Gangs in America’s Communities
Second Edition
SAGE Journal Articles
Click on the following links. Please note these will open in a new window.
- Peterson, R. D. & Howell, J.C. (2013). Program approaches for girls in gangs: Female specific or gender neutral? Criminal Justice Review, 38, 491-509.
- Abstract: Although research over the past 20 years has specified with considerable certainty the extent and seriousness of female involvement in gangs, few gang prevention and intervention programs have been designed with girls in mind. As such, the extant research on this topic makes clear the need for both female-specific and gender-neutral programming to effectively address the needs of gang girls. This article considers various aspects of female gang involvement, keeping in mind the implications for gang prevention and control initiatives. These include the prevalence of female gang members, gender-linked risk and protective factors for gang joining, psychosocial experiences of gang involved girls, the level and seriousness of female gang crime involvement, and the importance of gender composition in gangs. The article then reviews prevention and intervention strategies that appear most promising for girls in gangs within the framework of female-specific and gender- neutral approaches. The article concludes with policy implications and recommendations for future research in this area.
- Abstract: Although research over the past 20 years has specified with considerable certainty the extent and seriousness of female involvement in gangs, few gang prevention and intervention programs have been designed with girls in mind. As such, the extant research on this topic makes clear the need for both female-specific and gender-neutral programming to effectively address the needs of gang girls. This article considers various aspects of female gang involvement, keeping in mind the implications for gang prevention and control initiatives. These include the prevalence of female gang members, gender-linked risk and protective factors for gang joining, psychosocial experiences of gang involved girls, the level and seriousness of female gang crime involvement, and the importance of gender composition in gangs. The article then reviews prevention and intervention strategies that appear most promising for girls in gangs within the framework of female-specific and gender- neutral approaches. The article concludes with policy implications and recommendations for future research in this area.
- Mullins, C. W. & Miller, J. (2008). Temporal, situational, and interactional features of women’s violent conflicts. Australian & New Zealand Journal of Criminology, 41, 36-62.
- Abstract: This article examines contextual and situational influences on the processural development of women’s violent conflicts. Through close analysis of 3 women’s accounts of their disputes and associated violent behaviours, we provide a rich description of how such events evolved over time and how the interviewees managed this process. Drawing upon both criminological and feminist theories, our analysis highlights existing gaps in the literature, providing an exploratory discussion of the interaction of gender with situational elements and the production of assaultive events.
- Abstract: This article examines contextual and situational influences on the processural development of women’s violent conflicts. Through close analysis of 3 women’s accounts of their disputes and associated violent behaviours, we provide a rich description of how such events evolved over time and how the interviewees managed this process. Drawing upon both criminological and feminist theories, our analysis highlights existing gaps in the literature, providing an exploratory discussion of the interaction of gender with situational elements and the production of assaultive events.
- Bell, K.E. (2009). Gender and gangs: A Quantitative Comparison. Crime & Delinquency, 55, 363-387.
- Abstract: Research and theory about female gang involvement remain scarce. Drawing on the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health, this study addresses whether males and females differ in risk factors associated with gang membership (e.g., community characteristics, parent-child relationships, associations with deviant friends). Integrating theory and research from social disorganization, social control, and feminist perspectives on crime/ delinquency, few differences are found between boys and girls in terms of risk factors associated with gang membership and outcomes associated with gang involvement. Instead, the results indicate that parental social control, attachment, and involvement; school safety; peer fighting; age; and race similarly influence boys’ and girls’ gang involvement.