James C. Howell
Elizabeth Griffiths
Chapter 6: Girls and Gangs
Type: MR
CHOOSE ALL THAT APPLY. It is implied that early misconceptions about the participation of females in gangs are based on ___________ assumptions about gangs in general.
@ Learning objective: N/A; Cognitive Domain: Analysis; Answer Location: Pgs. 123-124; Question Type: MS
racist
classist
*c. sexist
*d. over-simplistic
Which of the following refers to the belief that macrostructural changes from the 1940s to the 1970s fundamentally shifted the role of women in gangs so that they assumed more autonomous criminal roles?
@ Learning objective: N/A; Cognitive Domain: Knowledge; Answer Location: Pg. 124; Question Type: MC
Conflict resolution
*b. Liberation hypothesis
Beyond risk
Rite of passage
Which of the following is NOT a key theme uncovered by seminal studies on female gang members in the 1970s and 1980s?
@ Learning objective: N/A; Cognitive Domain: Comprehension; Answer Location: Pgs. 124-125; Question Type: MC
They acted at least in part independently from boys.
They were engaged in violent conflicts.
*c. They served largely as sex objects.
They participated in serious crime.
Moore’s research (1978, 1991) implies the activities of female gang members _________________.
@ Learning objective: N/A; Cognitive Domain: Analysis; Answer Location: Pg. 125; Question Type: MC
*a. became more similar to the activities of male gang members over time
became less like the activities of male gang members over time
have not changed over time
were unknown to researchers prior to the early 1990s
The Denver Youth Survey found that ______________ of gang members were females.
@ Learning objective: N/A; Cognitive Domain: Comprehension; Answer Location: Pg. 126; Question Type: MC
More than zero but less than one sixth
*b. more than one sixth but less than one half
more than one half but less than three fourths
more than three fourths
In which of the following studies was the high end of the estimated proportion of female youth reporting gang membership the largest?
@ Learning objective: N/A; Cognitive Domain: Comprehension; Answer Location: Pgs. 125-126; Question Type: MC
*a. Denver Youth Survey
Seattle Social Development Project
Rochester Youth Development Study
Gang Resistance Education and Training (G.R.E.A.T.) Project
CHOOSE ALL THAT APPLY. Which of the following have been found about the relationship of female gang involvement to other forms of delinquency and criminality?
@ Learning objective: N/A; Cognitive Domain: Comprehension; Answer Location: Pg. 127; Question Type: MS
*a. Gang involvement among females facilitates delinquency involvement above and beyond the effect of association with non-gang-involved delinquent peers.
Females involved in gangs are more likely to engage in prostitution than non-gang-involved females.
Female gang members today are less likely to engage in serious, violent crimes than forty years ago.
*d. Females involved in gangs are more likely to experience substance abuse than non-gang-involved females.
Which of the following offenses did Ebensen et al. (2010) find to be LEAST prevalent among females?
@ Learning objective: N/A; Cognitive Domain: Comprehension; Answer Location: Pg. 128; Question Type: MC
*a. Robbing someone
Hitting someone
Shooting at someone
Participating in gang violence
According to Ebensen et al. (2010), it is implied that the value of Individual Offending Rates (IOR) are _________________ offense prevalence percentages.
the same as
about twice as large as
about half as large as
*d. about one-tenth as large as
Learning objective number: N/A
Cognitive Domain: Analysis
Answer Location: Pg.
Question Type: MC
Type: MR
CHOOSE ALL THAT APPLY. Under what circumstances are girl members of gangs found to be MOST likely to engage in violence?
@ Learning objective: N/A; Cognitive Domain: Comprehension; Answer Location: Pg. 129; Question Type: MS
As the proportion of females in a gang increases
As the age of females in a gang increases
*c. As the proportion of males in a gang increases
*d. As the level of organization of a gang increases
Which of the following is NOT an example of a characteristic of an “organized gang”?
@ Learning objective: N/A; Cognitive Domain: Application; Answer Location: Pg. 129; Question Type: MC
A gang that requires its members to wear all red in public
A gang that requires a “jump in” to become a member
A gang that that commits burglaries
*d. A gang that has no designated leader
It is uncommon for girls’ violent acts to involve ____________.
