CCJ 5934—GANGS, COMMUNITY AND POLICY
Tuesday, 1:55-4:55 pm in Walker 201E
Graduate Seminar
Department of Criminology, Law and Society
Fall 2007
Section 6241
Dr. Jodi Lane
213 Walker Hall, Office Hours: Tuesday 1-2 pm or by appt.
(352) 392-1025 x213
Email: [email protected]
Web page: http://web.clas.ufl.edu/users/jlane/
COURSE DESCRIPTION
This course is designed to give you an introduction to gangs, community experiences
with and reactions to gangs, and policy responses to gangs and gang crime. During the
1990s, gangs were considered a major crime problem, and President Clinton declared a
“war on gangs.” Local and state policymakers also hurried to respond to them as they
“terrorized” communities. Although terrorism took center stage in the early 2000s, gang
problems have once again become a major concern for some pockets of the country.
We‟ll discuss the many facets of gang research and gangs and their crimes.
BOOKS & READINGS
There are three books and multiple readings assigned for this course. A complete list of
readings is attached to the back of this syllabus (but I may add new ones during the
semester). Copies of the readings are available in the bin outside my door for you to
check out and copy. Please return them the same day that you take them, so that other
students have the same opportunity to make copies. (You may also be able to
download some of them directly from the library website.) The books are available for
purchase at all local college bookstores (and on the web, of course). The books are:
Vigil, James Diego. 2002. A Rainbow of Gangs: Street Cultures in the Mega-City.
Austin: University of Texas Press.
Klein, Malcolm W. & Maxson, Cheryl L. 2006. Street Gang Patterns and Policies. New
York: Oxford University Press.
Decker, Scott H. & Van Winkle, Barrik. 1996. Life in the Gang: Family, Friends and
Violence. New York: Cambridge University Press.
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ASSIGNMENTS
Note: All assignments should have page numbers on them, as well as your name!
(1) Conduct at least 10 interviews and transcribe verbatim (45%)
The goal is for each student to conduct at least 10 interviews with people in the
Gainesville community regarding gangs. In class, we will distribute across class
members different groups to interview (e.g., community members, police, court
personnel, probation, social service workers, jail workers). You will be assigned one
group (e.g., police) and will be responsible for arranging and conducting interviews
with people in this group over the course of the semester, using a snowball sampling
method. You will use the interview instrument I have constructed for you and
already had approved through the university IRB. Unfortunately, there is not enough
time in the course for you to develop your own instruments, get them approved
through IRB and conduct the interviews. Hopefully, you will be assigned a particular
group that interests you, so that you and I (and possibly others in the course) can
write and submit a journal article based on the data you collect. My hope is to get
you started toward a journal article in this course and then work with you after the
course ends to write and submit the article for publication. I believe that one of the
critical jobs of a professor is to teach graduate students how to write journal articles.
Publishing is what makes or breaks an academic career. Those who learn how to do
it in graduate school have an advantage over those who do not. I think one of the
best ways for you to learn is to work with a professor on (an) article(s). My hope is
that I can teach you how I approach it, which, of course, is only one way.
YOU SHOULD AIM TO CONDUCT AT LEAST ONE INTERVIEW PER WEEK AND
START EARLY, BECAUSE YOU WILL ALSO NEED TIME TO TRANSCRIBE
THEM.
(2) Introduction and literature review on your particular interview topic/group
(20%) (Maximum 10 pages)
This is the front matter for the article we will submit (or at least a version of it), and
so is a short assignment (rather than a comprehensive one). You are first to write
the introduction to the paper, which will indicate the problem you‟re addressing, why
it‟s important, and how this paper builds on prior research to add something new.
This part is usually 2-3 pages total. The literature review will be targeted also—
addressing the literature on the particular topic/group you plan to address. We will
discuss in class the best approach to this for your particular paper. You can use the
literature assigned in class, but the paper should not be limited to these sources. It
is your job to find the literature that is most relevant to your topic and incorporate all
of it.
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(3) Detailed Outline of paper expected from class research (10%)
This assignment is to get you to think through your plan for writing the article. If you
do it well, it should guide you as you go about the task of writing now (the intro and
lit review) as well as in the future. The outline can be modified as you proceed, of
course, but working from an outline makes the task of writing much easier. I‟ll show
you examples in the class.
(4) 2 presentations/discussions of weekly readings (10%)
Although I expect all of you to read the assigned readings for each week and be able
to discuss them intelligently (this is part of your participation grade), each of you will
take primary responsibility for discussing particular readings twice during the
semester. You should come to the class having read and taken notes on the
reading. I‟d like you to discuss your thoughts about the reading as well have 4-5
discussion questions with which you can lead a discussion for the day.
(5) Weekly attendance and participation (15%)
In graduate courses, attendance and participation are a critical component of the
learning experience. I expect you to come to all classes, come prepared and
participate. I will allow you one absence without penalty for something important
(e.g., medical emergency, conference attendance). I expect you to notify me prior to
missing a class.
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CLASS SCHEDULE
Week
1
No class
2
8/28
Topic
Course Introduction
Introduction to Gangs—Definitions
and Types
Readings





