Defining Street Gangs in the 21st Century

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Author :
Publisher : Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN 13 : 1461443075
Total Pages : 65 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (614 download)

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Book Synopsis Defining Street Gangs in the 21st Century by : C.E. Prowse

Download or read book Defining Street Gangs in the 21st Century written by C.E. Prowse and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2012-07-13 with total page 65 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In contrast to the pattern of long-standing occidental street gangs modelled in the North American paradigm, new-age gangs have appeared as loosely organized, with a high degree of interchangeability of their membership. Associated with this structural fluidity is an equally significant geographic mobility, which paradoxically does not appear to diminish the intensity of personal bonds formed within and between ‘new-age’ gangs. The dimensions of fluidity of gang membership and geographic mobility across police jurisdictions is increasingly seen as the organizational pattern of emerging gangs, in large part shaped by worldwide patterns of human migration and globalization. While the structure of new-age gangs appears as loose-knit, what must be emphasized is that this characteristic is reflective of a criminal network of economic commodity-based ‘turf’ as opposed to a close-knit geographically anchored ‘turf’ that has characterized the prevailing North American (occidental) gang model. This volume illuminates the structure and organization of increasingly emergent, fluid and mobile, new-age gangs within the context of transnational networks. The implications for law enforcement agencies is two-fold: i) the fluidity of new-age gang players challenges investigative techniques that remain predicated on suspect recognition through modus operandi repetition by those involved, and; ii) the movement of new-age gang players across police jurisdictions challenges the sharing of police information. This innovative work will be of interest to researchers in Criminology and Criminal Justice, as well as related disciplines including Sociology and Anthropology studying gangs and group-organization. It has strong implications for practitioners and professionals working in law enforcement, public policy, or with at-risk youth/young adults.

Studying Youth Gangs

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Author :
Publisher : Rowman Altamira
ISBN 13 : 0759114331
Total Pages : 301 pages
Book Rating : 4.7/5 (591 download)

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Book Synopsis Studying Youth Gangs by : James F. Short

Download or read book Studying Youth Gangs written by James F. Short and published by Rowman Altamira. This book was released on 2006-05-04 with total page 301 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this absorbing new collection, Short and Hughes and their distinguished coauthors investigate why and how we study youth gangs. Over the last half-century of research by criminologists, sociologists, and gang experts, investigations of gang behavior have become increasingly specialized and isolated from studies of delinquency and deviance. The authors challenge popular and inaccurate definitions of gangs vs. non-gang youth groups, and show how the amazing diversity of gangs_both domestic and international_demands more rigorous study. This book stimulates thinking about valid methods of defining and interpreting gang behavior, in order to better understand delinquent and criminal behaviors, and their control. It is an ideal text for criminal justice, sociology, and social work courses, and a resource for law enforcement, probation and parole practitioners, and public defenders.

YOUTH GANGS

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Author :
Publisher : Charles C Thomas Publisher
ISBN 13 : 0398091072
Total Pages : 18 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (98 download)

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Book Synopsis YOUTH GANGS by : Robert J. Franzese

