Gangs in School: Exploring the Experiences of Gang-Involved Youth

• Author: Finn-Aage Esbensen,Dena C. Carson
• DOI: 10.1177/1541204017739678
• Published date: 01 January 2019
• Date: 01 January 2019
• Subject Matter: Articles

Article

Gangs in School: Exploring

the Experiences of

Gang-Involved Youth

Dena C. Carson

1

and Finn-Aage Esbensen

2

Abstract

This study explores three ques tions: (1) What are the criter ia that current or formerly ga ng-

involved youth use to identify the presence of gangs in school? (2) Do gang activities produce

incivilities and victimizations within the school context? and (3) What is the impact of a gang

presence on youth in the school, specifically with respect to the presence or absence of fear? We

examine the influence of gangs in schools through qualitative analysis of 180 in-depth semistructured

interviews. The sample includes youth with varying levels of gang involvement who attended schools

across the United States. Youth relied on personal knowledge and visual cues to identify gangs in

their school. Despite the occurrence of vicarious victimizations and incivilities at the hands of gang

youth, respondents indicated that gangs did not impact their school life. These youth frequently used

normalization and delimitation processes to deal with gangs in their school.

Keywords

school violence, gangs, fear of crime, school disorder

Introduction

Concern regarding the presence of gangs an d gang activity in America’s schools is not a new

phenomenon. Reports of the existence of gangs in urban schools (including Philadelphia, Chicago,

and Los Angeles) began appearing in the 1970s and 1980s (Miller, 1975; Moore, 1991; Spergel,

1995; Vigil, 1988). Official data, however, indicate that the prevalence of gangs in schools has been

decreasing since the 1990s. According to the School Crime Supplement of the National Crime

Victimization Survey (NCVS), in 2013, about 12%of students in the United States reported that

gangs were present at their school, down from the 1995 estimate of 28%(Zhang, Musu-Gillette, &

Oudekerk, 2016). These results mirror research on school-based victimization and delinquency, in

general, noting a steady decline since the 1990s.

1

Indiana University–Purdue University Indianapolis, Indianapolis, IN, USA

2

University of Missouri–St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA

Corresponding Author:

Dena C. Carson, Indiana University–Purdue University Indianapolis, 420 University Boulevard, Indianapolis, IN 46202, USA.

Email: carsond@iupui.edu

Youth Violence and JuvenileJustice

2019, Vol. 17(1) 3-23

ªThe Author(s) 2017

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DOI: 10.1177/1541204017739678

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In spite of these reported decreases, the presence of gangs in school remains a concern of school

officials and policy makers as gangs are associated with a number of safety issues and disruptive

activities. Their occurrence is correlated with higher levels of school-based delinquency/violence

and victimization (Bouchard, Wang, & Beauregard, 2012; G. D. Gottfredson & Gottfredson, 2001;

Kupchik & Farina, 2016; Wynne & Joo, 2010), substance use and drug sales (Decker & Van Winkle,

1996) as well as with fear of school-based crime (Alvarez & Bachman, 1997; Bachman, Randolph,

& Brown, 2011; Randa & Wilcox, 2012; Schreck & Miller, 2003). The link between gangs and

school-based crime is expected given that schools act as a staging area where identities and reputa-

tions are established, thus making schools an extension of the street (Anderson, 1999; Brunson &

Miller, 2009; Garot, 2010; Lauger, 2012).

Concern among school administrators about violence and victimization in school has resulted

in the adoption of school-based security measures including metal detectors, dress codes, security

guards, and school resource officers. Likewise, schools have banned gang symbols, colors, and

gang-like behaviors (Arciaga, Sakamoto, & Jones, 2010; Garot, 2010). In recent years, however,

the utility of these security enhancements as well as the presence of zero tolerance policies has

been questioned by academics and school administrators alike. Specifically, research identifies

several unintended consequences of these measures on the student body, most notably increased

contact with the juvenile justice system (i.e., the school-to-prison pipeline; Kupchik, 2010; Rios,

2011; Wang & Dishion, 2012). Zero tolerance policies, for example, have also led to a marked

increase in suspensions and expulsions (Hirschfield, 2008; Kupchik, 2010), which are frequently

associated with negative outcomes such as educational disengagement, dropout, as well as delin-

quency and drug use (Kupchik, 2010; Skiba et al., 2011; Sweeten, 2006). For our purposes, it is

important to point out that enhanced security and zero tolerance policies in schools, which result in

increased suspension and expulsion rates, are likely to differentially affect gang youth either as a

result of their increased visibility to school officials or because of their racial or ethnic minority

status (Noguera, 2008; Skiba & Peterson, 1999). Additionally, gang research tells us that suspen-

sions and expulsions drive youth further into gangs (Howell & Egley, 2005; Pyrooz, Decker, &

Webb, 2014).

While the threat of gangs has resulted in school administrators instituting policies that

impact the lives of both gang and nongang youth, there remains little research assessing the

activities in which gang youth are involved at school. In fact, the limited research on gang

activities at school finds that their behaviors in school are generally innocuous (Decker & Van

Winkle, 1996). This is in line with research finding that the behaviors of gangs and gang

members in the community largely involve noncriminal endeavors (Klein, 1971; Lauger,

2012). That is, violent crime, while serious and more likely to come to the attention of the

police and public, remains a relatively infrequent part of the daily or weekly behavioral

repertoire of gang members, and most of their time is spent hanging out, engaged in behavior

customary to their same-aged peers (Decker & Van Winkle, 1996; Esbensen, Huizinga, &

Weiher, 1993; Klein, 1971; Lauger, 2012). In the current study, we examine the various

activities of gangs in school as told through the eyes of youth with varying levels of gang

involvement. We are particularly interested in understanding activities that impact students

through direct or vicarious victimization or alter their perceptions of school disorder

(i.e., incivilities). Additionally, we know little about how the presence of victimization and

incivilities impacts youth in these schools, particularly as it relates to fear.

To date, research that has explored the impact of gangs in school has been quantitative in nature

and consistently identifies a direct link between gang presence and school-based delinquency,

victimization, and fear of crime, but it tells us little about the nuances of these relationships. We

believe that the current state of research would benefit from qualitative assessment of the impact of

gangs on youth in America’s schools. To do so, we rely on 180 in-depth semistructured interviews

4Youth Violence and Juvenile Justice 17(1)