Adolescent Gangs

The issue of youth violence is of growing concern in America's communities. In many settings, the violence perpetrated and experienced by young people is the result of the behavior of gangs. They are not a new creation in our society but have been around for most of this century, if not before. Adolescent Gangs: Old Issues, New Approaches offers a collection of chapters dealing with how to deal with gangs effectively. The book moves beyond the usual position of describing gangs and gang members as social misfits. Rather, the book operates from the basic belief that gang members are normal people, who often participate in abnormal behavior, in search of a place for themselves in the communities in which they live. This book examines new and creative ways of thinking about gangs and how to respond to them.