Download or read book YOUTH GANGS written by Robert J. Franzese and published by Charles C Thomas Publisher. This book was released on 2016-04-11 with total page 18 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In the quarter century since the first edition of this book, scholarship on gangs in general, and especially youth gangs, has grown exponentially. This massive expansion of the literature on youth gangs, especially in the past decade, warranted this expanded and updated fourth edition. The first chapter has an expanded discussion of definitional issues, plus recent data from the National Youth Gang Survey, material on the evolving economic nature of gangs, and gang use of internet and social media. The second chapter continues by examining gang violence and drug involvement, and the extent to which they are intercorrelated, with new material on victimization of gang members and gang involvement in drug use and sales. Chapter 3 focuses on racial and ethnic decadences in gangs and the important role of race and ethnicity on gang membership and gang behavior in the U.S. The fourth chapter examines female gangs and gang membership and the changes that have taken place in the nature and extent of female gang membership over time. The fifth and sixth chapters place contemporary American gangs in the historical and international perspective. Chapter 5 includes a new section on youth gangs in the new millennium, and Chapter 6 has been reorganized, particularly to reflect the burgeoning research on European and other international gangs since the turn of the millennium. Chapter 7 has been expanded to include recent developments in the actual and potential application of biosocial, psychological, and life course developmental theories to gangs. Chapter 8 provides a comprehensive, multilevel theory of gangs with updates including new propositions, and new evidence for both the new and old propositions, based on more recent work in theory development and theory testing for gangs. The ninth and tenth chapters’ revisions focus on legislative and justice system efforts to deter gang crime and membership. Chapter 10 also focuses on intervention and assistance programs outside the justice system, including discussion of the Gang Resistance Education and Training program. The final chapter concludes by considering the future of youth gangs in the U.S. and elsewhere in light of historical and cross-national evidence, theory, and experience with gang interventions and programs, considering more recent developments in those areas, and whether they justify any change and for what would be expected of the future of youth gangs.

Street Gang Patterns and Policies

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Author :
Publisher : Oxford University Press
ISBN 13 : 0199890102
Total Pages : 321 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (998 download)

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Book Synopsis Street Gang Patterns and Policies by : Malcolm W. Klein

Download or read book Street Gang Patterns and Policies written by Malcolm W. Klein and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2010-04-12 with total page 321 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In the past two decades, many prevention and suppression programs have been initiated on a national and local level to combat street gangs--but what do we really know about them? Why do youths join them? Why do they proliferate? Street Gang Patterns and Policies is a crucial update and critical examination of our understanding of gangs and major gang-control programs across the nation. Often perceived solely as an urban issue, street gangs are also a suburban and rural dilemma. Klein and Maxson focus on gang proliferation, migration, and crime patterns, and highlight known risk factors that lead to youths form and join gangs within communities. Dispelling the long-standing assumptions that the public, the media, and law enforcement have about street gangs, they present a comprehensive overview of how gangs are organized and structured. The authors assess the major gang programs across the nation and argue that existing prevention, intervention, and suppression methods targeting individuals, groups, and communities, have been largely ineffective. Klein and Maxson close by offering valuable policy guidelines for practitioners on how to intervene and control gangs more successfully. Filling an important gap in the literature on street gangs and social control, this book is a must-read for criminologists, social workers, policy makers, and criminal justice practitioners.

Street Gangs Throughout the World

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Author :
Publisher : Charles C Thomas Publisher
ISBN 13 : 0398079706
Total Pages : 330 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (98 download)

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Book Synopsis Street Gangs Throughout the World by : Herbert C. Covey

Download or read book Street Gangs Throughout the World written by Herbert C. Covey and published by Charles C Thomas Publisher. This book was released on 2010 with total page 330 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This updated and expanded new edition continues the theme of the first edition of emphasizing the substantial growth of street gangs throughout the world. Although a substantial amount of research on street gangs has been conducted in recent decades, much of it has focused on the United States. This book summarizes much of the research being conducted in many other countries where the street gang phenomenon is currently developing, which includes poverty, the retreat of the state, increasing income inequality, urbanization, population growth, exploitation, marginalization, underground economie.

Gangs in America′s Communities

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Author :
Publisher : SAGE Publications
ISBN 13 : 1544300247
Total Pages : 392 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (443 download)

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Book Synopsis Gangs in America′s Communities by : James C. Howell