3
9/4
The Gang Problem—Statistics,
Demographics & Gender






4
9/11
Race & Ethnicity




Discussion
Leader
Food
Ball & Curry (1995)
Hagedorn (1994)
Klein (1995a)
Klein & Maxson (2006):
Introduction
Sullivan (2005)
Egley & Ritz (2006)
Coughlin & Venkatesh
(2002)
Miller (2002)
Klein & Maxson (2006):
Chapters 1 & 2 (pp. 19-87)
Fleisher (2006)
Esbensen & Deschenes
(1998)
Vigil (2002)
Chin, Fagan, and Kelly
(1992)
Tsunokai & Kposowa
(2002)
Cureton (2002)
4
Week
5
9/18
Topic
Studying Gangs from a Police
Perspective
Readings


6
9/25
Studying Gangs from a Gang
Perspective
**First Outline Due**
7
10/2
Why People Join Gangs: Community,
Peers, Family, Protection, etc.








8
10/9
What Gangs Do—Hanging Out and
Crime






Discussion
Leader
Food
Klein & Maxson (2006):
Chapter 3 pp. 88-136
Rosenfeld, Bray, & Egley
(1999)
Decker & Van Winkle
(1996)
Huff (1998)
Valdez (2004)
Klein & Maxson (2006):
Chapter 4 (pp. 139-161)
Hill, Lui & Hawkins (2001)
Sanchez-Jankowski (1991)
Decker & Curry (2000)
Joe & Chesney-Lind (1995)
Miller & Decker (2001)
Thornberry et al. (1993)
Klein & Maxson (2006):
Chapter 5 (pp. 162-208)
Vigil (2003)
Harrell (2005)
Decker (1996)
5
Week
Topic
Readings
9
10/16
Gangs and Their Communities: Living 
Together



10
10/23
Fear of Gangs: Their Communities
and Beyond





11
10/30
Policy: Legislative Responses


**Revised Outline Due**

12
11/6
Policy: Police and Prosecutor
Responses






Discussion
Leader
Food
Klein & Maxson (2006):
Chapter 6 (pp. 209-227)
Howell (2006)
Horowitz (1987)
Zatz & Portillos (2000)
Lane (2002)
Lane & Meeker (2003)
Lane & Meeker (2004)
Katz, Webb & Armstrong
(2003)
McCorkle & Miethe (1998)
Florida & California laws
Fearn, Decker, & Curry
(2006)
Feinstein Press Release
Benburg, Krohn, & Rivera
(2006)
Esbensen et al (2001)
Braga & Kennedy (2002)
Maxson, Hennigan, &
Sloane (2003)
Webb & Katz (2003)
Jackson (2004)
6
Week
Topic
Readings
13
11/13
ASC—NO CLASS

Attend a panel on gang
research
14
11/20
Policy: Gang Prevention & Social
Intervention


Hagedorn (1991)
Klein & Maxson (2006):
Chapters 7 & 8 (pp. 231266)
Decker & Curry (2000b)
Spergel & Grossman
(1997)


