Other Reliable Gang Research
International Gangs
Graffiti in London.
International Explorations edited by Kayleen and Cameron Hazlehurst
A collection of articles on gangs around the world. Informative and suggestive.
1998. New Brunswick. Transaction Press
Born Fi' Dead: A Journey Through the Jamaican Posse Underworld by Laurie Gunst
A journalistic account of the origins and activities of Jamaican posses in the United States.
1995. New York. Henry Holt and Company
The Brotherhoods: Street Gangs and State Control in Cape Town by Don Pinnock
A great book on gangs prior to the New South Africa. It cries out for a sequel.
1984 Cape Town: David Philip.
Gangs,Rituals and Rites of Passage. by Don Pinnock
So here is the sequel, thanks to a message from Don Pinnock to the website. I haven't read it yet, but i will soon.
1997 Cape Town: African Sun Press.
Don also sent an article, which I'm happy to reproduce here.
Gangs in the United States: General Studies
The American Street Gang: Its Nature, Prevalence, and Control by Malcolm W. Klein
The best general treatment of late industrial era "underclass" gangs. Spurious distinction between "drug gangs" and "real street gangs.'
1995. New York: Oxford University Press.
The Youth Gang Problem: A Community Approach. by Irving A. Spergel
A good volume, especially on programmatic approaches. Still based on old theoretical paradigms and neglects female gangs. Still, a good reference book.
1995 New York: Oxford University Press.
Islands in the Street: Gangs and American Urban Society. by Martin Sanchez-Jankowski
Claims to have done research in three cities for ten years. Most credible gang researchers have fundamental questions about this research ( see Mercer L. Sullivan in his review of this book in the 1994 Ó American Journal of Sociology 99:1640-1642.)
1991. Berkeley: University of California.
Gangs, edited by Scott Cummings, Scott, and Daniel J. Monte, eds. .
Not much here, but Joan Moore has a very important article reprinted that looks at the reasons for variation in homcide rates.
1993. Albany, NY: State University of New York Press
Delinquent Gangs: A Psychological Perspective. by Arnold P. Goldstein
Interesting, and uses a different literature than most gang studies.
1991 Champaign, Illinois: Research Press.
Adolescent Subcultures and Delinquency by Herman and Julia Schwendiger
An insightful look at male peer groups.
1985 New York: Praeger.
Gangsters: Fifty Years of Madness, Drugs, and Death on the Streets of America. by Lewis Yablonsky
An apt follow up to Yablosky's fifites classic, the violent gang. This new book is constent, seeing hyper-violent kids as typical gang members.
1997 New York: New York University Press.
Classic Studies
Delinquency and Opportunity by Richard Cloward and Lloyd Ohlin.
This book, written in the late industrial era, argues that the nature of the illicit opportunity structure influence the activities and structure of gangs. This work forms the theoretical basis for understanding gangs in the information era.
1960. Glencoe, Ill: Free Press.
The Gang: A study of 1313 gangs by Frederick Thrasher.
This is the classic study of gangs by the father of gang research in 1920s Chicago
1927/1963 Chicago. Univesity of Chicago Press
Group Process and Gang Delinquency by James Short & Fred Strodtbeck
This is a careful test of several influential theories based on extensive interviews with gang members
1965. Chicago. University of Chicago press
Street Corner Society by William Foote Whyte
Whyte's classic ethnography finds networks and organization, where others found disorganization. Whyte's careful documentation of street corner and illicit networks is must reading for gang researchers today.
1943 Chicago: University of Chicago.
We note with sadness the passing of William Foote Whyte
June 27, 1914 - July 16, 2000.
Edited Volumes
Gangs in America, vol 1, edited by Ron Huff
An essential volume, with one major contribution on female gangs by Anne Campbell.
1990 Newbury Park: Sage.
Gangs in America,vol 2, edited by Ron Huff,
Fagan's insightful theoretical review of the changes in gang is often overlooked in this solid volume.
1996 Thousand Oaks Sage.
Female Gangs in America: Essays on Girls, Gangs, and Gender. Edited by Meda Chesney-Lind and John M. Hagedorn.
The first edited volume on female gangs. Should be around for a long time.
1999. Chicago. Lakeview Press.
The Modern Gang Reader, edited by Malcolm W. Klein, Cheryl L. Maxson, and Jody Miller.
Complementary to the Huff volumes.
1995. Los Angeles: Roxbury Publishing Company.
This is the Illinois Electric Chair, the "Iron Lady," at Stateville Correctional Institution. Currently, executions are suspended pending review by the Governor.
Stateville by James Jacobs
This is the single best study of gangs in prison. and their relationship to the community. In need of updating.
1977. Chicago: University of Chicago.
Gender, Ethnicity, and The State; Latina and Latino Prison Politics by Juanita Diaz-Cotto
A history of prison reforms in male and female New York prisons. Unique perspective on women's struggles in prison.
1996 Albany: SUNY Press.
I'm still looking for a few good sites. Help me out.
This has official Justice Department data and perspectives on gangs. It is most valuable in understanding how the Justice Department views the gang problem
There is strong feelings about gang violence from its victims.
Street Gangs and Drug Sales in two Suburban cites by Cheryl Maxson.
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