Previously Gang Involved Men's Historical Accounts of Complex Trauma

• In Event: Victim Identity, Help-Seeking and Self-Protective Behavior

Abstract

It has been well substantiated that violence and victimization are integral to being involved in a gang. Previous research primarily analyzed gang members as perpetrators of violence and only recently have investigations begun to emphasize gang members as victims of trauma. The existing research in this area is largely quantitative and has provided important statistics on gang members’ reports of violent-victimization during gang involvement. Investigations highlighting victimization pre and post gang involvement have been sparser and that which exists is mostly limited to exploring girls’ experiences. Addressing these gaps, the current study provides life history accounts of traumatic events experienced by previously gang involved men prior to entering a gang, during gang involvement, and while incarcerated. Findings reveal histories of repeated and long term trauma at each of these stages. Building upon Judith Herman’s (1992) Theory of Complex Trauma, this study links gang based scholarship with Herman’s theory, adding “gang membership” as a variable of inclusion in the investigations of Complex Trauma. This research illuminates the traumatic experiences of ex-gang members who have also been felony offenders, advocating for a criminal justice system which views these men as chronically traumatized individuals whose victimization should be acknowledged and addressed.

Author

• Amanda Barrientez, University of Colorado Boulder