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Gang organization and violence in youth correctional facilities

Daniel Walter Scott (Department of Criminology, Law and Society, University of California-Irvine, Irvine, California, USA)
Cheryl Lee Maxson (Department of Criminology, Law and Society, University of California-Irvine, Irvine, California, USA)

Journal of Criminological Research, Policy and Practice

ISSN: 2056-3841

Article publication date: 13 June 2016

452

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine characteristics of gang organization in youth correctional facilities as reported by youth and staff as well as to analyze the relationship between institutional violence and level of gang organization.

Design/methodology/approach

The data were collected through interviews with staff and youth in correctional facilities. Gang organization level averages are compared across youth and official perspectives, and the variability of responses among youth is also examined. Negative binomial regression models are conducted to determine the association between perceived level of gang organization and officially recorded violent behavior, both prior to and subsequent to the interview.

Findings

Perceptions of institutional gang organization vary notably depending on who is reporting. In contrast with prior studies of street gangs, controlling for youth demographics and offense characteristics, the authors find no significant relationship between gang organization and violence.

Research limitations/implications

The sample size is small and the data are cross-sectional. Future studies will need to be conducted in order to confirm these findings, as they contradict prior studies. The analysis of street gang organization may need to be approached differently by scholars.

Originality/value

Research has not been conducted on the organizational structure of gangs in youth correctional facilities or its relationship to institutional violence.

Keywords

Citation

Scott, D.W. and Maxson, C.L. (2016), "Gang organization and violence in youth correctional facilities", Journal of Criminological Research, Policy and Practice, Vol. 2 No. 2, pp. 81-94. https://doi.org/10.1108/JCRPP-03-2015-0004

Publisher

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Emerald Group Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2016, Emerald Group Publishing Limited

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