Street gangs

Chapter 5 1 Gang involvement, gang membership, and gang activity are attractive, media popular topics.Media attention has generated an asymmetry in news outlets (Spergel, 1995;Sullivan, 2006) creating glamorous media images of gang membership (Przemieniecki, 2005).So, it is not surprising when youth admire gang members, mimic them, and aspire to join gangs (Hughes & Short, 2005).If they do join a gang they are likely to become more violent than they were previously even if they already associated with prolifically offending peers (Klein, Weerman & Thornberry, 2006).Consequently, researchers have strived to explain street gangs in a plethora of research spanning pretty much the last century.Existing literature provides much about the circumstances in which gangs form and flourish (see Wood & Alleyne, 2010, for review).For example, gangs probably form to fulfill adolescent needs such as: peer friendship, pride, identity development, enhancement of self-esteem, excitement, acquisition of resources, as well as goals that may notdue to low socio-economic environmentsbe available legitimately (Goldstein, 2002).Gangs offer a strong psychological sense of community, a physical and psychological neighborhood, a social network, and social support (Goldstein, 1991).In essence, gangs form for the same reasons that any groups form (Goldstein, 2002).In this chapter we consider research and theories regarding gang formation, structure, and behavior.In particular, we consider the group processes that underpin and explain these important facets of gang culture, and suggest theoretical pathways to fill these gaps. Defining a GangThe recognition that "No two gangs are just alike" (Thrasher, 1927, p. 36) instigated a heated and ongoing debate about gang definitions (see Esbensen, Winfree, He, & Taylor, 2001, for review).Definitions are vital since without them we cannot know what researchers refer to.Research founded on assumed understandings only create ambiguity and create distorted media and public officials' views of gangs (Horowitz 1990).A gang is a group but Chapter 5 2 a group is not necessarily a gang and the lack of consensus about this difference has dogged gang research for decades (see Spergel, 1995, for review).A main impasse in agreeing a definition is whether criminal activity should be a defining feature of a gang (e.g., Bennett & Holloway, 2004).Certainly, if criminal activity is excluded then there will be "good" and "bad" gangs (i.e., those criminally active and those not).But this will only exacerbate the chaos that infects the definition debate.For example, Everard (2006) notes that in Glasgow, groups of teenagers labeled as "gangs" claimed that they banded together to stay out of trouble.So, how can researchers consider such a group in the same vein as they do those involved in drive-by shootings?Equally, such definitions run the risk that non-offending youth will be stigmatized by the label "gang" and gain a "gangster" identity (Bullock & Tilley, 2008).A defining feature of any entity is surely who wants to examine it.Those interested in gangs include the police, criminologists, task force agents, and, more recently, forensic psychologists.And the main reason why they are interested in gangs is their criminal activity.Gangs may differ on many dimensions, (e.g., size, member age etc.) but one aspect they all share is their criminality.Thus, we argue that criminal activity represents the core definitional feature of a gang.The Eurogang network has reached a consensus on definition (Weerman, Maxson, Esbensen, Aldridge, Medina, & van Gemert, 2009) and makes an important distinction between gang "descriptors" and gang "definers."Descriptors are descriptive (e.g., ethnicity, age, gender, special clothing and argot, location, group names, crime patterns, and so on; Klein, 2006) and should not influence definition.Definers, however, are central to characterizing a gang.The Eurogang definition offers four defining elements: durability (at least several months), street orientation (away from home, work, school), youthfulness (adolescence or early twenties), and identity via illegal activity (criminal activity).Thus, the definition states that: "a street gang (or troublesome youth group corresponding to a street Chapter 5 3 gang elsewhere) is any durable, street-oriented youth group whose identity includes involvement in illegal activity."(Weerman et.al., 2009, p.20).This consensus is vital for the future of gang research.A definition is more than a description of what we mean.It is a research tool-an "instrument"-that "....underlies all other instruments..." (Weerman et.al, 2009, p.6).Without the vital parameters set by a definition even the best researchers' efforts and best research designs will be seriously hindered by common misunderstanding

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