Gang Membership and Juvenile Misconduct

Abstract

T HERE has long been a fascination about those young people, mostly in their teens, who form groups which challenge society. Popular interest is evidenced by the avid consumption of highly dramatized articles on gang life and gang warfare. Scientifically, there is a puzzle to be solved: How can we account for those young people who prove able to make a seemingly fine social adjustment in groups of their peers but nevertheless get in trouble with the larger social organizations? There have been quite a few attempts to work out theoretical structures of the dynamics involved, but very few good research studies have appeared. A number of workers tackle the problem first by assuming that membership in groups is a sign that something is wrong in the lives of the boys or girls concerned. There is no agreement as to who or what should be blamed. Whyte' points out that home plays a very small part in the daily routine of a full-fledged gang member. In a study of Mexican-American gangs in Los Angeles, Bogardus2 attributed gang formation to a sense of differences due to language difficulties, academic problems in school, contrasts in child-control methods, race discrimination, and low economic status. Himber3 is inclined to blame broken homes and weak religious ties, as well as social conditions. Going somewhat more deeply into personal factors found in gang leaders, Van Waters4 sees rejection in school, church and social clubs as putting youngsters in the position where the gang is their only road to