Concern about gang culture is on the increase, but remains surrounded by myths. While gangs may lead young people into dangerous situations and breed community division, distrust and fear, the friendship, support, security and sense of belonging they offer are often overlooked by those working with young people involved in gangs. Working with Gangs and Young People demonstrates how young people can be engaged in a creative and challenging process that explores the costs, gains and consequences of the choices they make around their gang membership. It provides a tried-and-tested training programme for anyone involved in conflict resolution with young people in groups or gangs, and offers effective interventions that work. Based on a five-year action research project developed by Leap Confronting Conflict, this practical, fully photocopiable toolkit gives practitioners the materials, support and inspiration needed to engage young people who are involved in gangs. It presents flexible activities and strategies to run either two-hour or one-day workshops, and will be indispensable to anyone involved in working with this under-supported group.

Revisiting the young men interviewed in Deuchar's original fieldwork over a decade later, this book ascertains how early exposure to gang culture and weapon carrying acts as a path to wider types of offending. Through empirical insights and policy analysis, it considers the evolving nature of gangs, knife crime and street violence in Glasgow.

The United States has seen rapid proliferation of youth gangs since 1980. During this period, the number of cities with gang problems increased from an estimated 286 jurisdictions with more than 2,000 gangs and nearly 100,000 gang members in 1980 (Miller, 1992) to about 4,800 jurisdictions with more than 31,000 gangs and approximately 846,000 gang members in 1996(Moore and Terrett, in press). An 11-city survey of eighth graders found that 9 percent were currently gang members, and 17 percent said they had belonged to a gang at some point in their lives (Esbensen and Osgood, 1997).Other studies reported comparable percentages and also showed that gang members were responsible for a large proportion of violent offenses. In the Rochester site of the OJJDP-funded Program of Research on the Causes and Correlates of Delinquency, gang members (30 percent of the sample) self-reported committing 68 percent of all violent offenses (Thornberry, 1998). In the Denver site, adolescent gang members (14 percent of the sample) self-reported committing 89 percent of all serious violent offenses (Huizinga, 1997). In another study, supported by OJJDP and several other agenciesand organizations, adolescent gang members in Seattle (15 percent of the sample) self-reported involvement in 85 percent of robberies committed by the entire sample (Battin et al., 1998).This Bulletin reviews data and research to consolidate available knowledge on youth gangs that are involved in criminal activity. Following a historical perspective, demographic information ispresented. The scope of the problem is assessed, including gang problems in juvenile detention and correctional facilities. Several issues are then addressed by reviewing gang studies to provide aclearer understanding of youth gang problems.An extensive list of references is provided for further review.

This comprehensive and widely respected survey of the literature on gangs and gang activities in America includes theoretical perspectives on why gangs exist, gang typologies, descriptions of gang activities, and various intervention strategies for dealing with gangs. Important Notice: Media content referenced within the product description or the product text may not be available in the ebook version.

According to the National Youth Violence Prevention Resource Center, the number of youth gangs throughout the U.S. tops 24,500. The number of teens and young adults involved in gang activity is higher than 772,500. Gangs offer these young people many things that their home, school, and work life do not. There are unfortunate, compelling reasons why they're in gangs, and why they cannot get out once they've become a member. Editor Peggy Daniels has compiled several fascinating essays that discuss the problems of gangs in America. Readers will explore such topics as where gangs are a problem, who joins gangs and why, and the effectiveness of various intervention methods. Give your readers the opportunity to form intelligent viewpoints on gangs, which is an essential tool against potential harm and violence.

'Oxford Textbook Violence Prevention' brings together an international team of experts to provide an extensive global account of the global mortality and morbidity burden caused by violence through examining the causes of violence, and what can be done to prevent and reduce violence.

This book provides information which can support and assist in the prevention of weapon related crime and gang membership amongst young people. It provides those working with young people with the backgorund knowledge to support the delivery of workshops which are aimed at equipping young people with positive and informed decision making skills which may prevent their involvement with weapon crime and gang membership. The workshops suggested throughout this book are easy to follow and relevant to the overall aim of preventing weapon crime and gang membership amongst young people. Allowing Young People to discuss, explore, debate and fully understand the costs and consequences of weapon crime and gang membership within a safe environment, can greatly contribute towards a nationwide effort to steer Young People away from weapon carrying and gang recruitment. There is an additional student workbook which accompanies this resource. For more information please e-mail the address provided below. Positive About Learning (as Jpg Company Logo 2) - PAL (as Jpg Company Logo 1) - is an educational organisation providing a range of resources aimed at tackling some of the complex and difficult social issues among Young People. These resources provide creative ways for Practitioners to positively engage and educate Young People and ultimately empower them with informed decision making skills. For more information about PAL (as Jpg Company Logo 2), available resources or services please e-mail [email protected]

Drawing on extensive interviews with gang members, this book provides a vivid portrayal of gang life. Topics include the profiles and motivations of gang members; the processes of gang evolution, organization, and recruitment; gang members' uses of violence, media, and technology and the role of gangs in the drugs trade and organized crime

This report presents an overview of gang research and programs in the United States and examines how gangs form and why youth join them. It is based on information on research findings and prevention strategies disseminated by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention as part of its comprehensive anti-gang initiative. This report describes how community members can start assessing their gang problems and enhance prevention and intervention activities to help prevent delinquency and gang violence. It identifies promising and effective programs for gang prevention. Illustrations. This is a print on demand edition of an important, hard-to-find publication.

Psychology of Gang Involvement expands existing knowledge by applying psychological knowledge to gangs, including how gang members think, their mental and emotional well-being, and their perceptions of gang involvement, as well as issues relating to gang prevention and intervention strategies. This book offers readers a clearer understanding of the important role that social psychological processes play in the formation and maintenance of gangs and gang membership. It will enhance readers’ understanding of gang members’ social cognition, emotional intelligence, well-being, and mental health, as well as how these factors potentially promote and sustain individual gang involvement. Readers will discover also how these important psychological characteristics vary according to an individual’s commitment to a gang. Organized in three sections, the first focuses on issues relevant to theoretical perspectives of gang involvement. Chapters include detailed examinations of a gang member’s experiences and the implications of these for theoretical development, and considerations of the importance of social and psychological issues such as group processes and levels of commitment to gang membership to, understand and explain involvement in gangs. The second section centers on issues such as adverse childhood experiences and trauma, and examines their links to male and female gang membership as potential risk factors and outcomes of gang involvement. The section concludes by contemplating how the mental health, traumatic experiences, and involvement in violence compares between gang members and other violent men in adulthood. The final section considers current responses to gang membership by evaluating individual and group-based approaches to gang prevention and intervention strategies, and concludes with a theoretical conceptualization of how a strengths-based approach could work to reduce gang involvement. This book will be a useful text for a wide range of readers interested in, or working with gang members, including academics and students, practitioners, youth workers, clinicians, and criminal justice agents.