Into The Abyss:
A Personal Journey into the World of Street Gangs

by Mike Carlie, Ph.D.        
Copyright
© 2002
Michael K. Carlie
Continually updated.

~ Table of Contents ~
Home | Foreword | Preface | Orientation

What I Learned | Conclusions
End Note |
Solutions
Resources
| Appendix
Site Map / Contents
| New Research

Up-To-Date Gang-Related News


Site Map

Choose a Topic  OR  Choose Your Profession
An Interactive and Complete List of Topics

Foreword

Foreword

Preface

Preface
About the Title
The Purpose of the Journey
For Whom this Book is Written
About the Author
Acknowledgements
Disclaimer
Introduction

Orientation

Orientation
The Perspective
The Methodology of the Study

What I Learned About...

What I Learned About...

Section I:  Gangs

Introduction
Chapter 1: Jose's Story
Chapter 2: The "Problem"
Chapter 3: Stories of Denial
Chapter 4: Gangs and Gang Members

Part 1: What is a "Gang?"
Part 2: Who is a Gang Member?
Part 3: Demographic Characteristics

Introduction
Topic 1: The Number of Gangs and Gang Members
Topic 2: The Age and Social Class Composition of Gangs
Topic 3: The Gender Composition of Gangs
Topic 4: The Racial and Ethnic Composition of Gangs
Part 4: Gangs Aren't New
Part 5: Kinds and Names of Gangs
Part 6: Gang Culture
Part 7: The Structure of Gangs
Part 8: Why Gangs Form
Topic 1:   Social Discrimination and Rejection
Topic 2:   The Absence of a Family
Topic 3:   Feelings of Powerlessness
Topic 4:   Abuse, Fear and a Lack of Security
Topic 5:   Economic Deprivation
Topic 6:   School Failure
Topic 7:   Low Self-Esteem
Topic 8:   Lack of Legitimate Rites of Passage
Topic 9:   Lack of Legitimate Free-time Activities
Topic 10: Pathological Offenders' Needs
Topic 11: The Influence of Migrating Gang Members
Topic 12: Mass Media Portrayals of Gangs
Topic 13: Following in the Footsteps of Others
Topic 14:
Because They Can
Conclusion: Why Gangs Form
Part 9:  Where are Gangs Found?
Part 10: How Youths Find Out About Gangs
Part 11: How to Join a Gang
Part 12: Crimes Gang Members Commit
Part 13: Fluidity of Gangs and Gang Members
Part 14: Graffiti and Other Gang Identifiers
Part 15: Getting Out of a Gang
Chapter 5: Gangs and Prisons
Chapter 6: Why be Concerned About Gangs?
Chapter 7: Parents of Gang Members

Section II: Observations on the Community and Gangs

Introduction
Chapter 8:   Neighborhoods and Communities
Chapter 9:   Schools
Chapter 10: Faith Community
Chapter 11: Business Community
Chapter 12:
The Mass Media

Section III: Observations on Gangs and the Justice System

Introduction
Chapter 13: Gang-Related Legislation
Chapter 14:
The Police Response to Gangs

Introduction
Part 1: Stages in the Police Response to Gangs
Part 2: Where is the gang unit located?
Part 3: The Purpose of a  Gang Unit

Part 4: Training a Gang Unit
Part 5: Tactics of a Gang Unit
Part 6: Police Perceptions of the Gang Situation
Part 7: Police Perceptions of "the System"
Part 8:
Difficulties Related to Working Gangs
Part 9: When A Police Gang Unit "Crosses the Line"
Chapter 15: Prosecutors, Courts, and "The System"
Chapter 16: Probation and Parole
Part 1: The Difference Between Probation and Parole
Part 2: The Goals of Probation and Parole
Part 3: Levels of Probation and Parole Supervision
Part 4: What Probation and Parole Officers Do with Gang Clientele
Part 5: A "Typical" Morning of Office Visits
Part 6: The Difficulties of the Job
Chapter 17: Counselors and Community-Based Treatment Programs
Section IV: Conclusions, Gangs and the Future, A Research Note and End Note
Chapter 18: Conclusions
Chapter 19: Gangs and the Future
Chapter 20: A Research Note
Chapter 21: End Note

