The purpose of this study is to gain a holistic understanding of the Asian gang phenomenon through the application of a meta-synthesis, which is seldom utilized within the criminal justice and criminology discipline. Noblit and Hare’s (1988) seven step guidelines for synthesizing qualitative research informed this methodology. Through this process, 15 studies were selected for synthesis. The synthesis of these studies not only identified prevalent themes across the sample, but also provided the basis for creating overarching metaphors that captured the collective experience of Asian gang members. Through the interpretive ordering of these metaphors, a line of synthesis argument was developed in which three major inferences about the Asian gang experience were made. First, regardless of ethnic and geographic differences, the experiences of Asian gangs and their members are similar. Second, although extant literature has applied different theories to explain gang membership for individual ethnic gangs (e.g. Chinese, Vietnamese), this synthesis revealed that the dominant theory for explaining the onset and persistence of Asian gangs is Vigil’s (1988) multiple marginality theory. Finally, in comparison to the broader literature, Asian gangs are more similar than they are different to non-Asian gangs because of their overlap in values.

Gangs exist as metaphors of the societies in which they are embedded and are powerful, hence the need is great for an ecologically powerful model and a collation of a picture about gangs and gang life as described by knowledgeable individuals. With so much literature and knowledgeable individuals at hand to provide insight into the problem, the rationale for this study comes forth in the form of taking all this knowledge and insight and creating a collation of a picture of gangs as it is understood by those who study them and by those who have been confronted with them. The theoretical framework is a social constructionist cybernetic epistemology. One-on-one interviews were conducted with knowledgeable sources and audio-visual material assisted in understanding the context of gangs better. A hermeneutic analysis was used. The interview transcripts from the participants were analysed and themed according to a thematic network analysis and linked with available literature. These themes were then used to represent a Time Cable of gangs. / Psychology / M.A. (Psychology)

abstract: Mexican drug cartels have been a difficult group to get official data on because of the clandestine nature of their operations and the inherent dangers associated with any type of research on these groups. Due to the close relationship that the United States and Mexico share, the United States being a heavy demander of illicit drugs and Mexico being the supplier or the transshipment point, research that sheds light on cartels and their effects is necessary in order to solve this problem. A growing concern is that cartels have been seeking to improve their international infrastructure. This could potentially be done by partnering with gangs located in the United States to help with the distribution of drugs. The author uses data from the 2009 and 2010 Arizona Gang Threat Assessment and three sets of analyses (dummy variable regression, change score, multinomial logistic) to shed light on the possible partnership between cartels and U.S. based gangs. Primarily using the varying level of intervention strategies practiced by police departments throughout the state of Arizona, this study is exploratory in nature, but attempts to find the effectiveness of intervention strategies on "cartel affiliated" gangs, as identified by federal authorities, and how police departments respond towards these same groups. With the current data, there was no significant evidence that suggests that intervention strategies were less effective on "cartel affiliated" gangs or that police departments were responsive towards these “affiliated” gangs. / Dissertation/Thesis / Masters Thesis Criminology and Criminal Justice 2015

Dissertation submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the MAGISTER EDUCATIONIS in the Faculty of Education and Social Sciences at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology 2007 / Gangsterism affecting schools on the Cape Flats, as well as concerns about this phenomenon as addressed by the Provincial Minister of Education, Cameron Dugmore, during his Education Budget Speech in 2006, has led to widespread media attention in South Africa. Despite the Western Cape Education Department’s implementation of the Safer Schools project in 2001 to assist educators working in gang-ridden communities, not enough is being done to eradicate the problems caused by gangsterism which educators face in their schools on a daily basis. This research embarks on enquiring how gangsterism influences the morale of educators, focusing specifically on the educators’ perception of their morale and their experiences while working in gang-ridden communities. The research acknowledges that the educators play a vital role in education and are therefore regarded as key stakeholders in a community. The research is located in a qualitative paradigm because it seeks to achieve a deeper understanding of the educators’ morale disposition in gang-ridden communities and investigates the constructs of how gangsterism influences the morale of educators. Data was collected from principals and educators working in the following gangridden communities: Bonteheuwel, Manenberg, Heideveld, Hanover Park and Valhalla Park. A total of 53 respondents, including both educators and principals, participated in this research. Methods of data collection included observations, seven unstructured interviews and six structured focus group interviews. The result revealed that gangsterism does influence the morale of educators working in gang-ridden communities. It was also found that gangsterism affects the whole school community - educators, learners and parents. It is a powerful yet destructive phenomenon and has a negative effect on educator morale.

