Social Development Models of Gang Involvement: Recent Contributions

This book―containing contributions from scholars who are well-known for their research on gangs, and selected as experts on the assigned topics―examines youth gangs from a developmental/life-course perspective, exploring a myriad of issues related to gang membership, its causes, its consequences, and various intervention efforts to both prevent gang membership and reduce the problematic impact of gangs.

Beginning with research exploring the intergenerational continuity in gang membership and examining the causal processes leading to gang membership, the structure of the book reflects the developmental sequence of gang membership. The consequences of gang membership for youth are examined, as are intervention strategies. The book also presents the first conceptual framework on female gang involvement, taking into account the differences in the paths and roles that women and girls may take into the gang. The book concludes by exploring how gang membership affects job possibilities for young adults.

This book was originally published as a special issue of the Journal of Crime and Justice.

Marvin D. Krohn is a Professor in the Department of Sociology and Criminology & Law at the University of Florida, Gainsville, USA. He is primarily interested in developmental and life-course approaches to the explanation of delinquency, drug use, and crime. He is a Fellow of the American Society of Criminology.

James C. Howell is a Senior Research Associate with the National Gang Center, Tallahassee, USA. He is author of The History of Street Gangs in the United States (2015), and a textbook, Gangs in America’s Communities (2019). His numerous other works on youth gangs include a developmental theory of gang involvement.