Cognitive‐Behavioural Interventions for Preventing Youth Gang Involvement for Children and Young People (7‐16)

This Campbell systematic review examines the predictors of youth gang membership in low‐ and middle‐income countries. The review summarises findings from eight reports from five countries and the Caribbean region. The lack of available evidence limits the extent to which clear conclusions can be drawn about the factors associated with youth gang membership. The review is based on a very small number of studies, and has significant limitations in coverage. The limited evidence of the correlates of youth gang membership suggests factors that may drive gang membership and suggests areas where interventions may prove promising in the family, school, and community domains, as well as provide a starting point for future studies. Plain language summary Evidence shows which factors predict gang membership in low‐ and middle‐income countries, but more studies neededYouth gang membership is associated with delinquency, violent crime and trafficking. A range of individual, peer, family, school and community factors can predict the likelihood of youths getting involved with gangs. Knowledge of these factors can be helpful for reducing gang membership. What is this review about?Youth gang membership is associated with delinquency, violent crime and trafficking – and gang members are themselves frequently the victims of these offences. Yet youth gangs can also provide a form of social capital, a sense of belonging and purpose to disenfranchised youth.This review identifies the factors associated with young people joining gangs, and the differences between gang‐involved and non‐gang‐involved youth. Understanding these associations is essential to reduce the levels of gang membership and the incidence of related violence. What studies are included?Studies of youth gangs in in low‐ and middle‐income countries were included, with participants aged 10‐29 years. The studies had to assess an individual predictor or correlate of youth gang membership, where the predictor or correlate is a single characteristic, not a conglomeration of multiple constructs. Included studies had designs including data on both gang‐involved and non‐gang‐involved youth, recruited with strategies that were eligible.Nine studies met the eligibility criteria and were included in the review. One of these studies did not report all the required data and so was not included in the analyses. The studies were conducted in Turkey, Trinidad and Tobago, the Caribbean, El Salvador, China and Brazil.Factors associated with gang membership Domain Significantly associated with gang membership No significant association with gang membership IndividualDelinquency Alcohol and soft drug use Male gender Risky sexual behaviours Employment Psychological risk factors (low self‐control, impulsivity) and lack of psychological protective factors (empathy, future orientation, belief in moral order) VictimisationAge Minority ethnicity Protective behaviours surrounding sexual behaviour or alcohol and soft drug use.PeerSocialising with delinquent peersSocialising with pro‐social peers...

Section: Why It Is Important To Do the Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Factors associated with youth gang membership in low‐ and middle‐income countries: a systematic review

Higginson¹,

Benier²,

Shenderovich³

et al. 2018

“…Previous systematic reviews have focused on youth gang membership and interventions (Hodgkinson et al, 2009;Klein & Maxson, 2006;Raby & Jones, 2016). The Campbell Collaboration has published three systematic reviews on the involvement of young people in gangs (Fisher et al, 2008a(Fisher et al, , 2008bHigginson et al, 2015), and more recently one on predictors of youth gang membership in low-and middle-income countries (Higginson et al, 2018). Furthermore, two systematic reviews on the factors leading to radicalization and recruitment into terrorism have been recently published (Wolfowicz et al, 2020(Wolfowicz et al, , 2021.…”

Section: Why It Is Important To Do the Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Organized crime groups: A systematic review of individual‐level risk factors related to recruitment

Calderoni

Comunale

Campedelli

et al. 2022

Background: Studies from multiple contexts conceptualize organized crime as comprising different types of criminal organizations and activities. Notwithstanding growing scientific interest and increasing number of policies aiming at preventing and punishing organized crime, little is known about the specific processes that lead to recruitment into organized crime.Objectives: This systematic review aimed at (1) summarizing the empirical evidence from quantitative, mixed methods, and qualitative studies on the individual-level risk factors associated with the recruitment into organized crime, (2) assessing the relative strength of the risk factors from quantitative studies across different factor categories and subcategories and types of organized crime. Methods:We searched published and unpublished literature across 12 databases with no constraints as to date or geographic scope. The last search was conducted between September and October 2019. Eligible studies had to be written in English, Spanish, Italian, French, and German.Selection Criteria: Studies were eligible for the review if they:• Reported on organized criminal groups as defined in this review.• Investigated recruitment into organized crime as one of its main objectives.• Provided quantitative, qualitative, or mixed methods empirical analyses.• Discussed sufficiently well-defined factors leading to recruitment into organized crime.• Addressed factors at individual level.• For quantitative or mixed-method studies, the study design allowed to capture variability between organized crime members and non-members.Data Collection and Analysis: From 51,564 initial records, 86 documents were retained. Reference searches and experts' contributions added 116 additional documents, totaling 202 studies submitted to full-text screening. Fifty-two quantitative, qualitative,

“…Two systematic reviews previously published in the Campbell library consider gang involvement for children and young people (Fisher, Montgomery, & Gardner, 2008a, 2008b, focusing on cognitive-behavioral and opportunities provision interventions to prevent gang involvementinterventions predominantly utilized in high-income nations. These reviews were essentially empty reviews as they did not identify any studies that met all of their inclusion criteria.…”

Section: Why It Is Important To Do the Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Preventive Interventions to Reduce Youth Involvement in Gangs and Gang Crime in Low‐ and Middle‐Income Countries: A Systematic Review

Higginson¹,

Benier²,

Shenderovich³

et al. 2015

This Campbell systematic review examines why the implementation of preventive interventions to reduce youth involvement in gangs and gang crime may fail or succeed low and middle‐income countries. The review summarises findings from four studies conducted in Latin America and the Caribbean. These include findings from field observations and interviews with 63 former gang members in Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador, 940 respondents in three Jamaican communities, 24 participants in Nicaragua and 25 participants in Peru. It is not possible to make any conclusions regarding the effectiveness of preventive interventions. Four factors may be important for intervention design and implementation: Having a range of programme components that appeal to youth such as arts and sports. Active engagement of youths and gang leaders in forming and implementing the programme. Ensuring continuity of social ties outside the gang which are fragile and may not be preserved after short‐term interventions. Ongoing violence and gang involvement limits successful implementation so needs to be addressed. Plain Language Summary BackgroundYouth gang membership and the crime that it generates is a serious problem in low‐and middle‐income countries, involving many thousands of young people and resulting in billions of dollars of crime, loss of life, and social disruption. This review assessed the evidence on preventive interventions that focus on increasing social capacity to reduce gang membership or rehabilitate gang members outside of the criminal justice system. ApproachWe conducted an extensive search of the published and unpublished academic literature, as well as government and non‐government organization reports to identify studies assessing the effects of preventive youth gang interventions in low‐and middle‐income countries. We also included studies assessing the reasons for success or failure of such interventions and conducted a thematic synthesis of overarching themes identified across the studies. ResultsWe did not identify any studies assessing the effect of preventive gang interventions in LMICs using an experimental or quasi‐experimental design. Four studies evaluating the reasons for implementation success or failure were included. The limited number of studies included in the review suggests that the findings identified here should provide a direction for future research, rather than any substantive or generalizable claim to best practice. Specifically, the synthesis of reasons for implementation success or failure identified five factors that may be important for intervention design and implementation. Preventive gang interventions may be more likely to be successfully implemented when they include: a range of program components that appeal to youth, active engagement of youth, where their agency is embraced and leadership is offered, programs that offer continuity of social ties outside of the gang, and a focus on demobilization and reconciliation. ImplicationsThe lack of evidence prevents us from making any conclusion...