A Longitudinal Analysis of Adolescent Gang Duration and Stability

• In Event: Explanations and Correlates of the Gang Experience

Abstract

Despite the common belief that gang membership is a lifelong and stable commitment, research consistently shows that gang membership is both impermanent and unstable. Most people actually leave the gang before reaching adulthood, and many gang-involved adolescents join and leave the group multiple times. Despite this, stability of gang membership has received little attention in the criminological literature. This paper explores gang duration and stability, extending previous research conducted by the Rochester Youth Development Study (RYDS). In the current study, I use random effects models to compare gang members to themselves and each other over time in order to identify predictors of gang duration and stability.

Author

• Arna Carlock, University at Albany, SUNY