@ Learning objective: N/A; Cognitive Domain: Knowledge; Answer Location: Pg. 129; Question Type: MC
*a. firearms
knives
fists
multiple offenders
Valdez’s (2007) term “beyond risk” is another way of saying _________________.
@ Learning objective: N/A; Cognitive Domain: Knowledge; Answer Location: Pg. 130; Question Type: MC
no risk
low risk
moderate risk
*d. extreme risk
Valdez (2007) found which of the following detrimental family conditions to be most commonly reported among female respondents who later became gang associates?
@ Learning objective: N/A; Cognitive Domain: Comprehension; Answer Location: Pg. 130; Question Type: MC
*a. Family member drug use
Family member alcohol abuse
Witnessing domestic violence
Sexual abuse by a family member
Which of the following is NOT an example of a behavior common to “hoodrats”?
@ Learning objective: N/A; Cognitive Domain: Application; Answer Location: Pg. 131; Question Type: MC
Frequently attending parties with male gang members
Using both marijuana and cocaine
*c. Marrying a gang member
Drinking a six-pack of beers every night
Type: MR
CHOOSE ALL THAT APPLY. Which of the following is a risk factor for girls’ gang joining?
@ Learning objective: N/A; Cognitive Domain: Knowledge; Answer Location: Pgs. 131-132; Question Type: MS
*a. Early problem behaviors
Immigration status
*c. Neighborhood characteristics
*d. Family environments
Due to differences in the origins and implications of _______________, different interventions are proposed for gang-involved females and males.
@ Learning objective: N/A; Cognitive Domain: Analysis; Answer Location: Pg. 133; Question Type: MC
the liberation hypothesis
extreme risk
*c. risk factors
sexism
The ____________________ is an example of a CBT (Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy) intervention for gang involvement.
@ Learning objective: N/A; Cognitive Domain: Comprehension; Answer Location: Pg. 135; Question Type: MC
*a. SNAP Girls program
Movimiento Ascendencia
*c. Female Intervention Team
Safe Dates
___________________ refers to a therapeutic model that allows girls to explore common problems in their lives and to develop a sense of self-worth through intimate communication with others.
@ Learning objective: N/A; Cognitive Domain: Knowledge; Answer Location: Pgs. 135-136; Question Type: MC
CBT (Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy)
Mediation
*c. Strengths-based
Cultural awareness
Which of the following female-specific programs starts serving girls at the earliest age?
@ Learning objective: N/A; Cognitive Domain: Comprehension; Answer Location: Pgs. 135-136; Question Type: MC
*a. SNAP program
Movimiento Ascendencia
FIT (Female Intervention Team)
Safe Dates
The treatment model of “Safe Dates” implies that the same treatment models that help reduce the likelihood of sexual victimization would also be helping in reducing ___________.
@ Learning objective: N/A; Cognitive Domain: Analysis; Answer Location: Pg. 136; Question Type: MC
joining a gang
the average amount of time spent in a gang
drug use within gang contexts
*d. violent victimization in gang contexts
Which of the following is NOT a “gender-neutral” gang intervention service?
@ Learning objective: N/A; Cognitive Domain: Comprehension; Answer Location: Pgs. 136-137; Question Type: MC
G.R.E.A.T. program
ART program
*c. Movimiento Ascendenica
BSFT
Which of the following “female-specific” gang interventions is affiliated with a law enforcement agency?
@ Learning objective: N/A; Cognitive Domain: Comprehension; Answer Location: Pg. 136; Question Type: MC
SNAP program
CBT (Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy)
*c. FIT (Female Intervention Team)
Safe Dates
It is implied that most gang programs that receive the designation of being “gender-neutral” are named as such because they ________________________.
@ Learning objective: N/A; Cognitive Domain: Analysis; Answer Location: Pg. 137; Question Type: MC
dedicate equal amounts of time to female- and male-specific topics
*b. have proven to be equally effective for both female and male participants
have equal proportions of female and male program staff
do not mention gender in any of their materials
Which of the following is NOT an example of a problem behavior that would be targeted by Brief-Strategic Family Therapy (BSFT) for prevention or intervention?