15
11/27
16
12/4
Setting plans for writing and
submission of journal articles
**Final Paper Due**
**All transcriptions due in final
form (on disk)**
Discussion
Leader
NONE
NONE
NONE
NONE
Food
NONE
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Gangs, Community & Policy Readings
Fall 2007—Dr. Lane
(in assigned order, books in bold)
Ball, Richard A. and G. David Curry. 1995. “The Logic of Definition in Criminology:
Purposes and Methods for Defining „Gangs‟.” Criminology 33/2: 225-245.
Hagedorn, John. M. 1994. “Homeboys, Dope Fiends, Legits and New Jacks.”
Criminology 32/2: 197-219.
Klein, Malcolm W. 1995a. “Basic Issues” pp. 20-49 in The American Street Gang: Its
Nature, Prevalence and Control. New York: Cambridge University Press.
Sullivan, Mercer L. 2005. “Maybe We Shouldn‟t Study „Gangs‟: Does Reification
Obscure Youth Violence?” Journal of Contemporary Criminal Justice 21/2: 170190.
Egley, Arlen, Jr. and Christina E. Ritz. 2006. Highlights of the 2004 National Youth
Gang Survey. Washington D.C.: Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency
Prevention. FS 200601
Klein, Malcolm W. & Cheryl L. Maxson. 2006. Street Gang Patterns and Policies.
New York: Oxford University Press.
Coughlin, Brenda C. and Sudhir Alladi Venkatesh. 2003. “The Urban Street Gang After
1970.” Annual Review of Sociology 29: 41-64.
Miller, Jody. 2002. “The Girls in the Gang: What We‟ve Learned from Two Decades of
Research.” Pp. 175-197 in C. Ronald Huff (ed.). Gangs in America III.
Thousand Oaks: Sage.
Fleisher, Mark S. 2006. “Inside the Fremont Hustlers.” Pp 130-150 in Arlen Egley, Jr.,
Cheryl L. Maxson, Jody Miller, and Malcolm W. Klein (eds), The Modern Gang
Reader. Third Edition. Los Angeles: Roxbury.
Esbensen, Finn-Aage and Elizabeth Piper Deschenes. 1998. “A Multisite Examination
of Youth Gang Membership: Does Gender Matter?” Criminology 36/4: 799-827.
Vigil, James Diego. 2002. A Rainbow of Gangs: Street Cultures in the Mega-City.
Austin: University of Texas Press.
Chin, Ko-Lin, Jeffrey Fagan, and Robert J. Kelly. 1992. “Patterns of Chinese Gang
Extortion.” Justice Quarterly 9: 625-646.
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Tsunokai, Glenn T. and Augustine J. Kposowa. 2002. “Asian Gangs in the United
States: The Current State of the Research Literature.” Crime, Law & Social
Change 37/1: 37-50.
Cureton, Steven R. 2002. “Introducing Hoover: I‟ll Ride for You, Gangsta‟”. Pp. 83-100
in C. Ronald Huff (ed.). Gangs in America III. Thousand Oaks: Sage.
Rosenfeld, Richard, Timothy M. Bray, and Arlen Egley. 1999. “Facilitating Violence: A
Comparison of Gang-Motivated, Gang-Affiliated, and Nongang Youth
Homicides.” Journal of Quantitative Criminology 15/4: 495-516.
Decker, Scott H. & Van Winkle, Barrik. 1996. Life in the Gang: Family, Friends and
Violence. New York: Cambridge University Press.
Huff, Ronald C. 1998. Criminal Behavior of Gang Members and At-Risk Youths.
National Institute of Justice Research Preview. March.
Valdez, Avelardo and Stephen J. Sifaneck. 2004. “Getting High and Getting By:
Dimensions of Drug Selling Behavior Among American Mexican Gang Members
in Southern Texas.” Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency 41/1: 82-105.
Hill, Karl G., Christina Lui, and David G. Hawkins. 2001. Early Precursors of Gang
Membership: A Study of Seattle Youth. Washington D.C.: Office of Juvenile
Justice and Delinquency Prevention. NCJ 190106
Sanchez Jankowski, Martin. 1991. “A Theory of Gang Behavior and Persistence”and
“Gang Involvement,” Pp. 21-62 in Islands in the Street: Gangs and American
Urban Society. Berkeley: University of California Press.
Decker, Scott H. and G. David Curry. 2000. “Addressing Key Features of Gang
Membership: Measuring the Involvement of Young Members.” Journal of
Criminal Justice 28: 473-482.
Joe, Karen A. and Meda Chesney-Lind. 1995. “‟Just Every Mother‟s Angel‟: An Analysis
of Gender and Ethnic Variations in Youth Gang Membership.” Gender & Society
9/4: 408-431,
Miller, Jody and Scott Decker. 2001. “Young Women and Gang Violence: Gender,
