Gangs in America's Communities

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.

Table of Contents:
Chapter 1: History of Gangs in the United States Introduction The Influence of Population Migration Patterns on Gang Emergence Street Gang Emergence in the Northeast Region First Period of New York City Gang Growth Second Period of New York City Gang Growth Third Period of New York City Gang Growth Modern-Day Eastern Gangs Street Gang Emergence in the Midwest Region First Period of Chicago Gang Growth Second Period of Chicago Gang Growth Third Period of Chicago Gang Growth Modern-Day Midwest Gangs Street Gang Emergence in the West Region First Period of Los Angeles Gang Growth Second Period of Los Angeles Gang Growth Third Period of Los Angeles Gang Growth Modern-Day Western Gangs Street Gang Emergence in the South Region First Period of Southern Gang Growth Second Period of Southern Gang Growth Modern-Day Southern Gangs Another Wave of Immigrant Groups The Institutionalization of Street Gangs Chapter 2: Myths and Realities of Youth Gangs Introduction Consideration of Key Myths About Gangs Myth 1: Most Gangs Have a Formal Organization Myth 2: Gangs of the Same Name Are Connected Myth 3: Our Gangs Came From Somewhere Else Myth 4: The Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) and 18th Street (M-18) Gangs Are Spreading Across the United States Myth 5: Gangs, Drugs, and Violence Are Inexorably Linked Myth 6: A “Wanna-Be” Is a “Gonna-Be Myth 7: Children Are Joining Gangs at Younger and Younger Ages Myth 8: Gang Members Spend Most of Their Time Planning or Committing Crimes Myth 9: Gangs Often Have Highly Unusual Initiation Rites Myth 10: Most Youths Are Pressured to Join Gangs Myth 11: Adults Recruit Many Adolescents to Join Gangs Myth 12: Once Kids Join a Gang, They’re Pretty Much Lost for Good Myth 13: The Gang’s Here for Good Myth 14: Gang Members Are a New Wave of Super Predators Myth 15: Gangs Were Actively Involved in the Crack Cocaine Epidemic Myth 16: Zero Tolerance of Gang Behaviors Will Eliminate Gangs From Schools Myth 17: Sole Reliance on Law Enforcement Will Wipe Out Gangs Myth 18: Nothing Works With Gangs Chapter 3: Defining Gangs and Gang Members Introduction Defining Gangs Typologies of Gang Members and Gang Structures A Spectrum of Gangs and Other Groups Gang Subculture Key Elements of a Gang Definition A Recommended Gang Definition for Practical Purposes Defining Gang Members National Data on Gang Members National Data on the Number of Gangs and Associated Members Age of Gang Members Race and Ethnicity of Gang Members Gender Chapter 4: General Macro-Level Theories and Modern-Day Applications Introduction The Chicago School and Development of the Social Disorganization Perspective Thrasher’s Contributions to Social Disorganization Theory Application of Social Disorganization Theory to Gangs Modern-Day Application of Social Disorganization Theory to Gangs Other Pioneering Gang Theorizing An Explanation of Gang Origins, Expansion, and Violence Macro-level Theories Underclass Theory Routine Activities (Opportunity) Theory Conflict Theory Chapter 5: Gang Involvement as a Developmental Trajectory Introduction Developmental Theories Developmental Delinquency Pathways Location of Gang Membership in Developmental Pathways A Developmental Model of Gang Involvement Perceived Benefits of Joining a Gang: Gang Attractions Relationship of Risk Factors to Gang Involvement A Delinquency and Gang Theory A Review of Risk and Protective Factors for Gang Involvement The Preschool Stage The School Entry Stage The Later Childhood Stage The Early Adolescence Stage Protective Factors Apex of Gang Member Criminal Activity Long-term Impact of Gangs on Participant Desistance from Gang Membership Chapter 6: Girls and Gangs Introduction Females in Early Gang Studies Modern-Day Studies of Female Gang Members Level of Female Gang Involvement and Seriousness of Crimes The Question of Increasing Female Gang Involvement The Importance of Gang Gender Composition Female Associates of Gang Members: Risks and Re-victimization Risk Factors for Girls’ Gang Joining Girls’ Unique Treatment Needs and Implications for Prevention and Treatment Recommended Female-Specific Services Recommended Gender-Neutral Services Chapter 7: National Gang Problem Trends: 1996 to 2009 Introduction An Overview of Nationwide Gang Activity in the Modern Era Gang Growth From the 1960s to the 1990s Explanations of Gang Growth in the 1980s and 1990s Nationally Reported Youth Gang Activity From the Mid-1990s Patterns in U.S. Localities’ Histories of Gang Activity Patterns of Gang Emergence Presence of Gang Activity, 1996 – 2009 Patterns of Gang Presence in Larger Cities Political & Criminal Justice Context Economic Context Demographic Context Cultural Context Modal Cities Chronic Gang City: Modesto, California Emerging Gang City: Warwick, Rhode Island Contracting Gang City: Newport Beach, California Variable Gang City: Asheville, North Carolina Regional Variations in Gang Presence Explaining the Emergence, Persistence, and Decline of Gang Activity Factors affecting the Emergence of Gangs in New Cities Factors affecting the Persistence of Gang Activity in Cities Factors affecting the Decline of Gang Activity in Cities Chapter 8: Urban Gangs and Violence Introduction The Intensity of Gangs in Cities Patterns and Trends in the Number of Active Gangs in Cities Patterns and Trends in the Number of Gang Members in Cities Serious Gang Problem Trends Gang-Related Homicides and Serious Gang Activity Regional Variation in Gang-Related Homicide Trends A Snapshot of Gang Homicide in the Largest Cities Case Studies of Gang Problems in Large Cities Contextual Characteristics That Contribute to Serious Gang Problems City Characteristics Availability of Crime Facilitators Drug-Related Factors Features of Gangs That Contribute to Serious Gang Problems Number of Gangs Number of Gang Members Gang Structure & Conflicts Prison Gangs Transnational Gangs as a Version of Street Gangs Violent Hot Spots and Gang Set Space Group Process Code of the Street Chapter 9: What Works: Gang Prevention Introduction Gang Intervention: Risk-Focused, Data-Driven, and Research-Based Gang Prevention Community Assessments Starter Gangs Bullying A Framework for Prevention and Early Intervention Strategies for Delinquency and Gang Intervention and Prevention Building a Continuum of Effective Delinquency Prevention and Early Intervention Programs Child Exposure to Violence and Community Safety Chapter 10: What Works In A Comprehensive Gang Program Approach Introduction The Comprehensive, Communitywide Gang Program Model Comprehensive Gang Program Model Administrative Structure Implementing the Comprehensive Gang Program Model Evidence-Based Gang Programs Evidence-Based Gang Prevention Programs Evidence-Based Gang Intervention Programs Gang Suppression The Evidence-Based Comprehensive Gang Program Model The Six-Site Comprehensive Gang Program Model Evaluation Compatibility of the Comprehensive Gang Program Model and Operation Ceasefire On the Horizon