@ Learning objective: N/A; Cognitive Domain: Application; Answer Location: Pg. 137; Question Type: MC
Heroin use
Teen pregnancy
*c. The incarceration of a parent
Truancy
Which of the following refers to an alternative to residential treatment, incarceration, or hospitalization for adolescents who have problems with chronic antisocial behavior, emotional disturbance, and delinquency?
@ Learning objective: N/A; Cognitive Domain: Knowledge; Answer Location: Pg. 117; Question Type: MC
*a. MTFC (Multidimensional Treatment Foster Care)
MST (Multisystemic Therapy)
(Brief Strategic Family Therapy) BSFT
Comprehensive Gang Program Model
Coverage during the first media crime wave largely characterized female criminals as ethnic and racial minorities.
@ Learning objective: N/A; Cognitive Domain: Comprehension; Answer Location: Pg. 124 Answer: False; Question Type: TF
True
*b. False
It is implied that mixed-methods approaches, such as those employed by Moore (1978, 1991), are ideal for exploring the role of girls in gangs.
@ Learning objective: N/A; Cognitive Domain: Analysis; Answer Location: Pg. 125; Answer: True; Question Type: TF
*a. True
False
Modern studies on girls in gangs that followed Moore’s (1978, 1991) landmark studies largely used longitudinal study designs.
@ Learning objective: N/A; Cognitive Domain: Comprehension; Answer Location: Pg. 125; Answer: True; Question Type: TF
*a. True
False
There is consensus among researchers that female gang members are increasingly involved in more serious and violent offenses.
@ Cognitive Domain: Comprehension; Answer Location: Pgs. 126-127; Answer: False; Question Type: TF
True
*b. False
Studies on gang gender composition suggest that there is an inverse relationship between the proportion of males in a gang and the amount of violence perpetrated by the gang.
@ Learning objective: N/A; Cognitive Domain: Analysis; Answer Location: Pg. 129; Answer: False; Question Type: TF
True
*b. False
Ebensen and colleagues (1999) found that gangs with female members were slightly more organized than gangs without female members.
@ Learning objective: N/A; Cognitive Domain: Knowledge; Answer Location: Pg. 129; Answer: True; Question Type: TF
*a. True
False
Each of Valdez’s (2007) non-gang typologies of females includes an assessment of the group’s level of involvement in gang-related activities.
@ Learning objective: N/A; Cognitive Domain: Analysis; Answer Location: Pg. 130; Answer: True; Question Type: TF
*a. True
False
Females exposed to gangs are more likely to be victims of sex crimes and other types of violent offenses.
@ Learning objective: N/A; Cognitive Domain: Comprehension; Answer Location: Pg. 131; Answer: True; Question Type: TF
*a. True
False
Risk factors refer to conditions that serve as antecedents to gang joining.
@ Learning objective: N/A; Cognitive Domain: Analysis; Answer Location: Pgs. 131-133; Answer: True; Question Type: TF
*a. True
False
The “female-responsive” and “what works” treatment and intervention philosophies are the same.
@ Learning objective: N/A; Cognitive Domain: Comprehension; Answer Location: Pg. 133; Answer: False; Question Type: TF
True
*b. False
Type: E
Discuss Moore’s (1978, 1991) key research findings about female gang members and how her studies advanced scholarship on the topic of girls in gangs.
@ Learning objective: N/A; Cognitive Domain: Comprehension; Answer Location: Pg. 125; Question Type: SA
*a. Answer: Moore’s key research findings include the discovery that female gang members became more involved in criminal activities and more independent over time, and that there were more female gang members than had been expected by prior research. This last finding was particularly important for advancing scholarship on girls in gangs, as many other researchers sought to empirically test this conclusion.
Type: E
Indicate two reasons why the data source for the National Youth Gang Survey may influence estimates that only 10% of gang members are female.
@ Learning objective: N/A; Cognitive Domain: Analysis; Answer Location: Pg. 127
*a. Answer: The National Youth Gang Survey is the only nationally representative annual survey of gang membership in the United States. Data is collected by law enforcement agencies, which may influence the finding that only 10% of gang members are female for the following reasons: (1) Girls leave gangs earlier than boys and are thus less prevalent as offenders in street crimes; and (2) law enforcement personnel tend to pay less attention to younger gangs since they are less responsible for serious crimes than older gangs.
