Conducta Delincuencial y Pandillas, OJJDP

7/30/2019 Conducta Delincuencial y Pandillas, OJJDP

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U.S. Department of Justice

Office of Justice Programs

Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention

Shay Bilchik, Administrator

are excerpted from The Program ofResearch on the Causes and Correlates ofDelinquency Annual Report 19951996.

Program of Researchon the Causes and

Correlates of DelinquencyOJJDP has been funding the Causes

and Correlates program for 10 years.The three research teams, competitivelyselected in 1986, collaborated extensivelyin designing the studies, identifying keytheoretical concepts, and developingcommon core measures for theseconcepts. Content areas addressed in thecore measures include official and self-reports of delinquent behavior; self-reports of drug use; characteristicsof the community and neighborhood;demographic characteristics of the

family; parental attitudes and child-rearing practices; youth attitudes,school performance, and perceivedconsequences of delinquency; and peerdelinquency and conventional activities.These collaborative efforts represent amilestone in criminological researchbecause to date they constitute thelargest shared-measurement approachachieved in delinquency research. Thisresearch will enable the three teams and

Gang Membersand Delinquent

Behavior

From the Administrator

Until now, no one knew what propor-

tion of all delinquent and criminal

offenses are committed by gang

members. The findings of the Roch-

ester Youth Development Study

provide us with information related

to that question, which has significant

implications for how we allocate

juvenile justice resources and re-

spond to the growing gang problem.

According to the Rochester study,

whose findings are summarized here,

gang members account for a dispro-

portionate share of delinquent acts,

particularly the more serious of-

fenses. These results clearly demon-

strate the importance of not only

preventing youth from gang involve-

ment, but of intervening with youth

who are already gang-involved and

committing a disproportionate share

of delinquent and criminal acts.

This Bulletin also describes OJJDPs

balanced approach to the problem ofgangs, which includes prevention,

intervention, and suppression. The

Rochester findings reinforce the need

for such a comprehensive, coordi-

nated response if we are to reduce

the amount of delinquency and crime

perpetrated by juvenile gang mem-

bers. This research also reminds us

that a solid base of empirical knowl-

edge is crucial in our efforts to

effectively counter the influence of

gangs on our young people.

Shay BilchikAdministrator

This Bulletin is part of the Office ofJuvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention(OJJDP) Youth Development Series, which

presents findings from the Program of Re-search on the Causes and Correlates of

Delinquency. Teams at the University atAlbany, State University of New York; the

University of Colorado; and the Universityof Pittsburgh collaborated extensively indesigning the studies. At study sites in

Rochester, New York; Denver, Colorado;and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the threeresearch teams have interviewed 4,000

participants at regular intervals for nearlya decade, recording their lives in detail.

Findings to date indicate that preventingdelinquency requires accurate identificationof the risk factors that increase the likeli-hood of delinquent behavior and the pro-tective factors that enhance positiveadolescent development.

The purpose of this Bulletin is topresent the findings from the RochesterYouth Development Study (RYDS) con-cerning what portion of delinquency inAmerican society can be attributed to gangmembers. It also discusses the responseof OJJDP to the youth gang problem.

RYDS is part of OJJDPs Program ofResearch on the Causes and Correlates ofDelinquency (Causes and Correlatesprogram). The findings presented here

Terence P. Thornberry and James H. Burch II

June 1997


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The Rochester YouthDevelopment Study

The RYDS started with a sample of1,000 boys and girls in the seventh andeighth grades of the Rochester publicschools. To maximize the number of

serious, violent, and chronic offendersavailable for the study, the sampleincludes more youth from high-crimeareas and fewer from low-crime areas.The entire range of seventh- and eighth-grade students, however, is represented,and the data reported here are weightedto represent the total population. Datawere collected at 6-month intervals frominterviews with students and parents andfrom a variety of Rochester agenciesincluding the schools, police, courts, andsocial services.

