Jump to Body Text

Youth Violence—Gangs—articles

articles • bibliographies • courses • events • funding opportunities • jobs • multimedia • organizations • research centers • service providers • training

Dreams, Gangs and Guns: The Interplay Between Adolescent Violence and Immigration in a New York City Neighborhood (pdf)

added 06/04/2003
Pedro Mateu-Gelabert

This study examined the effect immigration had on a sample of adolescents and their immigrant parents, as well as on the adolescents' adaptation to the organization of conflict in the neighborhood where their parents lived.

Early Precursors of Gang Membership: A Study of Seattle Youth

added 04/22/2002
Karl G. Hill, Ph.D., Christina Lui, and J. David Hawkins, Ph.D.

5-page Bulletin. Posted by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP). The Seattle Social Development Study is a longitudinal study of youth living in high-crime neighborhoods. Its findings offer an opportunity to enhance understanding of the predictors of gang participation.

Electronic Media and Youth Violence: A CDC Issue Brief for Educators and Caregivers (pdf)

added 11/18/2008
Marci Feldman Hertz, M.S., Corinne David-Ferdon, Ph.D., Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, and the Adolescent Goals Team

"The brief summarizes what is known about young people and electronic aggression, provides strategies for addressing the issue with young people, and discusses the implications for school staff, education policy makers, and parents and caregivers. "

Evaluating G.R.E.A.T : A School-Based Gang Prevention Program (pdf)

added 07/21/2006
USDOJ

Typical programs are directed at active gang members, and most target youths who are at risk for joining gangs. The G.R.E.A.T. program, in contrast, is presented to entire classrooms without attempting to predict which students are most likely to become involved with a gang. G.R.E.A.T. is aimed at middle school students and seeks to (1) reduce their involvement in gangs and delinquent behavior, (2) teach them consequences of gang involvement, and (3) help them develop positive relations with law enforcement. These three objectives are addressed through a nine hour curriculum taught in schools by uniformed law enforcement officers. Students are taught to set positive goals, resist negative pressures, resolve conflicts, and understand how gangs impact the quality of their lives. This report summarizes results of a five year study of the G.R.E.A.T. program. The study revealed that G.R.E.A.T. has modest positive effects on adolescents' attitudes and delinquency risk factors but no effects on their involvement in gangs and actual delinquent behaviors.

Female Gangs: A Focus on Research

added 07/23/2001
Joan Moore and John Hagedorn.

12-page Bulletin posted by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP). This Bulletin represents a step toward rectifying the deficiencies of prior research. It summarizes past and present research and tracks the rise in the number of female gangs and the increased public recognition of female gang involvement as a significant social problem. 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. Recommendations for future research are also offered.

Highlights of the 1999 National Youth Gang Survey

added 01/17/2001
Arlen Egley, Jr.

2-page Fact Sheet posted by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP). The 1999 National Youth Gang Survey is the fifth annual survey conducted by NYGC. The 1999 survey used the same sample as the surveys done from 1996 through 1998 to facilitate comparative and trend analysis.

Law Enforcement Referral of At-Risk Youth: The SHIELD Program

added 01/17/2001
Phelan Wyrick, a Program Manager in OJJDP's Research and Program Development Division

8-page Bulletin posted by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP). This Bulletin describes how the SHIELD program mobilizes these assets to identify youth at risk of involvement in violent behavior, substance abuse, and gang activity and to address their needs through a multidisciplinary team approach involving representatives from the community, schools, and service agencies.

National Youth Gang Survey Trends From 1996 to 2000 (pdf)

added 04/22/2002
Arlen Egley, Jr.

2-page Fact Sheet. Posted by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP). This Fact Sheet highlights findings from the five National Youth Gang Surveys conducted annually since 1996 by the National Youth Gang Center (NYGC), which is funded by OJJDP. The survey polls a nationally representative sample of more than 3,000 law enforcement agencies.

Preventing Adolescent Gang Involvement

added 01/04/2001
Finn-Aage Esbensen

12-page Bulletin is posted by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP). This Bulletin examines the youth gang problem in the larger context of juvenile violence. While there are no simple solutions to ending the youth gang problem, the Bulletin provides the reader with information to better understand its complexity, while dispelling common gang stereotypes. The Bulletin offers a solid foundation on which to build a comprehensive strategy to prevent youth gang involvement.

Resilient Girls—Factors That Protect Against Delinquency (pdf)

added 09/06/2009
Stephanie R. Hawkins, Phillip W. Graham, Jason Williams, and Margaret A. Zahn

The Girls Study Group Series examines issues such as patterns of offending among adolescents and how they differ for girls and boys; risk and protective factors associated with delinquency, including gender differences; and the causes and correlates of girls’ delinquency.

The Economic Dimensions of Interpersonal Violence (pdf)

added 07/21/2009
Hugh Waters, et al., Department of Injuries and Violence Prevention, World Health Organization

This document examines the economic effects of interpersonal violence, including sexual violence, as well as the economic effects of interventions seeking to reduce violence and the ways in which economic factors such as poverty and income inequality contribute to violence.

The Growth of Youth Gang Problems in the United States: 1970-1998

added 07/23/2001
 

Report posted by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP). Comprehensive study of the growth of youth gang problems in the United States from 1970 to 1998. The Report's trend and rate analyses are used to project prospects for future gang locality trends. Forecasting a leveling off or even reduction in the prevalence of youth gang problems, the author advises that comprehensive quality gang surveys should continue to be conducted to monitor progress.

Youth Gangs in Schools

added 12/18/2000
James Howell, Ph.D., an Adjunct Researcher at OJJDP's National

August 2000, 8-page Bulletin posted by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP). This Bulletin 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. The impact of gang presence in schools on victimization is also reviewed.

Youth Violence Documents

added 12/17/1996

Provides texts of numerous articles related to gangs, youth violence, school violence and drug trafficking.