Building on the foundation of previous editions, this anthology provides an updated, highly accessible introduction to the most salient contemporary issues in the study of gangs. This book emphasizes defining and understanding gangs, their prevalence, structures, and behaviors, and society's responses to them. With entries drawn primarily from professional books and journals written by today's leading gang scholars,
The Modern Gang Reader assembles some of the most influential and insightful contemporary research available.
Topics explored in the new edition include: defining gangs; joining and leaving gangs; the variability of gang structure and behavior; gang proliferation and migration; the extent of the current gang problem; race and gender issues; the relationship between gangs, violence, and drugs; and various programmatic and policy responses to gangs, including prevention, intervention, and suppression efforts.
Thought-provoking introductions to each article guide the student by identifying and explaining central issues, key concepts, and relationships among topics. This provides internal cohesiveness and structure to the selections.
Consensus is not a hallmark of gang literature, and The Modern Gang Reader exposes students to the array of dissenting points of view that represent the numerous ongoing controversies over the nature of gangs.
*New to the Third Edition
Section I: Defining and Understanding Gangs
1. Defining and Researching Gangs, Robert J. Bursik Jr. and Harold G. Grasmick
2. The History of Gang Research, Scott H. Decker and Barrik Van Winkle
*3. A Multiple Marginality Framework of Gangs, James Diego Vigil
*4. Antecedents of Gang Membership, Terence P. Thornberry, Marvin D. Krohn, Alan J. Lizotte, Carolyn A. Smith, and Kimberly Tobin
*5. Getting Into Gangs, Jody Miller
*6. Leaving the Gang, Scott H. Decker and Janet L. Lauritsen
Section II: Distribution and Structures of Gangs
*7. Recent Patterns of Gang Problems in the United States: Results From the 1996-2002 National Youth Gang Survey, Arlen Egley Jr., James C. Howell, and Aline K. Major
*8. The Evolution of Street Gangs: An Examination of Form and Variation, Deborah Lamm Weisel
*9. Street Gangs: A Cross-National Perspective, Malcolm W. Klein
10. Gang Members on the Move, Cheryl L. Maxson
11. Inside the Fremont Hustlers, Mark S. Fleisher
12. The Working Gang, Felix Padilla
*13. An Overview of the Challenge of Prison Gangs, Mark S. Fleisher and Scott H. Decker
Section III: Race, Ethnicity, and Gender in Gangs
14. Race and Gender Differences Between Gang and Nongang Youth: Results From a Multi-Site Study, Finn-Aage Esbensen and L. Thomas Winfree Jr.
15. Chinese Gangs and Extortion, Ko-Lin Chin
*16. Patterns of Ethnic Violence in a Frankfurt Street Gang, Hermann Tertilt
*17. Female Gangs: A Focus on Research, Joan Moore and John Hagedorn
*18. The Impact of Sex Composition on Gangs and Gang Member Delinquency, Dana Peterson, Jody Miller, and Finn-Aage Esbensen
Section IV: Gangs, Violence, and Drugs
19. Membership in Youth Gangs and Involvement in Serious and Violent Offending, Terence P. Thornberry
*20. Gang Involvement and Delinquency in a Middle School Population, G. David Curry, Scott H. Decker, and Arlen Egley Jr.
*21. Situations of Violence in the Lives of Girl Gang Members, Geoffrey Hunt and Karen Joe-Laidler
22. Defining Gang Homicide: An Updated Look at Member and Motive Approaches, Cheryl L. Maxson and Malcolm W. Klein
*23. Gang Homicide in LA, 1981-2001, George Tita and Allan Abrahamse
24. Street Gang Crime in Chicago, Carolyn Rebecca Block and Richard Block
*25. "Getting High and Getting By": Dimensions of Drug Selling Behaviors Among American Mexican Gang Members in South Texas, Avelardo Valdez and Stephen J. Sifaneck
Section V: Programs and Policies
26. Public Policy Responses to Gangs: Evaluating the Outcomes, Noelle E. Fearn, Scott H. Decker, and G. David Curry
27. G-Dog and the Homeboys, Celeste Fremon
*28. New Approaches to the Strategic Prevention of Gang and Group-Involved Violence, Anthony A. Braga, David M. Kennedy, and George E. Tita
*29. A Study of Police Gang Units in Six Cities, Vincent J. Webb and Charles M. Katz
*30. Gang Problems and Gang Programs in a National Sample of Schools: Summary, Gary D. Gottfredson and Denise C. Gottfredson
31. The National Evaluation of the Gang Resistance Education and Training (G.R.E.A.T.) Program, Finn-Aage Esbensen
*32. Antigang Legislation and Its Potential Impact: The Promises and the Pitfalls, Beth Bjerregaard
*33. For the Sake of the Neighborhood? Civil Gang Injunctions as a Gang Intervention Tool in Southern California, Cheryl L. Maxson, Karen Hennigan, and David C. Sloane