The Gang–Victimization Link: Considering the Effects of Ethnicity and Protective Behaviors Among Prison Inmates

Abstract

The present study examines gang membership differences in protective behaviors, moderating effects of ethnicity and victimization on the relation between gang membership and protective behaviors, and moderating effects of ethnicity and protective behaviors on the relation between gang membership and victimization. Using a sample of gang and non-gang prison inmates, results indicate that gang members were more likely to carry a gun and have someone with them for protection when compared to non-gang members. Ethnicity and total victimization history moderated the impact of gang membership on use of protective behaviors.

Acknowledgments

This research was funded by the Crime Victims Institute at Sam Houston State University. The opinions expressed here are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the position of the funding agency or those of the participating correctional facilities. The authors thank the prison administrators and inmates who participated in this research.

The research contained in this document was coordinated in part by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice Project #582-AR09. The contents of this document reflect the views of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.

Notes

df = 3. **p ≤ .01, ***p ≤ .001 (Bold Print denotes significant predictor variable). Asterisks indicate a significant difference between gang and non-gang members.

For overall model: F(11, 194) = 5.67, p < .001, R² = .20. Gang = Gang Membership; Vic = Victimization Index; η² = Partial Eta Squared.

*p ≤ .05, **p ≤ .01, ***p ≤ .001 (Bold Print denotes significant predictor variable).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Katrina A. Rufino

KATRINA A. RUFINO is a postdoctoral fellow at Baylor College of Medicine/The Menninger Clinic. She earned her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from Sam Houston State University. Her research interests include gangs, crime victimization, psychopathy, risk assessment, and suicide. Her work has recently appeared in Assessment, Psychological Assessment, and Law and Human Behavior.

Kathleen A. Fox

KATHLEEN A. FOX is an Assistant Professor in the School of Criminology & Criminal Justice at Arizona State University. She earned her Ph.D. in Criminology, Law and Society from the University of Florida. Her research interests include victimization, gangs, theory, and research methods. Her work has recently appeared in Justice Quarterly, Criminal Justice & Behavior, Crime & Delinquency, Journal of Interpersonal Violence, and Aggression and Violent Behavior.

Robert J. Cramer

ROBERT J. CRAMER is an Assistant Professor of psychology at Sam Houston State University. He earned his Ph.D. in clinical psychology (psychology & law emphasis) from the University of Alabama. Dr. Cramer's areas of research and practice are in trial consulting, hate crime victimization, and suicide risk assessment. His work has recently appeared in Law and Human Behavior, Journal of Interpersonal Violence, Archives of Suicide Research, and Behavioral Science and the Law.

Glen A. Kercher

GLEN A. KERCHER is a Professor of criminal justice at Sam Houston State University and earned his Ph.D. from Baylor University. His research and teaching interests are the areas of child abuse, intimate partner violence, and sexual offending. He has been the director of the Crime Victims' Institute for seven years. He was a Governor's appointee to the Texas Council on Sex Offender Treatment. He is also a licensed psychologist and for 20 years was a psychological services provider for child protective services and an expert witness in criminal and family courts in Texas.