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This study proposes an analytical framework for examining the network of street gangs in Montreal. The objectives are twofold. One aim is to describe the core features of Montreal gangs. The second aim is to examine the structure of social relations between these gangs. These analyses allow us to assess whether the city’s gang landscape is structured around popularized rivalries between the Crips and the Bloods. Data for this research were gathered during focus group interviews involving 20 youth gang members residing in the Centre jeunesse de Montreal–Institut universitaire, the city’s main youth correctional institution. These gang members identified a total of 35 active gangs in Montreal. The network does reveal a relational setting that supports the popular Crips versus Bloods rivalry, with intercoalition conflicts and intracoalition alliances accounting for the vast majority of intergang relations. However, the study also revealed some important exceptions to this popular outlook. Such exceptions must be taken into consideration in order to arrive at a more complete and nuanced understanding of Montreal’s street gang landscape. The authors suspect that the conflicts and contradictions that emerge in the Montreal scene are also relevant for other major North American cities.

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Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to synthesize the effects of gang prevention programs on gang membership. Design/methodology/approach – The authors conducted a systematic literature review across 19 bibliographic databases and a meta-analysis of the effectiveness of these strategies. Findings – The database search resulted in 3,850 hits. Of the 162 studies that were screened in full, six involved a prevention program with outcomes commensurate for meta-analysis. Pooled log odds ratios indicate a significant, positive effect of gang prevention programs at reducing gang membership; however, sensitivity analysis demonstrates that the results are driven by the effects of a single study. Originality/value – Despite the small sample size, the current study presents the best available evidence regarding the effectiveness of gang membership prevention programs. There is a critical need in the field of gang control for rigorous evaluation of prevention strategies.

General strain theory (GST) posits that the experience of strains cause negative emotions that individuals try to alleviate through various strategies, including delinquency. GST predicts that the choice of delinquency as a coping solution will be more likely in certain conditions, including those where criminal opportunities are more abundant. The current study considers the role of strain as a direct predictor of lucrative criminal opportunities. Because we are specifically interested in lucrative, as opposed to routine criminal opportunities, our theoretical framework is also informed by research on criminal achievement which posits that offenders with more social capital are more likely to make money out of crime. Drawing from a sample of 170 juvenile offenders incarcerated in British Columbia, our results show that strain experiences are significantly associated with daily access to lucrative criminal opportunities, even after controlling for other factors, including negative emotions such as anger. Our results also indicate that criminal social capital -that is, the ability and willingness to collaborate with co-offenders in criminal pursuits -is strongly associated to access to lucrative criminal opportunities. The number of delinquent peers, however, did not emerge as a significant predictor. Theoretical and empirical implications for understanding and preventing juvenile delinquency are discussed.

Dans cet article, il est question du processus de désaffiliation au sein d’un échantillon de 73 membres de gangs incarcérés dans un centre de détention en Colombie-Britannique. Plus précisément, cet article examine si la désaffiliation est associée aux caractéristiques individuelles ou plutôt aux caractéristiques et aux processus collectifs. Pour ce faire, les différences entre les membres toujours affiliés (n = 51) et ceux s’étant désistés (n = 22) sont dans un premier temps examinées. Deuxièmement, une régression logistique est utilisée afin de déterminer quels sont les facteurs les plus susceptibles de prédire une désaffiliation au sein de l’échantillon. Les principaux résultats semblent indiquer que la violence au sein du gang ainsi que l’environnement criminel de la recrue favorisent la continuation de l’affiliation et retardent ainsi le désistement. Cet article a aussi pour objectif d’illustrer le contexte dans lequel se déroule la désaffiliation, en examinant (a) le rôle d’évènements potentiels précipitant la décision de se désaffilier et (b) le rôle spécifique joué par la violence dans le processus de désaffiliation. Ces deux derniers objectifs sont abordés dans l’analyse des récits des 22 participants ayant récemment quitté leur gang. Le but premier de cette analyse qualitative est de bonifier les résultats issus de l’analyse quantitative, qui ne parvient peut-être pas à capturer le spectre complet du processus décisionnel.The present study examines the process of gang disaffiliation among a sample of 73 incarcerated gang members in British Columbia, looking at whether termination of membership is associated with individual characteristics or is more influenced by group characteristics and processes. The differences between active members (n = 51) and those who have left the gang (n = 22) are examined. A logistic regression is then used to determine which factors were more likely to predict gang disaffiliation among those in our sample. The results suggest that internal gang violence and a pre-membership criminal social environment support continued membership and thus delay disaffiliation. The article also examines the context in which disaffiliation takes place, looking at (a) the role of potential triggering events on the decision to leave the gang and (b) the role of violence in the process of disaffiliation. These two last objectives are addressed by analysing the narratives of the 22 participants of this study who had recently left their gangs. This qualitative analysis complements the quantitative results, which may not capture the full spectrum of the decision process.En el presente artículo, se debate sobre el proceso de desafiliación en el seno de una muestra de 73 miembros de pandillas encarceladas en un centro de detención de Colombia Británica. Más precisamente, el artículo examina si la desafiliación está asociada a características individuales o más bien a características y procesos colectivos. Para ello, las diferencias entre los miembros afiliados (n = 51) y aquellos que se habían desist...