Magister Psychologiae - MPsych / Violent crime has proven to have profound negative effects, particularly on those living within communities where violence is a dominant feature. The victims often tend to be adolescents, who, while striving for a better future, are often quite vulnerable to its effects. The present study addresses this important social phenomenon which faces the youth of South Africa. There is a growing need to understand the manner in which the ever-increasing exposure of adolescents living in communities which have high rates of violence affects its victims as well as determine those factors which could provide resiliency against those devastating effects. Moreover, this study focuses on adolescents’ sense of hope as a resiliency factor. The purpose of this research study was to ascertain adolescents' understanding of and the meaning they give to exposure to community violence and the extent to which that exposure affects their sense of hope. In this qualitative study, data was collected by means of two, one hour focus groups comprising a total of 14 participants, 14-15 years of age, residing in a community with high rates of violence. The format of the discussion was semi-structured and conducted in English. Various theories were used in order to better describe the information, such as the social learning theory, feminist theory and Bronfenbrenner’s ecological model, but the epistemological framework utilized was social constructionism. Ethical principles such as confidentiality and obtaining informed consent were strictly adhered to. The information received from the participants was analyzed using Braun and Clarke's (2006) thematic analysis and presented in two thematic categories with corresponding themes discussed accordingly. / South Africa

Magister Artium (Social Work) - MA(SW) / Despite the vast research on drugs, gang violence and gangsterism in South Africa and specifically in the Western Cape, little is known about the experiences of school-going adolescents who reside in the areas ravaged by these gangs. The general image that emerges from the literature is negative and apathetic about the plight of adolescents residing in gang infested communities as they are usually seen and referred to as part of the problem. Previous studies and literature have therefore omitted the actual experiences of non-gang related adolescents as a result of the existence of gangs and gangsterism in their communities. This research explored these experiences in detail focusing specifically on school-going adolescents between the ages of 16 to 18 and mostly targeting Grade 11 in Hanover Park- Western Cape. The population of the study was therefore all adolescents within the area of Hanover Park with the specific sample of study targeting mainly the school-going non-gang affiliated adolescents of Hanover Park, preferably those doing Grade 11 and registered at a Hanover Park school. The researcher also explored and looked at the experiences of the school-going adolescents through use of focus groups with at least eighteen (18) learners from each of the two selected high schools in Hanover Park. These 18 participants from each school were divided into three different groups implying that the researcher ran three separate focus groups at each of the schools. This was also be supported by the use of qualitative semi- structured interviews that were conducted with at least 6 participants from the focus group sessions with 1 participant being selected from each group. This ultimately gave perspective on the unexplored views and experiences of school-going learners in Hanover Park that are assumed to be non-gang affiliated but experience the pressures and existence of gangs in their communities

No description available.

Criminal gang membership is growing, which corresponds to a continued breakdown of the family unit in the United States. Most of the young people who form gangs come from broken families or single-parent-headed households. This study explored the role of family hierarchy on gang membership. A qualitative case study approach was used to gather information on what motivates young people to join criminal gangs. A random sampling technique was used to recruit seven former members of the Mac Baller Brim gang. Ethical concerns were addressed to minimize the risks to the participants. The collected data from interviews were analyzed using an interpretive research philosophy to determine the contribution of family hierarchy on motivating the participants to join gangs. Interpretive research philosophy indicates that reality can only be understood by subjective interpretation and intervention. An action research strategy was also used in an attempt to provide a practical solution for the people studied while adding to existing theories. The findings of the study indicated that there are 5 reasons why young people join gangs: protection, respect, money, fun, and because a friend was in the gang. This study may contribute to social change by identifying factors that lead to gang membership to aid policy and program interventions that lower the likelihood of youth joining gangs.

Thesis (M.A.)--University of the Witwatersrand, Faculty of Arts, 1990 / In r.he context of family instability, inadequate schooling, massive youth unemployment and severe residential overcrowding, juvenile delinquency became rampant in Witwatersrand townships during the 1930s. By the mid 1940s the I'tsotsis", a criminal, male-dominated youth gang subculture with its own distinctively urban style, ritual and language, had entrenched itself amongst urbanised township communities Tsotsis angrily rejected both hegemonic whlte middle class values and the apparently acquiescent culture of their parents. Tsotsi style, which drew heavily on American cinema imagery, expressed a denial of cultural consensus in urban society. Tsotsi gangs preyed materially off township residents and distanced themselves from political activity or community affairs. However, around 1959-60 tsotsis were attracted to the radical, machismo, aggressively anti-establishment politics of the Pan-Africanist Congress. The subculture dissolved during the 1960s as a result of police crackdowns, expanded state schooling and improved employment opportunities for urban youth. / WS2017

This study examines several critical factors deemed to be important in examining why children from Mexico and Central America decide to take risks by traveling alone to unfamiliar places, such as the U.S., in such large numbers. An exploration of present day and historical backgrounds provide insight for social, political, and economic conditions that assist in shaping the landscape and outlook of Central Americans and Mexicans, particularly children on a daily basis.