Choosing Colleges and Majors: The Decision-Making Processes of Former/Inactive Gang Members to Pursue Higher Education

• In Event: Pathways Out: Interventions, Supportive Relations, and Crime Desistance among Gang-Affiliated and At-Risk Young People

Abstract

Educational programming often supports desistance for individuals involved in gangs. However, there is an empirical gap in understanding how and why former or inactive gang members pursue higher education and the reasons behind choosing specific fields of study. This paper highlights initial exposure to postsecondary education and how these individuals select a field of study, drawing from life history interviews with 30 former or inactive gang members who graduated from two- and four-year colleges and universities. For the participants in this study, on average, they were gang-involved for more than 10 years. Special attention will be given to individual and structural factors, including college personnel and specific programs that support vulnerable student populations and promote persistence in college to attain degrees.

Author

• Adrian H. Huerta, University of Southern California