The desistance study

• In Event: Twenty Years of Evaluating the G.R.E.A.T. Program: A retrospective assessment of two prospective studies

Abstract

One interesting outgrowth of the second GREAT evaluation is the gang desistance study, also referred to as the shifting nature of peer group project. Relying on participants in the GREAT study who self-identified as gang members, we conducted in-depth personal interviews with 180 youth. These qualitative interviews allow for a more nuanced examination of factors associated with gang joining and gang leaving. This presentation identifies several key themes that have emerged from the analyses to date.

Authors

• Finn-Aage Esbensen, University of Missouri - St. Louis

• Dena Carson, Indiana University-Purdue University, Indianapolis

• J. Michael Vecchio, Loyola University, Chicago

• Dana Peterson, University at Albany, SUNY