TY - CHAP
T1 - Gangs
AU - Curry, Glen D.
N1 - Funding Information: The final contemporary gang response program of note is school based. Gang Resistance Educational Assistance and Training (GREAT) was modeled after the Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE) program. Under GREAT, uniformed police officers provide in-class training to fourth- and seventh-grade students. GREAT is funded by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF) of the US Treasury Department. Initial evaluation results of GREAT suggested that the program was successful in reducing gang participation by middle-school children in the short term. However, a longitudinal evaluation revealed the positive effects of the GREAT program to diminish with time. ATF redesigned the GREAT program curriculum, and the revised GREAT program is undergoing a stringent evaluation.
PY - 2008
Y1 - 2008
N2 - Reason for two definitions. The operational definition of what constitutes a gang is one of the major debates in research on gangs. Both sides in the debate agree that gangs are groups and are recognized as such by their members and those outside the group. The controversy is over whether the definition of gangs should include participation in delinquent or criminal behavior as part of the definition. Among senior gang researchers, James F. Short and Joan Moore are among those favoring the exclusion of delinquency criteria from the definition of a gang. They argue that discussions of the relationship between gangs and delinquency become tautological when the definition of gang requires such a relationship. On the other hand, a larger number of researchers, including Walter Miller, Malcolm Klein, and Irving Spergel, argue that the exclusion of delinquent or antisocial behavior from the definition of gang diffuses any study of the phenomenon beyond practicality. Since this definitional issue is far from resolved, one of each kind of definition is offered.
AB - Reason for two definitions. The operational definition of what constitutes a gang is one of the major debates in research on gangs. Both sides in the debate agree that gangs are groups and are recognized as such by their members and those outside the group. The controversy is over whether the definition of gangs should include participation in delinquent or criminal behavior as part of the definition. Among senior gang researchers, James F. Short and Joan Moore are among those favoring the exclusion of delinquency criteria from the definition of a gang. They argue that discussions of the relationship between gangs and delinquency become tautological when the definition of gang requires such a relationship. On the other hand, a larger number of researchers, including Walter Miller, Malcolm Klein, and Irving Spergel, argue that the exclusion of delinquent or antisocial behavior from the definition of gang diffuses any study of the phenomenon beyond practicality. Since this definitional issue is far from resolved, one of each kind of definition is offered.
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U2 - 10.1016/B978-012373985-8.00070-2
DO - 10.1016/B978-012373985-8.00070-2
M3 - Chapter
SN - 9780123739858
SP - 852
EP - 859
BT - Encyclopedia of Violence, Peace, and Conflict
PB - Elsevier Inc.
ER -