For the study of gang members shareof delinquent and criminal1 behavior, theresearchers first divided the respondentsinto two groups: gang members (youthwho reported being a gang member atsome point prior to the end of highschool) and nonmembers (youth whoreported no involvement in gangs prior tothis time).2 Based on interviews over a4-year period with study participants whoreported delinquent acts, the researchersestimated the total number of delinquentacts by participants during this period,which covered their high school years.They then calculated the percentagesreported by gang members and non-

members. Percentages were calculatedfor a general delinquency index contain-ing 24 items covering status offenses,property crimes, and violent offenses. Inaddition, percentages were obtained forsubindexes referring to particular typesof offenses.

Results

The results are displayed in the graphon page 3. The prevalence of gangmembership in RYDS is 30 percent; thatis, approximately one-third of the sub-jects reported being a member of a street

gang at some point prior to the end ofhigh school. In contrast, two-thirds ofthe subjects (70 percent) reported neverhaving joined a street gang. If gang mem-bers do not contribute disproportionatelyto the amount of delinquency in society,they would be responsible for aboutone-third of the delinquent acts. In otherwords, gang members share of alldelinquencies should be proportionateto their share in the population.

the juvenile justice field to aggregate dataacross projects and replicate findingsacross sites. In addition to research forthe common measures, each project alsocollects unique measurements that add tothe findings from each site.

The research teams have interviewed

4,000 participants in the 3 cities at regularintervals during the past 9 years, record-ing their lives in detail. More is knownabout the delinquency, substance use,and mental health problems in this groupof individuals than about any other studypopulation in the United States. Bysupporting the collection and analysesof these data, the program has effectivelycreated the largest data set currentlyavailable on young individuals growing upin inner cities from age six through theearly twenties. The data from the threestudies make it possible to examine manycrucial questions pertaining to the originsof serious delinquency, substance use,and mental health problems. This Bulletinfocuses on one of those questions: Howmuch of the delinquency in America canbe attributed to gang members?

Prior Research onGang Members andDelinquency

Research has demonstrated thatadolescents who join street gangs aremore involved in delinquent acts than areadolescents who do not join such gangs.This is especially true for serious andviolent delinquency. Moreover, theassociation between gang membershipand delinquency has been observed fromthe earliest to the most contemporarygang research, including that of theCauses and Correlates program.

Despite this uniform finding, surpris-ingly few estimates exist of the propor-tion of all delinquent acts for which gangmembers are responsible; that is, al-though it is known that gang membershave a higher rate of offending thannonmembers, the proportion of the totalamount of crime that can be attributed tothem is unknown. This is an importantissue because, if gang members areresponsible for a large proportion of alloffenses, efforts to reduce the overallamount of crime in society will not besuccessful unless those efforts includeeffective gang prevention, intervention,and suppression programs.

The data in the bar graph indicate thagang members delinquencies are notproportionate to their representation inthe larger population. A look at the firstsection on general delinquency reveals thaduring the 4 years covered in this report,65 percent of the delinquent acts were

reported by gang members. Thus, gangmembers account for twice as many acts odelinquency as one would expect giventheir share in the population. In contrast,nonmembers represent 70 percent of thesubjects but account for only 35 percent othese delinquent acts.

In the second section of the bar graphthe indexes are grouped according to theseriousness of the delinquent acts. Thedisproportionate contribution of gangmembers to delinquency is greater for thmore serious crimes. While making uponly one-third of the study group, gangmembers account for 86 percent of all thserious delinquent acts reported in theinterviews. They also account for 67percent of the acts on the moderatedelinquency index and 59 percent of theacts on the minor delinquency index.

The third section presents data bytype of offenseviolent, property, publicdisorder (for example, being loud, rowdyor drunk in public), and drug sales. Gangmembers are responsible for 69 percentof all the self-reported violent acts, 68percent of the property crimes, 60 perceof the public disorder crimes, and 70percent of the drug sales. (This does notnecessarily contradict other recentresearch that suggests a lower level oforganized drug sales activity by gangs budoes seem to confirm that individual ganmembers, as opposed to the gang as aunit, are involved in drug sales and usagto a large degree.)

