
Hispanic/Latino
Black
Asian
Caucasian
Native American
Nearly 50% of gang members are Hispanic/Latino.
Page 26: Figure 9-6
Race/Ethnicity of Gang Members, 1996-2012
Graph illustrating demographic trends over time.
Page 27: Racial and Ethnic Gangs (2 of 2)
Types of Racial and Ethnic Gangs:
Hispanic/Latino gangs
Black gangs
Asian gangs
Caucasian gangs
Native American gangs
Page 28: Figure 9-7
Common Gang Hand Signs
Page 29: Female Delinquent Gangs
Studies recognize female gangs with notable violence.
Adolescent females often aligned with male gangs.
Loyalty to gangs parallels or surpasses family loyalty.
Female gang engagement is linked to delinquency and substance abuse.
Page 30: Table 9–2
Types of Gangs:
Urban Gangs: Predominantly adult members involved in illegal activities.
Emerging Gangs: Juvenile focus, law-violating behavior in smaller communities.
Racial and Ethnic Gangs: Varying demographics, illegal activities reflective of ethnic backgrounds.
Female Delinquent Gangs: Mostly urban, helping male counterparts with various activities.
Page 31: Table 9–3: Theories of Why Juveniles Join Gangs (1 of 2)
Normal Part of Growing Up:
Joining gangs is part of adolescent experience.
Strain Theory:
Gangs are sought to achieve otherwise unobtainable success.
Page 32: Table 9–3: Theories of Why Juveniles Join Gangs (2 of 2)
Social Disorganization:
Gangs emerge from urban slum conditions.
Underclass Theory:
Exclusion from labor markets pushes youth towards gangs for economic opportunities.
Page 33: Delinquency Across the Life Course: Gang Membership
Gang membership viewed as a trajectory influenced by:
Childhood risk factors
Family dynamics
Adolescent influences.
Page 34: Prevention and Control of Youth Gangs (1 of 3)
Five intervention strategies identified:
Community organization and networking
Social intervention
Opportunity provision
Suppression
Organizational development.
Page 35: Prevention and Control of Youth Gangs (2 of 3)
Essential components for effective gang prevention include:
Community responsibility in implementation.
Recognition of structural hopelessness.
Emphasis on early prevention (first six years of school).
Page 36: Prevention and Control of Youth Gangs (3 of 3)
Coordinated effort across multiple intervention strategies needed.
Sufficient funding necessary for model implementation.
Page 37: Copyright Notice
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