Download or read book Gangs in America′s Communities written by James C. Howell and published by SAGE Publications. This book was released on 2018-02-08 with total page 392 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "[Gangs in America′s Communities] is one of the most comprehensive treatments of gangs in the marketplace. . . . I highly recommend its adoption as you will not be disappointed and, most importantly, neither will your students." —Elvira White-Lewis, Texas A&M University-Commerce Gangs in America′s Communities, Third Edition blends theory with current research to help readers identify essential features associated with youth violence and gangs, as well as apply strategies for gang control and prevention. Authors Dr. James C. Howell and Dr. Elizabeth Griffiths introduce readers to theories of gang formation, illustrate various ways of defining and classifying gangs, and discuss national trends in gang presence and gang-related violence across American cities. They also offer evidence-based strategies for positioning communities to prevent, intervene, and address gang activity. New to the Third Edition: A series of new case studies document the evolution of numerous gangs in large cities, including the community aspect, evolutionary nature, and how cities influence levels of violence. New discussions highlighting the role of social media, insights into how gangs use it to recruit members, and the response from law enforcement. Current nationwide gang trends are discussed to encourage readers to analyze and interpret the most recent statistics for which representative data is available. Updated macro and micro gang theories enable readers to explore a recent encapsulation of leading developmental models. New discussions around female gang members offer readers potentially effective programs for discouraging females from joining gangs—along with highly regarded delinquency prevention and reduction programs that have the potency to be effective in reducing gang crimes among young women. A comprehensive gang prevention, intervention, and suppression program in Multnomah County, Oregon shows how theory was successfully applied to reduce gang activity in a local community. New research on "gang structures" and their rates of crime illustrate the connections between violent crimes and the amount of violent offenders within a gang. Additional discussion of distinguishing features (e.g., typologies) of major gangs, and numerous examples of gang symbols, tattoos, and graffiti has been added to help readers identify and differentiate various types of gangs. Instructors, sign in at study.sagepub.com/howell3e for a Microsoft Word test bank, Microsoft PowerPoint slides, and more!

Gangs in America's Communities

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Author :
Publisher : SAGE Publications
ISBN 13 : 1483379736
Total Pages : 617 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (833 download)

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Book Synopsis Gangs in America's Communities by : James C. Howell

Download or read book Gangs in America's Communities written by James C. Howell and published by SAGE Publications. This book was released on 2015-03-04 with total page 617 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Gangs in America's Communities offers a comprehensive, up-to-date, and theoretically grounded approach to gangs and associated youth violence. Authors Dr. James C. Howell and Dr. Elizabeth Griffiths introduce readers to the foundations of gang studies through the origins of gangs, definitions and categories of youth/street gangs, transnational as well as prison gangs (and the distinctions between these arguably different types), national trends in gang presence and gang-related violence across American cities, distinguishing attributes of serious street gangs, and myths and realities. Students and instructors will benefit from the Second Edition’s comprehensive treatment of the state of the literature on individual-level causes and consequences of gang membership. Going beyond the traditional topics covered in most texts in the market, this book uniquely describes specific gang patterns, trends, and cultures within a group-based structure while illuminating the most promising avenues for reducing the presence and seriousness of gangs in American communities.

The Re-Evolution of American Street Gangs

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Author :
Publisher : CRC Press
ISBN 13 : 1439871523
Total Pages : 374 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (398 download)

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Book Synopsis The Re-Evolution of American Street Gangs by : Dale L. June

Download or read book The Re-Evolution of American Street Gangs written by Dale L. June and published by CRC Press. This book was released on 2015-09-25 with total page 374 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The problem of gangs and gang subculture is a growing threat to the stability of neighborhoods and entire communities. During the past two decades, gang members have increasingly migrated from large urban centers to suburban areas and other countries. This book addresses the intricacies and diversities of street gangs, drawing on the expertise of high-ranking law enforcement officials monitoring terrorist activity and gang-related crimes as well as professional private investigators who have spent several decades investigating gangs and learning their subculture, lifestyle, motivations, and relationships. Ideal for supplemental reading in gang violence courses on criminal justice, sociology, law, and psychology, this comprehensive anthology presents thorough coverage of a notoriously difficult subject. It explores the following key topics: Social, psychological, and criminal impact of street gangs on juveniles Psychology of gang membership and the pathways that lead into and out of gang culture Relationship between religion and dangerous criminal gangs How U.S.-based gangs are using technology to advance their operations Use of graffiti by street gangs Evolution of gangs and recommendations for preventing future growth Gang enhancement crimes and associated misconduct of police and prosecutors Like any type of crime, street gang criminal activity cannot be totally eliminated. This book aims to provide a better understanding of gangs so that we can influence today’s potential gang members to make the right decisions for their sake and the sake of society.

