Life in the Gang
Family, Friends, and Violence

Extensive interviews with gang members and their relatives provides unique picture of gang life.

Scott H. Decker (Author), Barrik van Winkle (Author)

9780521565660, Cambridge University Press

Paperback, published 28 August 1996

320 pages, 13 b/w illus. 3 tables
22.8 x 15.4 x 2 cm, 0.503 kg

"...the authors make effective use of direct quotes from subjects as well as limited bar charts to present distributions of characteristics of the youth and their beliefs" Choice

This study is based on three years of field work with 99 active gang members and 24 family members. The book describes the attractiveness of gangs, the process of joining, their chaotic and loose organisation, and their members' predominant activities - mostly hanging out, drinking, and using drugs. The authors also discuss gang members' rather slapdash involvement in major property crime and their disorganised participation in drug traffic, as well as the often fatal consequences of their violent life-style. Although the book focuses on the individual, organisational, and institutional aspects of gang membership, it also explores gang members' involvement with other school and neighborhood structures. Extensive interviews with family members provide groundbreaking insights into the gang members' lives. As much as possible, however, the story is told in the gang members' own words.

1. Introduction
2. 'Are you claiming?': methods of study
3. 'I'm down with the Bloods, what's up cuz?': individual issues
4. 'We ain't no worldwide thing or nothing': group membership issues
5. 'Where you hanging?': minor crime and gang members
6. 'I love to bang': serious crime by gang members
7. Gang members and social institutions
8. Gang members and their families
9. Responding to gangs: theory and policy
References.

Subject Areas: Crime & criminology [JKV]