Risks of Involvement into Gangs amid the Urban Youth: A Comparative Study

Abstract

Gangs are pervasive worldwide and are particularly pronounced in societies with weak governance structures. The current study serves to investigate risk factors of gang membership among urban Jamaican youth to determine the applicability of risk factors noted in the extant literature, primarily US based, to that of the Jamaican context. Data triangulation (i.e. observations, interviews, and police statistics) was employed to explore gang risk factors among urban youth. The sample consisted of some individuals who: (1) self-identified as gang members; (2) had been a part of a gang for at least one year; (3) directly participated in gang activities; (4) and, as a group, had held different leadership roles/statuses in the gang. The study revealed that fearlessness, early delinquency, and rebelliousness contribute to a higher risk of later gang involvement. This study provides a theoretical framework for guiding criminological discourse on gangs.