Gangs in America′s Communities

"[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.  

Table of Contents:
Preface Acknowledgments About the authors Chapter 1: History of Gangs in the United States Street Gang Emergence in the Northeast Street Gang Emergence in the Midwest Street Gang Emergence in the West Region Street Gang Emergence in the South Another Wave of Immigrant Groups The Institutionalization of Street Gangs Chapter 2: Myths and Realities of Youth Gangs Consideration of Key Myths About Gangs Chapter 3: Defining Gangs and Gang Members Defining Gangs Typologies of Gang Members and Gang Structures Gang Subculture Gang Graffiti A European Gang Definition A Recommended Gang Definition for Practical Purposes Defining Gang Members Demographic Characteristics of U.S. Gangs and Gang Members Chapter 4: General Macro-Level Theories and Modern-Day Applications The Chicago School and Development of the Social Disorganization Perspective Application of Social Disorganization Theory to Gangs A General Explanation of Gang Origins, Expansion, and Violence Other Macro-Level Theories Chapter 5: Micro-Level Theories: Developmental Life-Course Pathways and Other Micro-Level Explanations for Gang Involvement Location of Gang Membership in Developmental Pathways Developmental Theories An Illustration of the Life-Course Model of Gang Involvement A Broad Developmental Gang Theory The Gang Joining Process “The Digital Street”: Gangs on Social Media Apex of Gang Member Criminal Activity Long-Term Impact of Gang Membership on Participants Desistance From Gang Membership Other Micro-Level Gang Theories Chapter 6: Girls and Gangs 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 ReVictimization Girls’ Unique Treatment Needs and Implications for Prevention and Treatment Chapter 7: National Gang Problem Trends: 1996 to 2012 An Overview of Nationwide Gang Activity in the Modern Era Nationally Reported Youth Gang Activity From the Mid-1990s Patterns in U.S. Localities’ Histories of Gang Activity Patterns of Gang Presence in Larger Cities Modal Cities Regional Variations in Gang Presence Explaining the Emergence, Persistence, and Decline of Gang Activity Chapter 8: Urban Gangs and Violence The Intensity of Gangs in Cities Serious Gang Problem Trends A National Perspective of Gang Structures Key Structural Features of Violent Gangs Nationwide A Social Network Approach to Gang Cohesion Gunshot Injury Risk Associated with Social Networks Case Studies of Gang Problems in Large Cities Contextual Characteristics That Contribute to Serious Gang Problems Chapter 9: What Works: Prevention Risk-Focused, Data-Driven, and Research-Based Gang Prevention A Framework for Prevention and Early Intervention Building a Continuum of Effective Delinquency Prevention and Early-Intervention Programs Chapter 10: What Works: Intervention and Suppression Evidence-Based Gang Programs Promising Gang Programs The Utility of Gang Intelligence Databases The Comprehensive, Community-Wide Gang Program Model The Evidence-Based Comprehensive Gang Program Model Project Safe Neighborhoods Glossary References Index

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.  

Review :
"[Gangs in America′s Communities] is one of the most comprehensive treatments of gangs in the marketplace. It begins with the historical perspective and concludes with some excellent suggestions that can be complimented in the classroom. The text from the beginning page to the last is interrelated and interconnected and will be an excellent required or recommended text for your Gangs or gang related courses. I highly recommend its adoption as you will not be disappointed and, most importantly, neither will your students." "[Gangs in America′s Communities] provides a good overview of street gangs in the United States. Its coverage is extensive on this topic in terms of the history of gangs in the United States, theoretical explanations for gang formation and gang involvement among individual youth. The coverage of gang prevention, intervention, and suppression programming is also thorough…" "A very good overview of gangs and helps to begin the discussion about definitions and theory for students."