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Race, Ethnicity, and Youth Gangs

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Encyclopedia of Criminology and Criminal Justice

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Overview

It is difficult to talk about gang membership without including a discussion of race/ethnicity. The two seem invariably linked in our society, both in terms of research and our common perceptions of gang members (Esbensen and Tusinski 2007). Early gang research focused on White ethnic groups, whereas more recently, racial/ethnic minorities such as African Americans, Hispanics, and increasingly Asians and American Indians represent the groups of interest (e.g., Chin 1996; Hagedorn 1988; Major et al. 2004; Moore 1991; Vigil 2002). While the connection between race/ethnicity and gang membership remains in the spotlight in our society, the fact remains that a paucity of information regarding differences between racial/ethnic groups exists, making policy recommendations somewhat complicated.

This entry will explore the similarities and differences in gang membership between various racial/ethnic groups. As we come to understand the race/ethnicity/gang membership relationship more...

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Criminal Justice, University of Wyoming, A & S Building, Room 223, 1000E. University, Department 3197, Laramie, WY, 82071, USA

    Adrienne Freng

Authors
  1. Adrienne Freng
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Correspondence to Adrienne Freng .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Netherlands Institute for the Study of Crime and Law Enforcement (NSCR), Amsterdam, The Netherlands

    Gerben Bruinsma

  2. VU University Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

    Gerben Bruinsma

  3. Department of Criminology, Law and Society, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA, USA

    David Weisburd

  4. Faculty of Law, The Hebrew University, Mt. Scopus, Jerusalem, Israel

    David Weisburd

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Freng, A. (2014). Race, Ethnicity, and Youth Gangs. In: Bruinsma, G., Weisburd, D. (eds) Encyclopedia of Criminology and Criminal Justice. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-5690-2_124

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-5690-2_124

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4614-5689-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4614-5690-2

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