Cago Hillary L. Rowe, University of Illinois at Chicago Dustin Pardini

Cago Hillary L. Rowe, University of Illinois at Chicago Dustin Pardini, University of Pittsburgh Rolf Loeber, University of Pittsburgh Helene Raskin White, and Rutgers University David P. Farrington Cambridge UniversityAbstractUsing Pittsburgh Youth Study data, we examined the extent to which over 600 gang members and non-gang involved young men specialized in drug selling, serious theft, or serious violence or engaged simultaneously in these serious delinquent behaviors, throughout the 1990s. We found that the increase in delinquency associated with gang membership was concentrated in two combinations: serious violence and drug selling; serious violence, drug selling, and serious theft. R1503 web several covariates were similarly associated with multi-type serious delinquency and gang membership (age, historical time, Black race, and residential mobility), suggesting that these behaviors may share common developmental, familial, and contextual risks. We encourage future L 663536 supplier research to further examine the association of gang membership with engagement in particular configurations of serious delinquency. Gangs are a major social problem in the United States. On the 2010 National Youth Gang Survey, one-third of all surveyed law enforcement agencies reported a gang problem; the level was highest in large cities, where 86 reported a problem (National Gang Center, 2012). On the national School Survey on Crime and Safety (2007?008 school year), onein-five school principals reported problems with gangs, with reports higher from principals located in cities (34 ) than those located in rural areas, towns, or suburbs (11?9 ) and in high schools (43 ), compared to elementary or middle schools (10?5 ; Dinkes, Kemp,Requests for reprints should be sent to Rachel A. Gordon, Institute of Government and Public Affairs, University of Illinois, 815 West Van Buren St., Suite 525, Chicago, IL 60607. [email protected]. We presented an earlier version of this paper at the American Society of Criminology meetings (November 14, 2012, Chicago, IL).Gordon et al.PageBaum, 2009). Despite considerable study, several gaps remain in the gang literature. One important topic in need of more research is the extent to which gang membership is associated with simultaneous engagement in multiple delinquent behaviors and the extent to which risks are similar for gang participation and multi-type delinquency. To help fill this gap in the literature, we examined gang membership together with three serious delinquent behaviors: (a) drug selling, (b) serious theft, and (c) serious violence. We selected these behaviors due to the attention they have received in the media and the scholarly literature (Howell, 2012; Loeber, Farrington, Stouthamer-Loeber, White, 2008). Using data collected from early adolescence to young adulthood (ages 9?8), we first described the extent to which gang and non-gang youth combined drug selling, serious theft, and serious violence or specialized in one type of delinquency. We then examined whether gang participation and particular configurations of serious delinquency shared common risk and protective factors. We used data from the Pittsburgh Youth Study (Loeber et al., 2008; Loeber, Farrington, Stouthamer-Loeber, Van Kammen, 1998), which is well suited to address these issues given its annual assessments, its oversampling of boys at risk of delinquency, and its high response rates initially and over time. Pittsburgh is informative because it is a small city w.Cago Hillary L. Rowe, University of Illinois at Chicago Dustin Pardini, University of Pittsburgh Rolf Loeber, University of Pittsburgh Helene Raskin White, and Rutgers University David P. Farrington Cambridge UniversityAbstractUsing Pittsburgh Youth Study data, we examined the extent to which over 600 gang members and non-gang involved young men specialized in drug selling, serious theft, or serious violence or engaged simultaneously in these serious delinquent behaviors, throughout the 1990s. We found that the increase in delinquency associated with gang membership was concentrated in two combinations: serious violence and drug selling; serious violence, drug selling, and serious theft. Several covariates were similarly associated with multi-type serious delinquency and gang membership (age, historical time, Black race, and residential mobility), suggesting that these behaviors may share common developmental, familial, and contextual risks. We encourage future research to further examine the association of gang membership with engagement in particular configurations of serious delinquency. Gangs are a major social problem in the United States. On the 2010 National Youth Gang Survey, one-third of all surveyed law enforcement agencies reported a gang problem; the level was highest in large cities, where 86 reported a problem (National Gang Center, 2012). On the national School Survey on Crime and Safety (2007?008 school year), onein-five school principals reported problems with gangs, with reports higher from principals located in cities (34 ) than those located in rural areas, towns, or suburbs (11?9 ) and in high schools (43 ), compared to elementary or middle schools (10?5 ; Dinkes, Kemp,Requests for reprints should be sent to Rachel A. Gordon, Institute of Government and Public Affairs, University of Illinois, 815 West Van Buren St., Suite 525, Chicago, IL 60607. [email protected]. We presented an earlier version of this paper at the American Society of Criminology meetings (November 14, 2012, Chicago, IL).Gordon et al.PageBaum, 2009). Despite considerable study, several gaps remain in the gang literature. One important topic in need of more research is the extent to which gang membership is associated with simultaneous engagement in multiple delinquent behaviors and the extent to which risks are similar for gang participation and multi-type delinquency. To help fill this gap in the literature, we examined gang membership together with three serious delinquent behaviors: (a) drug selling, (b) serious theft, and (c) serious violence. We selected these behaviors due to the attention they have received in the media and the scholarly literature (Howell, 2012; Loeber, Farrington, Stouthamer-Loeber, White, 2008). Using data collected from early adolescence to young adulthood (ages 9?8), we first described the extent to which gang and non-gang youth combined drug selling, serious theft, and serious violence or specialized in one type of delinquency. We then examined whether gang participation and particular configurations of serious delinquency shared common risk and protective factors. We used data from the Pittsburgh Youth Study (Loeber et al., 2008; Loeber, Farrington, Stouthamer-Loeber, Van Kammen, 1998), which is well suited to address these issues given its annual assessments, its oversampling of boys at risk of delinquency, and its high response rates initially and over time. Pittsburgh is informative because it is a small city w.