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Lost Youth and the Futility of Deterrence (From Use of Punishment, P 89-115, 2003, Sean McConville, ed. -- See NCJ-204875)

NCJ Number
204878
Author(s)
Mark Fleisher
Date Published
2003
Length
27 pages
Annotation
To better understand the use of punishment in relation to youth gangs, this chapter presents the findings from an ethnographic study of a violent youth gang in Kansas City, MO.
Abstract
The 2000 National Youth Gang Survey estimates that there are approximately 24,500 gangs and 772,500 gang members in 3,300 police jurisdictions. This information highlights America’s gang problem. In this chapter, findings from an ethnographic study on one particular gang, the Fremont Hustlers is presented and discussed in order to assist in the development of gang intervention and prevention initiatives. The Fremont Hustlers are a violent gang from Kansas City, MO, with similarities seen in group structure and dynamics to youth drug gangs in other cities. Also, the personal lives of those adolescents involved in the Fremont Hustlers are seen as similar to those adolescents in youth gangs in other cities. The chapter also presents a summary of daily life among the Fremont Hustlers, an examination of Fremont kids as victims of family violence, a synopsis of their early family life, a discussion of punishment as a balance of costs versus benefits, a review of deterrence-based crime policy, an abstract of Fremont kids’ opinions on punishment, and several proposals for non-punishment-based youth gang intervention. Well-designed intervention and prevention programs can aid in slowing the rising tide of crime and decrease the number of emotionally damaged youth who join gangs like the Fremont Hustlers. There is a need to ensure that comprehensive treatment and prevention programs reach preadolescent children who have been victimized by the enormous economic drain of failed punishment and crime deterrence policies. Bibliographical review and references

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