A Dictionary of Gangs

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Author :
Publisher : Oxford University Press
ISBN 13 : 0192534971
Total Pages : 48 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (925 download)

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Book Synopsis A Dictionary of Gangs by : Bill Sanders

Download or read book A Dictionary of Gangs written by Bill Sanders and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2019-02-05 with total page 48 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A worldwide fascination with gangs is evident: they are a major focus of the criminal justice system and the object of much media attention. This new Oxford Reference title of over 250 entries gives a concise overview of key terms used in the study and understanding of gangs - the first dictionary of its kind to focus on gang vernacular. Broad in scope, it covers: colloquialisms used in gang culture to describe certain behaviours common among gang members, such as caught slipping and jumped in; sociological and criminological terms in relation to gangs, such as social disorganization and social learning; as well as general academic concepts which apply to gangs, including Critical Race Theory, acculturation, moral panic, and identity. It also includes entries on gangs both inside and outside of the United States and theories of key gang researchers.

An Introduction to Gangs

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Author :
Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 528 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (91 download)

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Book Synopsis An Introduction to Gangs by : George W. Knox

Download or read book An Introduction to Gangs written by George W. Knox and published by . This book was released on 1991 with total page 528 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: While there are many books & articles available on gangs today, Dr. Knox's book is one of the most comprehensive & coherent. AN INTRODUCTION TO GANGS is a highly disciplined approach to the topic. While much of the current material is anecdotal & vague in defining the characteristics of gangs, Knox provides answers based on empirical research to the most commonly asked questions about gangs in the United States: When does the group of kids on the corner become a gang? How much crime in America is explained by gang involvement? Dr. Knox's approach is incremental. He addresses the major issues, & then provides a more integrated view, including a gang topology. The book concludes with a detailed review of competing definitions of gangs & suggests Knox's integrated definition of membership states, organizational levels, threat severity & intervention strategies as the appropriate model for today. AN INTRODUCTION TO GANGS is an excellent guidebook & reference resource for law enforcement personnel involved with gangs, & is unequalled for the social science field researcher. The scope of the information & valuable insights it contains give it great instructional value. Priced at $44.50 (less 20 percent to the trade), prepaid. Order from Vande Vere Publishing Ltd., P.O. Box 226, Berrien Springs MI 49103-0226, 616-473-1510. FEIN 38-2958156.

Youth Gangs in International Perspective

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Author :
Publisher : Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN 13 : 1461416582
Total Pages : 315 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (614 download)

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Book Synopsis Youth Gangs in International Perspective by : Finn-Aage Esbensen

Download or read book Youth Gangs in International Perspective written by Finn-Aage Esbensen and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2011-12-13 with total page 315 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: As a steady source of juvenile delinquents and an incubator for future adult offenders, the youth gang has long been a focus of attention, from their origins and prevalence to intervention and prevention strategies. But while delinquent youth form gangs worldwide, youth gang research has generally focused on the U.S. Youth Gangs in International Perspective provides a needed corrective by offering significant studies from across Europe, as well as Trinidad-Tobago and Israel. The book spans the diversity of the field in the cultural and scholarly traditions represented and methods used, analyzing not only the social processes under which gangs operate and cohere, but also the evolution of the research base, starting with the Eurogang Program’s definition of the term youth gang. Cross-national and gender issues are discussed, as are measurement concerns and the possibility that the American conception of the youth gang is impeding European understanding of these groups. Among the topics covered: Gang dynamics through the lens of social identity theory. Defining gangs in youth correctional settings. Gang gender composition and youth delinquency. From Stockholm: a holistic approach to gang intervention. Gang membership as a turning point in the life course. The impact of globalization, immigration, and social process on neo-Nazi youth gangs. Filling a critical gap in the literature, Youth Gangs in International Perspective will find a wide audience among criminologists, policymakers specializing in youth crime, and researchers and graduate students in criminology, political science, and youth studies.

