Female Gang Affiliation: Knowledge and Perceptions of At-Risk Girls

Abstract

This study attempts to inquire into at-risk female teenagers with regard to their knowledge and perceptions of gang involvement by their peers. Seven youth service–providing organizations in a major southern city participated in a youth survey project. The data collected from the project on at-risk middle school girls (n =216) are analyzed here. Preliminary findings indicate that sexual or physical abuse are not important factors for a female to join a gang. Sex partners and auxiliary members are still the major roles for female gang members to play in a gang. Remedial strategies, including parental education, extracurricular activities (after-school programs), quality of schooling, and job opportunities are the policy implications identified by this study.