NCJ Number
183650
Date Published
Agencies
NIJ-Sponsored
Annotation
This study examined the criminal behavior of gangs, including
their involvement in drug use and drug-trafficking activities.
Abstract
Topics addressed included the nature and extent of criminal
behavior committed by current youth gangs; the nature and extent
of criminal behavior committed by non-gang, at-risk youth; and
the marginal contribution of gang involvement to criminal
behavior. The study involved three sites in the metropolitan
Denver area. Compared with the aggregate non-gang, at-risk
sample, the aggregate gang sample was older, had a larger
proportion of males, had fewer African-Americans, and had
somewhat more education and work experience. The two samples were
comparable with respect to their family status, with about
one-third of each sample coming from a two-parent family. The
findings show that gangs were significantly more involved in all
forms of criminal behavior than non-gang, at-risk youth. Further,
with the exception of those offenses that have generally low base
rates for adolescents in general (e.g., kidnapping), those that
are more common within youth culture (e.g., shoplifting), and
those that are perceived as "unmanly" (e.g., sexual assault and
rape), gangs were much more involved in criminal behavior,
especially the most serious crimes of violence, drug sales, and
major property crimes. Although the involvement of comparable
non-gang youth in such crimes was more extensive than is
desirable, the reported differences between gang and non-gang
crime ranged from 22.1 percent greater for assaulting other
students to 432 percent greater for drug theft, 472 percent
greater for drive-by shootings, 503 percent greater for burglary
of an occupied dwelling, 560 percent greater for credit card
theft, and 888 percent greater for homicide. Data are also broken
down for each of the three sites. 40 tables, 16 references, and
appended study instruments
Date Created: December 17, 2008