Islands in the Street: Gangs and American Urban Society

Berkeley Los Angeles London: University of California Press, 1991. Seventh Printing . Trade Paperback. Fine. 6" x 9. 182 Pages Indexed. Brand new condition. No marks, stamps, or labels. Interior text pages are near flawless. The overall goal of this book was to understand the gang phenomenon in the United States. In order to accomplish this goal, it was necessary to understand what was similar in the way all gangs behaved and what was idiosyncratic to certain gangs. In addition, it was also necessary to understand why certain gangs grew, others declined but lingered on, and others declined and died. What follows is an explanation of the research design, the method of data gathering, the method of data analysis and presentation, and some ethical issues related to the research. Past research on gangs had for the most part focused on gangs in one section of a city, gangs in one city, or gangs of one ethnic group. In order to understand the nature of the gang as an organization and the gang phenomenon in general, it was necessary to undertake a comparative study. This was the only way to understand what gangs have in common with each other and what is idiosyncratic to particular gangs. Contents in Nine Chapters: A Theory of Gang Behavior and Persistence, Gang Involvement, In the Organization Gang Business Making Ends Meet, The Anatomy of Gang violence, The Gang and the Community, Gangs and Governments, Gangs Criminal Justice and Public Order, and The Media and Gangs Image construction and Myth Management.