Young children, sometimes as young as 6 years old, are solicited for important roles in the gang structure, such as being “scouts" who watch for police officers. Community organizations, such as Boys and Girls Clubs and schools, are positioned to identify the gang activity of these children, as are social workers, truant officers, and police officers. Interventions, such as several family therapies, may prove useful at this stage. The most vulnerable age for gang recruitment, however, is middle and secondary school age. At this age, youth are entering puberty and navigating their way through the conflicting aspirations for independence from adults and belonging to peer groups. Gangs provide a sense of independence, rebellion against authority, and belonging among peers. It is particularly important that schools located in gang-infested districts include a gang-prevention curriculum for students as well as parenting classes that educate parents about how to prevent their children from becoming involved with gangs. By young adulthood, a gang member has become experienced and skilled in activities important to the gang. In all likelihood he/she has been under the custody of the criminal justice system. In correctional systems, gang members may be influenced to turn from gang life by making them aware of the negative influences of gangs in the community, in the lives of their families, and in their own lives. This approach as well as cognitive-behavioral interventions are often used in prison. The maintenance of gang life into adulthood can produce sophisticated career criminals who are involved in a variety of criminal enterprises. Positive change is unlikely, so incapacitation in prison is the usual recourse. 25 references