A Cross-National Comparison of Gangs in the United States and Trinidad and Tobago

Abstract

This study compares the scope and nature of the gang problem in two communities: one in the United States and one in Trinidad and Tobago, a small-island developing state in the eastern Caribbean that has experienced a serious outbreak of violence over the past decade. Data drawn from surveys of adult arrestees reveal that among respondents, 3.2% of those in the U.S. sample and 5.1% of those in the Trinidad sample reported being a member of a gang. While there were a number of similarities between the two samples, significant differences were found between gang members in both countries. Most notably, gang members in Trinidad reported substantially more violence than gang members in the United States.

The Influence of Family Characteristics on Problem Behaviors in a Sample of High‐Risk Caribbean Adolescents

“…Fieldwork in Trinidad has revealed that some families turn to neighborhood gang leaders to discipline their children (Katz & Maguire, 2015). This occurs in a context in which gangs are more powerful and violent than U.S. street gangs (Katz, Maguire, & Choate, 2011).…”

Conceptual and empirical obstacles in defining MS‐13

“…The Eurogang survey comes from the Eurogang Project and consists of a questionnaire constructed to inventory youth groups in specific areas by polling those who are familiar with them—such as police officers—and includes questions that systematically capture group size, durability, membership demographics, street orientation, and association with illegal activity (Decker & Weerman, 2005). It has been tested extensively and applied in various forms in Europe, the United States, and the Caribbean (Decker & Weerman, 2005; Esbensen & Maxson, 2012; Katz, Maguire, & Choate, 2011). As compared with traditional methods of gang study, which tend to be ethnographic in nature, the Eurogang Survey allows for the collection of information that is comparable across time and geographic locales (Decker & Weerman, 2005).…”

The Impact of Gangs on Community Life in Trinidad

“…Approximately, 90 percent of gangs in Trinidad and Tobago claim turf/territory (Deosaran, 2008;Katz, Maguire, & Choate, 2011;Townsend, 2009). Trinidad and Tobago's Anti-Gang Act No. 10 (2011) defines a gang as "a combination of two or more persons, whether formally or informally organized which, through its membership or through an agent engages in a gangrelated activity" (Hill, 2013, p. 50).…”

“…and approximately twice as likely to have ever been arrested for a property offense, sex crime or other crime" (Katz & Maguire, 2015 p. 189). A study of arrestees in the Port of Spain area revealed that gang members are significantly more likely than non-gang members to report being unemployed prior to their arrest (61.2 percent and 23.8 percent respectively) (Katz, Maguire, Choate, 2011). Additionally, 38.1 percent of gang members note they receive their income from legal and illegal means, while 19 percent report no source of income (Katz, Maguire, Choate, 2011).…”