Putting Y outh Crim e and G angsin Perspective:Lessonsfrom the (failed) Am erican and Em erging European Experiences ScottD ecker, Ph.D . Curator’sProfessor Departm entofCrim inology and Crim inalJustice UM -St. Louis 8001 N aturalBridge Road St. Louis, M O 63121-4499 deckers@ msx.umsl.edu
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Evolution of Gangs in America 1890s 1920s 1960s 1980s and beyond Common issues: (1) immigration, (2) economic transitions, (3) focus on minority populations,
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Putting Youth Crime and Gangs inPerspective: Lessons from the (failed)
American and Emerging EuropeanExperiences
Scott Decker, Ph.D.Curator’s Professor
Department of Criminology and Criminal JusticeUM-St. Louis
Self-Reported Gang Status & Juvenile Court Records 1997
% with Status Offense
None Involved Member
% with Delinquency Referral
11% 23% 18% 44%
0
5
10
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30
35
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70%34%
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Gang Status & Self-Reported Involvement in Violence St. Louis STG Study.
% Used Violence
None Involved Member
% Carried Gun
5% 40%
% Shot At
7% 34%
Gang Status
Common Myths About American Gangs
Myths About American GangsStreet Gangs resemble Organized Crime Groups
Gang members specialize in particular offenses
Gang Members Graduate to Organized Crime Groups
Status as a Gang Member is permanent
Gangs Control Drug Retail and Wholesale Drugs Sales
Gangs Are Effective Business Organizations
You can never leave the Gang
Gangs are like a Family
Gangs Protect their Neighborhoods
Gangs don’t exist outside the United States (e.g. inEurope)
The number of girl gang members is too small to worryabout
Crime is the primary activity that gang members dotogether
All gangs are the same
Los Angeles and Chicago gangs are the model for gangsacross the country
Responding to Gangs
Five Strategies for Responding to Gangs
Source: Spergel & Curry 1990, 1993; Spergel 1995
Suppression
CommunityOrganization
OrganizationalChange/Development
OpportunityProvision
SocialIntervention
Five Strategies for Responding to GangsLevels of Application as Primary Strategy
1988 National Youth Gang Survey
0%
10%
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30%
40%
50%
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Five Strategies for Responding to GangsPerceived Effectiveness Ratings
1988 National Youth Gang Survey
0%
10%
20%
30%
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The Eurogang Program
A group of European and American scholars that has met every year since 1997 to work to understand emerging gangs in Europe. The group has faced a remarkably similar set of issues as American gang researchers did in the 1980’s. Key issues include: immigration, diversity, moral panic, the Eurogang “paradox”, and the role of cultural transmission.
Somalian gangs in Oslo.Turkish and Moroccan gangs in Amsterdam and den Hague. Youth gangs in Russia and Kazan.Youth gangs in Italy. Ausiedler (Germans repatriated from the former Soviet Union) in Germany.Hate groups and neo-Nazis in Germany, Norway, and Finland.Jamaican gangs in Britain.British gang boys in Manchester.
The Perils of Misunderstanding Gangs
Why is it important to understand gangs?
What errors does it lead us to make for policy, practice and programming if we misunderstand gangs?
Who suffers from such a misunderstanding?
Police.Youth.Youth Workers.Society.Gang members.Family members.Criminal Justice and Youth Policy.
Useful Websites for Further Information about Gangs
www.nupi.no/ForskFelles/eurogang/gang-set.html
www.ojjdp.ncjrs.org
www.iir.com/nygc - the site of the National Youth Gang Center
http://courses.smsu.edu/mkc096f/gangbook/default.htm - the siteOf a comprehensive online book about gangs by Dr. Mike Carlie atSouthwest Missouri State University
http://streetgangs.com/ - A general website with lots of arcane And interesting information. http://www.lib.msu.edu/harris23/crimjust/gangs.htm - A website
Developed by the Michigan State library about gangs.