ABSTRACT
Many in the field of criminal justice have acknowledged the rarity of studies in which females, either individually or collectively, have been the subject. Historically, the role of females in crime, especially in regard to gangs, has relegated them to nothing more than bystanders or “the other” sex. However, recent trends include more research focused on females without such pejorative and inaccurate portrayals (Campbell, 1991; Chesney-Lind and Pasko, 2003; Curry, 1998; Deschenes and Esbensen, 1999a, 1999b; Esbensen and Deschenes, 1998; Fleisher, 1998; Joe and Chesney-Lind, 1995; Miller, 1998; Miller and Decker,
2001; Moore, 1991; Petersen, 2000a, 2000b). This chapter addresses this concern by examining gang affiliation among Mexican American adolescent females.