Solutions

Introduction
Chapter 22: Focusing on the Issue

Introduction
Part 1: Determining if a Gang is Present
Part 2:
Risk Factors and Protective Factors

Part 3: Crime Reduction and Prevention Websites

Chapter 23: Personal and Family Solutions

Introduction 
Part 1:
What the Individual Citizen Could Do
Part 2: What Families Could Do
Part 3: What Reformed Gang Members Could Do

Chapter 24: Neighborhood or Community Solutions

Introduction 
Part 1:
What Neighborhood Residents Could Do
Part 2: Building Coalitions
Part 3: The Community Forum
Part 4:
Creating a Community Task Force on Gangs
Part 5: The Community-Based Youth Agency
Part 6: The Adopt an Agency Program

Chapter 25: Social Institution Solutions
Introduction
Public Sector

Part 1: What Schools Could Do
Part 2: What Government Could Do
Part 3: What the Justice System Could Do

Introduction
Topic 1: Legislative Solutions
Topic 2: Law Enforcement Solutions
Topic 3: Court Solutions
Topic 4: Alternative Sentences as a Solutions
Topic 5: Probation and Parole Solutions
Topic 6:
Solutions in Confinement
Part 4: What Youth Serving Agencies Could Do
Private Sector
Part 5: What the Faith Community Could Do
Part 6: What Businesses and Business Organizations Could Do
Part 7: What the Health Care Community Could Do
Part 8: What the Media Could Do
Increasing Our Effectiveness
Part 9: Radiating Specialization and Community-Wide Involvement
Part 10: Selected Gang Program Evaluations: 1936-1997
Chapter 26: Web-Based Materials on Reducing Gang Activity
In Closing

Resources

For Into the Abyss
Resources
Bibliography / Library
Glossary of Terms
Additional Resources
Part 1: Bibliographies on Gangs
Le's Youth Gang Bibliography
Le's Asian Gang Bibliography
Howell's Youth Gang Bibliography
Part 2: Dictionaries on Gangs
The Rap Dictionary
Gang Buster's Gang Slang
Walker's Gang Slang
Part 3: Gangs on the Internet
Studying Gangs On-Line
About.com Gangs
Search Newspapers for Gang-Related Material
Gangs in Other Countries
GangLand
Publishers of Books on Youth Violence/Gangs
Part 4: Information on Drugs
Glossary of Drugs
All About Street Drugs
Part 5: Other Kinds of Gangs
Ideological, Mystical, and Hate Gangs 
Part 6: Teaching About Gangs
Online Courses about Gangs for Teachers
Teaching About Gangs
Part 7: About Juveniles and Delinquency
Juvenile Gangs and Crime
Data about Juveniles in the United States
National Clearinghouse on Child Abuse and Neglect Information
The Future of Children
Part 8: Online Solutions to the Gang Situation
Web-Based Materials on Reducing Gang Activity and Crime Prevention Programs
Part 9: Grants and Funding and Other Resources
Grant and Funding Opportunities
Resources you May Use, by State
Gang Resources
National Resources for Delinquency Prevention
Part 10:  Gang Research on the Internet
Gang Research Online (University of Illinois at Chicago)
National Gang Crime Research Center
Part 11: Police Gang Investigator Associations
California Gang Investigator's Association
East Coast Gang Investigator's Association
Florida Gang Investigator's Association
Great Lakes International Gang Investigator's Coalition
International Latino Gang Investigator's Association
Midwest Gang Investigator's Association
Mid Atlantic Regional Gang
Investigator's Network (MARGIN)
National Alliance of Gang Investigators Associations (NAGIA)
National Crime Enforcement Association
National Major Gang Task Force
Nevada Gang Investigator's Association
North Carolina Gang Investigator's Association
Northwest Gang Investigator's Association
Oklahoma Gang Investigator's Association
Quad State Rural Enforcement Task Force (Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, South Dakota)
Southeastern Connecticut Gang Activities Group
Tennessee Gang Investigator's Association
Texas Gang Investigator's Association
Virginia Gang Investigator's Association
Part 12: Miscellaneous
A Selective List of Gang-Themed Movies
Kinds of Gangs and Gang Members ( scroll to "Glossary")

Addendum

Appendix of Articles

© 2002 Michael K. Carlie
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without permission in writing from the author and copyright holder - Michael K. Carlie.