About the Author :
Dr. James C. (Buddy) Howell is a Senior Research Associate with the National Gang Center, in Tallahassee, Florida, where he has worked for over twenty years. He formerly worked at the U.S. Department of Justice for 23 years, mostly as director of research and program development in the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. He has published over 50 works on youth and street gangs, and a similar number on juvenile justice and delinquency prevention, and seven books on both topics. His gang publication topics include street gang history; gang homicides; drug trafficking; gangs in schools; hybrid gangs; myths about gangs; risk factors; gang problem trends; gang history in the United States; and what works in preventing gang activity, combating gangs, and reducing gang crime. He is very active in helping states and localities reform their juvenile justice systems and use evidence-based programs, and in working with these entities to address youth gang problems in a balanced approach.   Dr. Elizabeth Griffiths is an Associate Professor in the School of Criminal Justice at Rutgers University-Newark. After completing her Ph.D. in Sociology at the University of Toronto, she joined the faculty of the Department of Sociology at Emory University before moving to Rutgers in 2011. She is also a former predoctoral fellow of the National Consortium on Violence Research and a former Junior Fellow of the Centre of Criminology at the University of Toronto. Her research spans multiple substantive and methodological areas, including communities and crime, spatial diffusion of violence, temporal trends in homicide, the emergence of gangs in places, the transformation of public housing, youth crime and the code of the street, the efficacy of drug-free zones, and victimization risk, among others.