Group and intergroup parameters of gang activities: An introduction and research agenda.

In introducing this Special Issue on gangs, we overview the thrust of its papers, demonstrating how they assist in plugging research gaps from the dearth of psychological attention to gangs. The papers therein raise important theoretical considerations of group process effects, social identity, and communication influences in gangs. Also included are empirical examinations of how attitudes to formal organized crime groups may nurture progang views, how social networks bridge gang divides, the dehumanization and social dominance association with gang membership, and how membership longevity associates with gang members’ attitudes to their group. We conclude with theoretical prospects and empirical vistas for future work. For instance, vitality theory may help explain members’ immersion in gangs, discursive strategies could explain how youth are enticed into gangs, and examinations of community and law enforcement attitudes to gangs may provide insight into how oppositional attitudes are fostered on both sides of the gang divide

Social Network Intelligence Analysis to Combat Street Gang Violence

In this paper we introduce the Organization, Relationship, and Contact Analyzer (ORCA) that is designed to aide intelligence analysis for law enforcement operations against violent street gangs. ORCA is designed to address several police analytical needs concerning street gangs using new techniques in social network analysis. Specifically, it can determine "degree of membership" for individuals who do not admit to membership in a street gang, quickly identify sets of influential individuals (under the tipping model), and identify criminal ecosystems by decomposing gangs into sub-groups. We describe this software and the design decisions considered in building an intelligence analysis tool created specifically for countering violent street gangs as well as provide results based on conducting analysis on real-world police data provided by a major American metropolitan police department who is partnering with us and currently deploying this system for real-world use

It's About Time: Prevention and Intervention Services for Gang-Affiliated Girls

Although a substantial number of girls are involved with gangs, gang prevention and intervention services are not designed with girls in mind. As Kevin Grant, a service provider working with girls in gangs, notes, "A lot of the [gang prevention and intervention] programs that are available do not fully support the needs of girls in gangs." Girls in gangs require services that respond to their unique experiences and needs. This NCCD Focus highlights the vulnerabilities and consequences of gang involvement for girls, the service needs of girls in gangs and girls at risk of joining gangs, as well as the importance of addressing these service needs as a critical gang violence-prevention strategy. It also provides examples of how various programs are currently addressing the gender-specific needs of girls involved in gangs

Making danger a calling: anthropology, violence and the dilemmas of participant observation

This paper contains reflections on the experience of fieldwork carried out in Nicaragua into urban gangs in Managua. It examines the dilemmas encountered by an anthropologist employing participant observation, in which he became accepted as a member of a gang. In the process, it provides an original insight into the inner workings of such urban gangs

Gang Wars: The Failure of Enforcement Tactics

This report attempts to clarify some of the persistent misconceptions about gangs and to assess the successes and failures of approaches that have been employed to respond to gangs. We undertook an extensive review of the research literature on gangs because we believe that the costs of uninformed policy making -- including thousands of lives lost to violence or imprisonment -- are simply too high

Evaluating Federal Gang Bills

The Gang Abatement and Prevention Act of 2007 and the Gang Prevention, Intervention, and Suppression Act. expand the current penal code regarding criminal street gangs, resulting in an over-reaching defi nition of both gangs and gang-related crimes. Additionally, they create an entirely new section of penalties pertaining to gang crimes, increasing the enhanced sentences that are already in place. The bills' provisions call for suppression-heavy strategies, increasing punishments for gang crimes, and expanding the types of crimes that can be categorized as such. Years of research and evaluation have shown that these types of suppression strategies are not the solution to the gang problem. Yet, these bills propose more than $1 billion in duplicative suppression, prosecution, and incarceration of "gangs" and "gang members," leaving little money for community-based prevention and intervention programs that have been proven to work

Unemployment and Gang Crime: Could Prosperity Backfire?

Empirical evidence reveals that unemployment tends to increase property crime but that it has no effect on violent crime. To explain these facts, we examine a model of criminal gangs and suggest that there is a substitution effect between property crime and violent crime at work. In the model, non-monetary valuation of gang membership is private knowledge. Thus the leaders face a trade-off between less crime per member in large gangs and more crime per member in small gangs. Unemployment increases the relative attractiveness of large and less violent gangs engaging more in property crime.violence, crime, gangs, unemployment, identity

Youth Gangs: An Overview of Key Findings and Directions for the Future

Youth gangs have received considerable attention for many decades. Undoubtedly, their disproportionate involvement in violence is one main reason for this attention. While gang members spend most of their lives engaging in the same types of behaviors as other youth (sleeping, eating, playing video games, going to school), they are also much more likely than non-gang members to be involved in violence and other criminal activity. Indeed, scholars have often highlighted the functional nature of violence as it pertains to gangs. Gangs come in a variety of forms: prison gangs, outlaw motorcycle gangs, extremist groups, and drug trafficking organizations, among others. The current essay summarizes what is known about youth gangs. This is done for two primary reasons. First, gangs differ across types. Second, more research has been conducted on youth gangs than any other gang type. So, in order to keep the topic both manageable and empirically sound, what we know about youth gangs is highlighted here

Perancangan Media Komunikasi Visual Gangs Barbershop Di Bali

Perancangan Media Komunikasi Visual Gangs Barbershop di Bali ini dibuat agar Gangs Barbershop mendapatkan loyalitas dan kepercayaan konsumen. Pada perancangan kali ini digunakan gaya desain American New Wave atau American Postmodern karena sesuai dengan gaya kustom kulture dari Gangs Barbershop ini. Metode yang digunakan adalah metode analisis kualitatif SWOT. Metode ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui kelebihan dan kekurangan dari Gangs Barbershop serta kesempatan atau hambatan yang berasal dari luar/pesaing