Youth Gangs

This KnowledgeBase archive includes content and external links that were accurate and relevant as of September 30, 2019.

This document provides links to three articles addressing youth gangs published in Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Programs (OJJDP's) Juvenile Justice Bulletin. Taken together, they offer background information on the issues associated with youth gangs.

In Youth Gangs, An Overview, the author looks at the history of youth gangs and their demographic characteristics. He then assesses the scope of the youth gang problem. In Female Gangs: A Focus on Research, the authors consider the motivations for female gang membership, assess the delinquency and criminal activity of female gang members, examine the influence of ethnicity and gender norms on female gang behavior and discuss the long-term consequences of gang membership. Youth Gangs in Schools analyzes findings from the School Crime Supplements (SCS) to the National Crime Victim Survey, describes characteristics of gangs in schools and discusses contributory factors to gang prevalence in schools.

Additional Resources: Gangs in Schools

Students Reports of Gangs in Schools

Indicators of School Crime and Safety, National Center for Education Statistics

Sources:

Juvenile Justice Bulletin, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Programs (OJJDP), U.S. Department of Justice:

Youth Gangs, An Overview, James C. Howell, August 1998

Female Gangs: A Focus on Research, Joan Moore and John Hagedorn, March 2001

Youth Gangs in Schools, James C. Howell and James P. Lynch, August 2000

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