Chapter 8 Flashcards
Cliques
Small groups of friends who share activities and confidences
Crowds
Loosely organized groups of children who share interest and activities
Controversial status youth
Aggressive kids who are either highly liked or intensely disliked by peers
Co-offending
Delinquent acts committed in small groups
Anti social youth will more likely join with other like minded youth (birds of a feather flock together)
Troubled youth choose delinquent peers out of necessity rather than desire
Gang
Groups of youth who collectively engage in delinquent behavior
Interstitial group
- Falls within the cracks and crevices of society
- Maintains standard group processes
- Involves long-lived institutions that have a distinct structure and organization
- Includes identifiable leadership, division of labor, rules, rituals and possessions
Youth gangs
2 factors that stand out:
- Members have self recognition of gang status and use special vocabulary, clothing, signs, graffiti, and names
- Committment to criminal activity, but most time is spent in non criminal behavior
Contemporary Gangs
Location:
Typically in large urban areas experiencing rapid population change, ethnic and racial groups in competition
Migration:
Gangs organize new chapters when they migrate
Most still home grown
Most gang members move for social reasons
Immigration has led to extremely violent gangs like MS-13
Types of gangs
Social- members more interested in social activities
Party- forgoes most delinquent behavior, drug dealing to finance members personal use
Serious delinquent gang- involves serious delinquent behavior, while avoiding drug dealing and usage
Organized gangs- heavily involved in criminality, on the verge of becoming a criminal organization
Age
Age of gang members varies widely
Youth first hear about gangs around age 9
Youth get involved in violence around 10 or 11, join first gang around 12
Age of gang members has been increasing due to economy
Inability of inner city males to obtain adequate jobs means they cannot afford to raise families
Graffitti
Inscriptions or drawings made on a wall, used for gang messages and turf definition
Representing
Flashing and tossing gang signs in the presence of rivals
Ethnic and racial compostion
Latino/Hispanic, AA predominate
First black gang- Boozies
Today- Crips and Bloods
Hispanic/Latino gangs
Popularity is very high
Initiation involves proving machismo
Territory marked with graffiti
Asian gangs
Tend to victimize members of their own ethnic group
Far less territorial, less openly visible
Elders have strict control over younger members
Anglo gangs
Common in smaller towns
Derivatives of punk and skinhead movement
Many are alienated middle class youth
Skinhead
Member of Euro American supremacist gang, identified by shaved head and Nazi or KKK markings
Gangs and Violence
Gang members typically commit more violence, more likely to carry weapons
Violence is a core fact of gang formation and life, used to maintain internal discipline
Violence used for revenge, honor, courage, prestige
