Gangs and Gang Delinquency Introduction Gangs

This paper will summarize the major theoretical concepts related to male gang delinquency with an emphasis on analyzing how theory and research on family treatment of delinquent youths can apply to the gang phenomenon. This is somewhat problematic since the research and theoretical writing on gangs is intertwined with the writing in the more general area of juvenile delinquency. As will be seen, theories of juvenile delinquency causation and gang delinquency are closely related, yet juvenile delinquents and gang delinquents are qualitatively different (Maxson, Gordon, & Klein, 1985).

Psychological and Sociological Theories

The study of crime and delinquency has generated a rich body of theory, offering many competing, and at times conflicting, perspectives (Elliot, Ageton, & Carter, 1979). Psychology, as a discipline, has been contributing to the field of juvenile delinquency throughout much of the century, and the early period produced "individual" theories of delinquency. According to Binder and Binder (1983), "Goddard in 1921, Burt in 1925, Merrill in 1947, Hat

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(Blomberg & Caraballo, 1979, p. 500). Hirschi (1987) cautioned that, while it is easy to construct an apparent causal interpretation of relationships between delinquency and specific family variables, it is very difficult to construct such an interpretation with predictive capacity (p. 501). Another confounding problem in defining family variables that cause delinquency is that the influences of the family variables have not yet been adequately separated from other possible intervening variables, such as poverty, social class, lack of education and social skills, and peer group pressure (Blomberg & Caraballo, 1979; Hirschi, 1987). According to Blomberg & Caraballo (1979), "collectively, the family variables explain very little of the variance in delinquency. Further, although studies have shown relationships between delinquent behavior and family related factors, such statistical correlations should not be interpreted as causal relationships" (p. 501). Perhaps researchers need to be more inclusive when examining causes of delinquency. A child's delinquency is a result of an incredibly complicated combination of causative factors, of which family impact is only one. But, in terms of treatment and prevention, research must
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Cloward Ohlin, Research Theorists, Blomberg Caraballo, Gusmar Wolff, Weathers Liberman, Criminal Justice, Piper Moore, According Janeksela, Patterson Dishion, Short Strodtbeck, juvenile delinquency, et al, delinquent behavior, gang delinquency, strain theory, gang delinquents, juvenile delinquents, spergel 1986, et al 1979, elliot et, al 1979, elliot et al, cloward ohlin 1960, short strodtbeck 1967, family parenting variables,
Approximate Word count = 5604
Approximate Pages = 22 (250 words per page)

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