What Do We Know About Gangs and Gang Members and Where Do We Go From Here?

Abstract

This review provides an opportunity to assess the current state of gang research and suggest directions for its future. There has been a dramatic increase in research on gangs, gang members, and gang behavior since the early 1990s, making this review especially timely. We use Short’s three-level framework of explanation to organize the findings of prior research, focusing on individual-, micro-, and macro-level research. Attention is focused on the findings of such research, but we also examine theoretical and methodological developments as well. Drawing from Short and life-course research, we introduce a cross-level temporal framework to guide future directions in gang research.

Keywords:

• gangs
• gang members
• risk factors
• group process
• structural correlates

Notes

1. This article is not a study of the impact of gang response programs. Readers interested in that topic can consult the excellent reviews in Klein and Maxson (2006) or Wong, Gravel, Bouchard, Morselli, and Descormiers (2012).

2. It is important to note that Anderson (1999) avoided using the term “gang” in his book.

3. Questions surrounding the utility of police gang data have been raised, but emerging evidence is finding official sources of gang homicide data to demonstrate sufficient reliability and validity (Decker & Pyrooz, 2010a).