Street Gangs, Migration and Ethnicity

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Author :
Publisher : Routledge
ISBN 13 : 1134003781
Total Pages : 298 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (34 download)

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Book Synopsis Street Gangs, Migration and Ethnicity by : Frank van Gemert

Download or read book Street Gangs, Migration and Ethnicity written by Frank van Gemert and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2013-05-13 with total page 298 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book is the third publication from the Eurogang Network, a cross-national collaboration of researchers (from both North America and Europe) devoted to comparative and multi-national research on youth gangs. It provides a unique insight into the influence of migration on local gang formation and development, paying particular attention to the importance of ethnicity. The book also explores the challenges that migration and ethnicity pose for responding effectively to the growth of such gangs, particularly in areas where public discourse on such issues is restricted. Chapters in the book are concerned to address both situations where there have been longstanding problems with street gangs as well as areas where such issues have just started to emerge. A variety of different research traditions and approaches are represented, including ethnographic methods, self-report surveys and interviews, official records data and victim interviews. It will be essential reading for anybody interested in the phenomenon of street and youth gangs.

Gangs in America

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Author :
Publisher : SAGE Publications, Incorporated
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 360 pages
Book Rating : 4.F/5 ( download)

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Book Synopsis Gangs in America by : C. Ronald Huff

Download or read book Gangs in America written by C. Ronald Huff and published by SAGE Publications, Incorporated. This book was released on 1990-09 with total page 360 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Gangs in America focuses on the historical and cultural perspectives of gangs. There are thought provoking chapters on the relationship between illicit drugs and gang violence and comparisons of the elements of gang membership for various ethnic and racial groups including Hispanics, Asians and Blacks. The book makes policy recommendations designed to stimulate discussion and action. It will prove useful to anybody, from the police to social workers, who has to deal with gangs of any kind.

The Oxford Handbook of Gangs and Society

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Author :
Publisher : Oxford University Press
ISBN 13 : 0197618154
Total Pages : 921 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (976 download)

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Book Synopsis The Oxford Handbook of Gangs and Society by : Pyrooz

Download or read book The Oxford Handbook of Gangs and Society written by Pyrooz and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2023-09-15 with total page 921 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "The Oxford Handbook of Gangs and Society is the premier reference book on gangs for practitioners, policymakers, students, and scholars. This carefully curated volume contains 43 chapters written by the leading experts in the field, who advance a central theme of "looking back, moving forward" by providing state-of-the-art reviews of the literature they created, shaped, and (re)defined. This international, interdisciplinary collective of authors provides readers with a rare tour of the field in its entirety, expertly navigating thorny debates and the at-times contentious history of gang research, while simultaneously synthesizing flourishing areas of study that advance the field into the 21st century. The volume is divided into six cohesive sections that reflect the diverse field of gang studies and capture the large-scale cultural, economic, political, and social changes occurring within the world of gangs in the last century; anticipating immense changes on the horizon. From definitions to history to theory to epistemology to technology to policy and practice, this unprecedented volume captures the most timely and important topics in the field. When readers finish this book, they will be more confident in what we know and do not know about gangs in our society"--

Global Organized Crime

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Author :
Publisher : Taylor & Francis
ISBN 13 : 1317267184
Total Pages : 569 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (172 download)

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Book Synopsis Global Organized Crime by : Mitchel P. Roth

