The Transferable Skills Associated with Prior Gang Membership

• In Event: Gang Transitions: Initiation, Desistance, and Disengagement

Abstract

An abundance of research has found that gang membership is associated with a variety of negative experiences and criminal justice outcomes such as victimization, criminal offending, and incarceration. Although most research examines the negative outcomes of gang membership, this study highlights the transferable skills or salvageable aspects of gang involvement that might prove useful in other life domains. Relying on data from life history interviews with a sample of 30 self-identified former gang members, this study found that the development of social/leadership skills, a heightened awareness and mastery of street survival techniques (i.e. street-smarts), increased credibility from others, and maturation are viewed as long-term positive aspects of gang involvement that could be harnessed and redirected.

Author

• Bryan Bubolz, Northern Michigan University