Full Description
This book—containing contributions from scholars who are well-known for their research on gangs, and selected as experts on the assigned topics—examines youth gangs from a developmental/life-course perspective, exploring a myriad of issues related to gang membership, its causes, its consequences, and various intervention efforts to both prevent gang membership and reduce the problematic impact of gangs.
Beginning with research exploring the intergenerational continuity in gang membership and examining the causal processes leading to gang membership, the structure of the book reflects the developmental sequence of gang membership. The consequences of gang membership for youth are examined, as are intervention strategies. The book also presents the first conceptual framework on female gang involvement, taking into account the differences in the paths and roles that women and girls may take into the gang. The book concludes by exploring how gang membership affects job possibilities for young adults.
This book was originally published as a special issue of the Journal of Crime and Justice.
Contents
Introduction 1. Exploring intergenerational continuity in gang membership 2. Developmental pathways of youth gang membership: a structural test of the social development model 3. Differentiating between delinquent groups and gangs: moving beyond offending consequences 4. School transitions as a turning point for gang status 5. Leveraging the pushes and pulls of gang disengagement to improve gang intervention: findings from three multi-site studies and a review of relevant gang programs 6. Toward a multiracial feminist framework for understanding females' gang involvement 7. The practical utility of a life-course gang theory for intervention 8. The labor market and gang membership in adulthood: is the availability, quality, and nature of legal work associated with adult gang involvement?