Download or read book Global Organized Crime written by Mitchel P. Roth and published by Taylor & Francis. This book was released on 2017-01-20 with total page 569 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In the maelstrom of globalization and cyberspace, organized crime continues to defy definition. A diverse array of activities is perpetuated by criminal organizations, criminal groups and associations, and gangs, and it is clear that one specific label is no longer adequate. This book offers a uniquely global approach to organized crime and the multitude of forces that shape it in the 21st century. As well as discussing definitions of and the historical roots of organized crime, this book examines various forms of organized crime around the world in the US, Mexico, Latin America and the Caribbean, Russia and Europe, Asia and Africa. This revised and updated new edition includes coverage of: the rise of the ’Ndrangheta in Italy and their global expansion; the impact of drug legalization on organized crime and the problem of methamphetamine; organ trading, money laundering, and animal poaching; changes in gang traditions and gangland penitentiaries; the decentralization of Mexican cartels, the growth of opium production in Myanmar, and the drug war in Africa; and the advancement of ISIS and the emergence of the Silk Road and the Dark Net. This book is essential reading for students engaged in the study of global and transnational organized crime, with features including chapter overviews, key terms, critical thinking questions, and case studies.

Gang Transitions and Transformations in an International Context

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Author :
Publisher : Springer
ISBN 13 : 3319296027
Total Pages : 313 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (192 download)

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Book Synopsis Gang Transitions and Transformations in an International Context by : Cheryl L. Maxson

Download or read book Gang Transitions and Transformations in an International Context written by Cheryl L. Maxson and published by Springer. This book was released on 2016-06-09 with total page 313 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This unique volume explores why and how youth join and leave gangs, as a lens for exploring intervention and prevention through comparative, international research. The book explores three key questions: how do youth gangs form and how do they change over time? Why do youth join street gangs, and why do they leave? How can we use this knowledge to foster more effective interventions for gang problems? Drawing from research conducted in ten different countries (Belgium, Canada, Germany, Israel, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, the United Kingdom, the United States of America, and Venezuela)and a variety of disciplines, sixteen original chapters provide unique insights into: 1) patterns of gang participation and how it impacts individual behavior 2) individual transitions and their impact on gang transformations 3) fostering gang transition and transformation. This work will be of interest to researchers in Criminology and Criminal Justice, particularly with an interest in youth gangs, developmental and life-course criminology, criminal careers, and criminal networks, as well as related fields such as sociology, psychology, and comparative law, and public health.​

Gangs

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Author :
Publisher : SUNY Press
ISBN 13 : 9780791413258
Total Pages : 370 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (132 download)

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Book Synopsis Gangs by : Scott Cummings

Download or read book Gangs written by Scott Cummings and published by SUNY Press. This book was released on 1993-01-01 with total page 370 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book is an examination of contemporary gangs in American cities. Gangs have proliferated over the past ten years and pose a new set of challenges to public officials, law enforcement agencies, and urban educators. Most major cities are now confronted with serious problems derived from gang violence, drug traffic, and disruption of the public educational system. In the face of deindustrialization and deepening recession, many minority youngsters view gangs as attractive alternatives to a futile search for employment in a deteriorating urban economy. Perhaps most significant, gangs are now beginning to emerge in small and medium-sized cities. Some of the nation's leading scientists and scholars have been brought together in this book to examine the contemporary contours of America's gang problem, including Daniel J. Monti, Joan Moore, Scott Cummings, Howard Pinderhughes, Diego Vigil, Ray Hutchison, Felix Padilla, Jerome H. Skolnick, Pat Jackson, and Robert A. Destro. New material dealing with wilding gangs, migration and drug trafficking, and public educational disruption appear in this volume. Other topics covered include how gangs are organized, what social function they serve, their relation to conventional society, and the social and psychological factors that contribute to their rise. The relationship of the contemporary gang problem to past research is explored, and a rich variety of case histories and comparative analysis is presented. The book also includes a section on public policy.