ABSTRACT
Race and ethnicity have been dimensions along which gangs are classified by researchers. This chapter examines the role of race and ethnicity in gangs, on an institutional level and in the lives of individual gang members. Ethnicity is generally more narrowly defined and somewhat more restrictive than race. In light of the history of racial conflicts in US society, one might expect race and ethnicity to be factors that drive the programs of gangs involved in violent and disruptive behaviors. The chapter also examines the economic deprivation hypothesis from the perspective race and ethnicity perspective. There are more subtle situations where the variance of race and ethnicity of victims according to the type of crime committed offers valuable information about how race and ethnicity figure into the life of the gang. Race and ethnicity are powerful social issues in US society.
