In every society, young people form loose or organized groups or networks around myriads of intertwining and competing interests and practices: It is a normal form of sociality based on generation. Members and outsiders, however, often see and label these formations in different, sometimes contradictory ways. And political institutions may define and public imaginaries understand
From a historical standpoint, prison gangs first emerged in the 1950s in Washington State. Their purpose was to provide social support among inmates and to provide protection from persecution and abuse by more predatory inmates or groups of inmates. After emergence in Washington, additional and separate prison gangs formed in other states such as California
Not all gangs are created equal. Although there is no strictly agreed upon definition of what a street gang is, there are certain common characteristics that street gangs possess. There is a group element where the gang serves as a surrogate family for many of the members. There is no such thing as a one-person
Street gangs are rapidly evolving, becoming regional, national, and even international in terms of criminal operations. This globalization of gang-related criminal activity has been facilitated by improved technology, advancements in telecommunications, and increased mobility due to a vast and ever growing network of interstate highways and transatlantic airline flights. As a result, what once were
American gangs first emerged in the late 18th century when large groups of immigrants migrated to the United States. Upon arriving in America, immigrants felt isolated and alone due to language and cultural barriers. To overcome these barriers, immigrants banned together along racial, ethnic, religious, and cultural backgrounds. These groups provided cultural support, enhanced communications
Biker gangs, also known as outlaw motorcycle gangs, are close-knit factions of motorcyclists connected by collective attributes such as deviant subcultural values and norms; a core, hierarchical leadership structure; regulations for joining and successfully maintaining full membership status; an established moniker and other shared trademarks that denote membership (e.g., vests, patches, colors, and mottos); a
In 1995, the National Youth Gang Center conducted its first assessment of the national gang problem. The numbers produced by that assessment were larger than those of any prior one-year survey, finding a total of 23,388 youth gangs. A total of 664,906 gang members were reported by 1,499 agencies. Gangs in the new millennium have
Gangs and the response to gangs by other segments of society are two sides of the same coin. Frederic Thrasher (1927, 26, 46), who studied 1,313 gangs in Chicago in the early 1900s, wrote that gangs are “formed spontaneously” but become “integrated through conflict.” For Thrasher, a pre-gang group does not “become a gang .
During the past two decades, research and criminal justice practitioner communities have turned increasing attention toward youth gangs. This attention is exhibited by the increases in funding for gang research, the creation of research institutes focused on gang activity, the development of specialized gang units in the law enforcement agencies, and the enactment of legislation
In the 1970s, only 19 states in the United States reported gangs and gang violence to be issues faced by criminal justice personnel. By 1995, however, all states as well as the District of Columbia reported gangs and gang violence to be problems. Roughly 4,000 cities, towns, villages, and counties now report ongoing problems with