Cette étude propose un cadre analytique qui permet d’étudier le réseau social des gangs montréalais, dont certains s’identifient aux deux grandes coalitions étatsuniennes : les Bloods (les rouges) et les Crips (les bleus). L’objectif de cette recherche est de décrire la structure de ce réseau social en s’intéressant d’abord à la constitution et à l’organisation interne de ces gangs et, ensuite, aux dynamiques relationnelles qui les unissent une fois mis en interaction les uns avec les autres. Nous souhaitons donc comprendre dans quelle mesure les dynamiques intergangs, tant positives que négatives, s’orchestrent selon la conception polarisée des conflits Crips versus Bloods. Nos données ont été recueillies auprès de 20 membres juvéniles de gangs pris en charge par le Centre jeunesse de Montréal-Institut universitaire. Ces participants, qui appartiennent à différents gangs rivaux ou alliés, ont été rencontrés dans le cadre d’une série d’entrevues de groupe réalisée au cours de l’année 2007. Ensemble, ils ont identifié un total de 35 gangs qui occupent des territoires précis à Montréal. La structure obtenue comprend des modèles de relations attendus par la conception traditionnelle, conflits inter-consortiums (77 % de l’ensemble des dynamiques négatives n = 43) et alliances intra-consortiums (87 % de l’ensemble des dynamiques positives n = 40). Des exceptions à cette conception sont soulevées et nuancent la compréhension de la structure relationnelle à l’étude.This study proposes an analytical framework to study the network of street gangs in Montreal, including some affiliated to the two major American coalitions : Crips (blue) and Bloods (red). The objectives are two-fold : a) Describe the nature of the gangs themselves, emphasizing some of their core organizational features ; b) Describe the relational dynamics within the network, once the gangs are allowed to interact (positively or negatively) with each other. We also want to understand in which ways the dynamics are orchestrated along the traditional perspective, that is, rivalries only occur between opposite consortiums. These objectives are fulfilled through an analysis of focus group interviews involving 20 youth gang members currently doing time in Centre jeunesse de Montreal-Institut universitaire. These youth gang members were affiliated to a diversity of gangs and coalitions. Together, they identified a total of 35 active gangs in Montreal. The resulting structure includes models of relationships expected by the traditional view, conflicts inter-coalitions (77 % of all negative relations n = 43) and allies intra-coalition (87 % of all positive relations n = 40). Exceptions to the rule have been raised in our study and lead to a more nuanced understanding of Montreal’s street gang network.Este artículo propone un marco analítico para el estudio de la red de pandillas callejeras de Montreal, entre otras las que se identifican con dos de las grandes bandas de Estados Unidos, los Crips (azules) y los Bloods (rojos). El objetivo es doble : describir la natu...

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