Finally, the fourth section of the bargraph presents information on substancuse. Gang members reported 63 percentof the instances of alcohol use that werereported during this 4-year period. Theyalso account for 61 percent of the in-stances of other drug use.

1 Because at the later stages of the study some sub-

jects were no longer juveniles as defined by the State

of New York, all references to delinquency should be

read as possibly including acts for which subjects

could only be charged as criminal offenders.

2 Gang membership is self-reported. In questioning th

subjects, researchers did not define what constituted

gang. The question asked was, Are you a member of

street gang or a posse?


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OJJDPs Responseto Gangs

Over the past several years, OJJDP hasplaced special emphasis on gang preven-tion and intervention. Several factors areresponsible for this focus:

x The reported growth in the number ofgangs.

x New funding targeted for gang preven-tion and intervention under Title II,Part D of the Juvenile Justice and De-linquency Prevention Act of 1974, asamended (Public Law 93-415).

x Interest and concern from the field.

x Findings of studies, such as the Causesand Correlates program and the GangSuppression and Intervention programof OJJDP, which demonstrate the im-pact that youth gangs can have on

communities and that gang member-ship has on Americas youth, includinga higher prevalence of delinquency,substance abuse, and other problembehaviors.

In 1994, OJJDP implemented a compre-hensive response to gangs, consisting offive major initiatives:

x Establishment of a National YouthGang Center charged with five majortasks:

y Statistical data collection andanalysis, including an annualnational youth gang survey.

y Analysis of gang legislation, whichis being carried out in cooperationwith the National Conference ofState Legislatures.

y Gang literature review, which hasproduced several products to date,including a master bibliography onyouth gangs.

y Identification of promising gangprogram strategies, several of whichwere featured at OJJDPs 1996National Youth Gang Symposium.

y Technical support in the coordina-

tion of gang program development,information exchange, and servicedelivery among Federal, State, andlocal agencies through the develop-ment of a gang consortium.

x A demonstration initiative, the Com-prehensive Community-Wide Approachto Gang Prevention, Intervention, andSuppression Program, implemented infive jurisdictions (Mesa, Arizona;Tucson, Arizona; Riverside, California;

implementors. Training and technicalassistance plans are being developedfor each site, and responses are beingcoordinated through OJJDPs Trainingand Technical Assistance Center.Specific training and technical assis-tance services are being provided by

various OJJDP grantees and contrac-tors, on an as-needed basis, in suchareas as information sharing, commu-nity mobilization, and the gangproblem assessment process.

x Targeted acquisition and dissemina-tion of gang materials. In an effort toprovide relevant and cutting edgeinformation to program implementorsOJJDPs Juvenile Justice Clearinghousacquires and disseminates youth gangrelated information. As proven withthe Gang Violence Reduction Project,the integration of research withprogram implementation is a keyingredient for success. Examples ofinformation disseminated to dateinclude youth gang literature reviewsarticles on specific gang issues, suchas gang graffiti; analysis of policesuppression tactics; and other materials that are useful to program imple-mentors who must be continuouslyaware of the evolving gang problemlocally and nationally.

The Boys & Girls Clubs of Americas(BGCA) Gang Prevention ThroughTargeted Outreach program is anotherkey OJJDP gang initiative. Through areferral network that links local clubswith courts, police departments, schoolssocial service agencies, and otheragencies and organizations, youth at riskof gang involvement are recruited intoclub programs in a nonstigmatizing way.The clubs also recruit youth throughdirect outreach efforts. Once in a Boys &Girls Club, youth participate in structurerecreational and educational activitiesfocusing on personal development toenhance communication, problemsolving, and decisionmaking skills. Casemanagement is an integral part of the

program. For example, every month, stadocument progress on specific goals,including participation in club activitiesschool performance, and significantachievements or problems (such asinvolvement in the juvenile justicesystem). The most important aspect ofthis program is that it gives juveniles analternative to gang life.

