ABSTRACT
Youth violence and serious delinquency increased dramatically in the 1980s. Over the same period, youth gangs increased in number and membership (Table 1). Previously found only in large inner cities, youth gangs appeared in smaller cities and suburban communities. Some researchers (Sickmund, Snyder, and Poe-Yamagata, 1996) consider the rise in youth gangs a contributing factor to the increase in youth violence. Gang members are more likely than other delinquents to have and use guns (Maxson, Gordon, and Klein, 1985; Hutson et al., 1995). Increase in Gangs and Gang Members in The United States
|
Study |
Year |
Gangs |
Members |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Miller (1975) |
1975 |
2,700 |
81,500 |
|
Miller (1982) |
1982 |
2,285 |
97,940 |
|
Spergel and Curry (1988) |
1988 |
1,439 |
120,636 |
|
Curry et al. (1996) |
1993 |
4,881 |
249,324 |
|
OJJDP (1997) |
1995 |
25,000 |
665,000 |
|
OJJDP (1999) |
1997 |
30,533 |
815,896 |
|
OJJDP (2000) |
1998 |
28,700 |
780,200 |
Adapted from: Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.
This research was funded by the Moody Foundation of Galveston and the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. The authors gratefully acknowledge the assistance of Roberta Lee, R.N., Dr.P.H., and Freddy Paniagua, Ph.D.