Street Offending, and Violent Victimization in Gangs.” Justice Quarterly 18/1:
115-140.
Thornberry, Terence P., Marvin D. Krohn, Alan J. Lizotte, and Deborah ChardWierschem. 1993. The Role of Juvenile Gangs in Facilitating Delinquent
Behavior. Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency 30: 55-87.
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Vigil, James Diego. 2003. “Urban Violence and Street Gangs.” Annual Review of
Anthropology 32: 225-242.
Harrell, Erika. 2005. Violence by Gang Members, 1993-2003. Washington D.C.:
Bureau of Justice Statistics.
Decker, Scott. 1996. “Collective and Normative Features of Gang Violence.” Justice
Quarterly 13/2: 243-264.
Howell, James C. 2006. The Impact of Gangs on Communities. Tallahassee, FL.:
National Youth Gang Center.
Horowitz, Ruth. 1987. “Community Tolerance of Gang Violence.” Social Problems
34/5: 437-450.
Zatz, Marjorie S. and Edwardo L. Portillos. 2000. “Voices from the Barrio: Chicano/a
Gangs, Families, and Communities.” Criminology 38/2: 369-401.
Lane, Jodi. 2002. “Fear of Gang Crime: A Qualitative Examination of the Four
Perspectives.” Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency 39/4: 437-471.
Lane, Jodi and James W. Meeker. 2003. Fear of Gang Crime: A Look at Three
Theoretical Models.” Law & Society Review 37/2: 425-456.
Lane, Jodi and James W. Meeker. 2004. “Social Disorganization Perceptions, Fear of
Gang Crime, and Resulting Behavioral Precautions Among Whites, Latinos, and
Vietnamese.” Journal of Criminal Justice 32: 49-62.
Katz, Charles M., Vincent J. Webb, and Todd A. Armstrong. 2003. “Fear of Gangs: A
Test of Alternative Theoretical Models.” Justice Quarterly 20/1: 95-130.
McCorkle, Richard C. and Terance D. Miethe. 1998. “The Political and Organizational
Response to Gangs: An Examination of a „Moral Panic‟ in Nevada.” Justice
Quarterly 15: 41-64.
Fearn, Noelle E., Scott H. Decker, and G. David Curry. 2006. “Public Policy Responses
to Gangs: Evaluating the Outcomes.” Pp. 312-324 in Arlen Egley, Jr., Cheryl L.
Maxson, Jody Miller, and Malcolm W. Klein (eds), The Modern Gang Reader.
Third Edition. Los Angeles: Roxbury.
Senator Feinstein Press Release on Gang Abatement and Prevention Act of 2007.
Benburg, Jon Gunnar, Marvin D. Krohn, and Craig J. Rivera. 2006. “Official Labeling,
Criminal Embeddedness, and Subsequent Delinquency: A Longitudinal Test of
Labeling Theory.” Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency 43/1: 67-88.
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Esbensen, Finn-Aage, D. Wayne Osgood, Terrance J. Taylor, Dana Peterson and
Adrienne Freng. 2001. “How Great is G.R.E.A.T.? Results from a Longitudinal
Quasi-Experimental Design.” Criminology & Public Policy 1/1: 87-118.
Braga, Anthony A. and David M. Kennedy. 2002. “Reducing Gun Violence in Boston.”
Pp. 265-288 in Winifred L. Reed and Scott H. Decker (eds.), Responding to
Gangs; Evaluation and Research. Washington D.C.: U.S. Department of Justice,
National Institute of Justice.
Maxson, Cheryl L., Karen Hennigan, and David C. Sloane. 2003. “For the Sake of the
Neighborhood? Civil Gang Injunctions as a Gang Intervention Tool in Southern
California.” Pp. 239-266 in Scott H. Decker (ed.) Policing Gangs and Youth
Violence. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.
Webb, Vincent J. and Charles M. Katz.. 2003. “Policing Gangs in an Era of Community
Policing.” Pp. 17-49 in Scott H. Decker (ed.) Policing Gangs and Youth Violence.
Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.
Jackson, Alan. 2004. Prosecuting Gangs: What Local Prosecutors Need to Know.
Alexandria, VA.: American Prosecutors‟ Research Institute.
Hagedorn, John M. 1991. “Gangs, Neighborhoods, and Public Policy.” Social
Problems 38/4: 529-542.
Decker, Scott H. and G. David Curry. 2000b. “Responding to Gangs: Comparing Gang
Member, Police and Task Force Perspectives.” Journal of Criminal Justice 28:
129-137,
Spergel, Irving A. and Susan F. Grossman. 1998. “The Little Village Project: A
Community Approach to the Gang Problem.” Social Work 42/5: 456-470.
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