Since the beginning of the TargetedOutreach effort, many encouragingfindings have been reported. In the early

Bloomington, Illinois; and San Antonio,Texas), which is building, in part, onthe work of the Chicago Gang ViolenceReduction Project described above.This multiyear effort to implement and

test the comprehensive model devel-oped by Dr. Spergel at the University ofChicago began in fiscal year (FY) 1995.Initially, the sites undertook theprocess of community mobilization,identifying or assessing the natureand extent of the gang problem andplanning for program development andimplementation in a problem-solvingframework. Shortly thereafter (and insome limited cases, simultaneously),they began implementing appropriateinterrelated strategies to target gangviolence and its causes, while continu-ing to reassess the changing nature

and extent of their gang problems.Strategies consist of a combinationof community mobilization, socialintervention and outreach, provision ofsocial and economic opportunities foryouth, suppression or social control,and organizational change and devel-opment to accommodate thesestrategies and help address the needsof gang-involved and high-risk youth.

x An independent evaluation of theOJJDP demonstration initiative. The4-year evaluation project, which beganin FY 1996, is assisting the five pro-

gram sites to document programimplementation and measure theimpact of a variety of gang programstrategies. The evaluation is alsoproviding regular feedback to programimplementors. The grantee is theUniversity of Chicago, School of SocialServices Administration.

x Training and technical assistance. Tocomplement the demonstration effort,training and technical assistance arebeing made available to program


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1990s, a process evaluation reported thatonce enrolled in BGCA, 90 percent of theyouth attended once a week or more, with26 percent attending daily. It was alsofound that a large percentage of theseyouth received recognition for in-club andoutside civic activities and as many as 48

percent of the youth showed improvementin the academic arena. Specifically, morethan 33 percent of the youth showed im-proved grades, and as many as 33 percenthad better attendance (Feyerherm et al.,1992). Since this initial evaluation, BGCAhas increased the number of TargetedOutreach sites to 157 and is continuing todocument the success of the program.

One of Boys & Girls Clubs of AmericasTargeted Outreach intervention sites inFort Worth, Texas, has become a majorcomponent of a communitywide ap-proach to address gangs and gangviolence. The City of Fort Worths CominUp Program, which involves the GangTask Force of the Citizens Crime Commis-sion, is designed to fill gaps in interven-tion services for gang-involved youth. TheBoys & Girls Clubs of Greater Fort Worthcurrently administers the Comin UpProgram and acts as a bridge betweengang-involved youth and communityservices, opportunities, and governmentagencies. The project is supportedthrough public and private sectorinvolvement and funding, which includesmore than $90,000 in in-kind contribu-tions from the national BGCA. During a

4-month period ending in February 1996,more than 16,500 members and visitorsparticipated in the Comin Up Program,representing an average of 4,140 youngpeople receiving services each month(Comin Up Gang Intervention Program

Project Report, 1996; Coming Up GangIntervention Program Background Informa-tion, n.d.). To learn more about the effec-tiveness of this program approach, OJJDPwill fund an outcome evaluation of BGCAsTargeted Outreach program in FY 1997.

OJJDPs comprehensive, coordinatedresponse to gangs is an example of pro-

gramming that is built on a solid baseof empirical knowledge. In comparisonwith other types of studies, longitudinalstudies, such as the Causes and Corre-lates program, offer many opportunitiesto more clearly recognize and discrimi-nate among key factors that lead todelinquent behavior. Additionally,longitudinal studies can play a significantrole in shaping program efforts, suchas OJJDPs multifaceted response toAmericas gang problem. Social scientists

and policymakers generally agree thatlongitudinal studies are the best way togain information on the causes of delin-quency and on delinquent behavior itself,thus enabling decisionmakers to act ona sound foundation of knowledge aboutwhat doesand does notwork to

reduce serious, violent, and chronicjuvenile offending. OJJDP will continue touse this knowledge in supporting Stateand local efforts to reduce the negativeimpact of gangs while, at the same time,continuing to gather new information andresearch results for use in future endeavors.

