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GANGS, DRUGS, AND DELINQUENCY IN A SURVEY OF URBAN YOUTH *
Author(s) -
ESBENSEN FINNAAGE,
HUIZINGA DAVID
Publication year - 1993
Publication title -
criminology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.467
H-Index - 139
eISSN - 1745-9125
pISSN - 0011-1384
DOI - 10.1111/j.1745-9125.1993.tb01142.x
Subject(s) - juvenile delinquency , criminology , psychology , sample (material) , human factors and ergonomics , poison control , medical emergency , medicine , chemistry , chromatography
Youth delinquent gangs have been given considerable academic and media attention during the past decade. Much of the attention has focused on the violence and drug dealing in which gang members are assumed to be involved. Recent knowledge about gangs has relied primarily on data obtained from police gang units and from observational or case studies. Very little information has been derived from surveys or interviews with a more general sample of youths. In this paper, data from the Denver Youth Survey, a longitudinal study of families, are used to examine: (1) the prevalence and demographic composition of gangs: (2) the degree to which gang members are involved in illegal activities: and (3) the temporal relationship between criminal offending and gang membership.