ABSTRACT
In 1965, Short and Strodtbeck published a landmark study in which they stressed that the gang is more than simply the sum of its parts; the activities, criminal and non-criminal, in which gang members engage are heavily influenced through group processes. Few researchers have since taken up Short and Strodtbeck’s mantle to study the group processes that make gangs important objects of inquiry in understanding delinquency and violence. With the availability of large-scale longitudinal surveys in the 1990s, research shifted to a study of the gang from the perspective of individual members, leading to significant advances in our understanding of risk factors. Fewer contributions, however, have been made in our theoretical and policy-relevant knowledge of the gang as a group (Decker, Melde & Pyrooz, 2013; Wood, 2014). Such a gap in research is surprising given the empirical evidence available about the contribution of gangs and criminal groups more broadly to rates of violence.