ReferencesBurch, J.H., II, and B.M. Chemers.A

Comprehensive Response to AmericasYouth Gang Problem. Fact Sheet. Washing-ton, DC: Office of Juvenile Justice andDelinquency Prevention, Office of Justice

Programs, U.S. Department of Justice, 1997.Comin Up Gang Intervention Program.

Project Report. Fort Worth, TX: Boys &Girls Clubs of Greater Fort Worth, 1996.

Comin Up Gang Intervention ProgramBackground Information. Press Release.City of Fort Worth, TX, n.d.

Feyerherm, W., C. Pope, and R. Lovell.Youth Gang Prevention and Early Interven-tion Programs. Final Research Report.Executive Summary. Portland, OR:Portland State University, 1992.

Howell, J.C. Gangs. Fact Sheet. Wash-

ington, DC: Office of Juvenile Justice andDelinquency Prevention, Office of JusticePrograms, U.S. Department of Justice, 1994.

Howell, J.C. (ed.) Guide for Implement-ing the Comprehensive Strategy for Serious,Violent, and Chronic Juvenile Offenders.Washington, DC: Office of Juvenile Justiceand Delinquency Prevention, U.S. Depart-ment of Justice, 1995.

Klein, M.W. The American Street Gang:Its Nature, Prevalence, and Control. NewYork: Oxford University Press, 1995.

Loeber, R., D. Huizinga, and T.P.

Thornberry, eds. 1996. The Program ofResearch on the Causes and Correlates ofDelinquency Annual Report 19951996.Prepared for the Office of Juvenile Justiceand Delinquency Prevention, Office ofJustice Programs, U.S. Department ofJustice, 1996.

Office of Juvenile Justice andDelinquency Prevention. 1995 NationalYouth Gang Survey. Program Summary.Washington, DC: Office of Juvenile Justiceand Delinquency Prevention, Office of

Justice Programs, U.S. Department ofJustice, 1997.

Spergel, I. The Youth Gang Problem: ACommunity Approach. New York: OxfordUniversity Press, 1995.

ResourcesJuvenile Justice ClearinghousePost Office Box 6000Rockville, MD 20849600080063887363015195212 (fax)E-mail: [email protected]://www.ncjrs.org/ojjhome.htm

National Youth Gang CenterInstitute for Intergovernmental ResearchPost Office Box 12729Tallahassee, FL 3231790438506009043865356 (fax)

E-mail: [email protected]://www.iir.com/nygc/nygc.htm

Terence P. Thornberry, Ph.D.Hindelang Criminal Justice Research

CenterSchool of Criminal JusticeUniversity at AlbanyState University of New YorkAlbany, NY 12222

Mr. Frank SanchezDirector of Delinquency PreventionBoys & Girls Clubs of America1230 West Peachtree Street NW.Atlanta, GA 30309

40481557004048155789 (fax)E-mail: [email protected]://www.bgca.org

Terence P. Thornberry, Ph.D., is the princip

investigator of OJJDPs Rochester Youth Deve

opment Study. James H. Burch II is a program

manager in OJJDPs Special Emphasis Divisio

The research results in this Bulletin were

derived from final reports prepared under gr

number 95JNFX0013 from the Office of Juv

nile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, U.S.

Department of Justice.Points of view or opinions expressed in th

document are those of the author(s) and do n

necessarily represent the official position or p

cies of OJJDP or the U.S. Department of Justic

The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delin-

quency Prevention is a component of the Of-

fice of Justice Programs, which also includes

the Bureau of Justice Assistance, the Bureau

of Justice Statistics, the National Institute of

Justice, and the Office for Victims of Crime.


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