Type: E
Discuss the evolution of research on the involvement of girls in gangs. Why did the development of research on male and female gang members differ so substantially?
@ Learning objective: N/A; Cognitive Domain: Analysis; Answer Location: Pgs. 123-126; Question Type: ESS
*a. Answer: Varies. Students should first indicate that up until very recently, inaccurate and overly simplistic depictions of female gang members dominated, which were largely influenced by sexist notions of female capacities in contrast to those of men. These depictions largely reduced female gang members to the equivalent of second-class gang citizens, relegated to auxiliary roles in gangs, which were largely circumscribed around their gendered presentation to make gang members as either tomboys or sex objects. After charting the history of depictions of female gang members, students should describe landmark studies that broke the mold, by presenting findings that challenged the notion that female gang members never acted independently or engaged in criminal activities relating to their gang involvement. For example, students could note the pioneering contributions of Adler (1975a, 1975b) and the “liberation hypothesis” and other early research from the 1970s and 1980s that began to challenge the notion that women serve only subservient roles in gangs, and in doing so, also asserted that they partook in more serious crime than was previously believed. Students should also mention the more recent contributions of Moore (1991) and subsequent empirical tests of her core proposition that participation in female gangs had grown over time. These tests were largely confirmatory of her initial findings and led researchers to understand that female gang members increasingly participate in gang activity, and do so more independently than they used to.
Type: E
Imagine that you are creating a female-specific gang prevention program after reviewing best practices. What would be the key elements of your program, what programs would they be based on, and how would they aim to reduce gang membership among females? (Hint: Be sure to discuss risk factors of female gang membership and which risk factors your program addresses.)
@ Learning objective: N/A; Cognitive Domain: Application; Answer Location: Pgs. 131-136; Question Type: ESS
*a. Answer: Varies. Students should indicate that the somewhat unique risk factors associated with gang involvement among females mean that there are some reasons to suggest that at least some degree of female-specific programming would be beneficial in deterring young girls and women from joining gangs. For example, students should detail the risk factors discussed in the chapter (including their definitions and examples), such as early problem behaviors (e.g., sexualized behaviors), neighborhood characteristics (disorganized neighborhoods), family environment (e.g., child abuse), negative peers (e.g., peers who are delinquent), and school problems (e.g., behavioral trouble at school). Students could then say, for example, that based on the “Safe Dates” model, a new program would use CBT (as SNAP Girls Connection) to help give females positive self-images of what relationships they wish to have moving forward with family members, peers, and romantic partners.
Gangs in America’s Communities
James C. Howell
Elizabeth Griffiths
Chapter 7: National Gang Trends: 1996 to 2009
Multiple Choice Questions:
The first National Youth Gang Survey (NYGS) was completed in.
@ Learning objective: N/A; Cognitive Domain: Knowledge; Answer Location: Pg. 143; Question Type: MC
1978
1991
*c. 1996
2009
Miller’s (2001) research on gang patterns suggested that gang activity peaked in.
@ Learning objective: N/A; Cognitive Domain: Knowledge; Answer Location: Pg. 144; Question Type: MC
the 1950s
the 1970s
the 1980s
*d. the 1990s
In which of the following ways did W. Miller’s (2001) conclusions about gang activity in the United States differ from findings from federal commissions at the time?
@ Learning objective: N/A; Cognitive Domain: Analysis; Answer Location: Pgs. 144-145; Question Type: MC
*a. Miller found gangs to be a MORE serious societal issue than the federal commissions found.
Miller found gangs to be a LESS serious societal issue than the federal commissions found.
The federal commissions found gang activity to have grown substantially since the 1970s while Miller did not.
Miller found gang activity to be concentrated in middle-class areas while the federal commissions found it to be concentrated in urban slums.
Type: MR
CHOOSE ALL THAT APPLY. Which of the following is a consequence of economic segregation that influenced gang development and growth in the 1980s and 1990s?
@ Learning objective: N/A; Cognitive Domain: Comprehension; Answer Location: Pg. 146; Question Type: MS
*a. Local disadvantage
*b. Social disorganization
Increased heroin use
*d. Compromised social control
Which of the following is implied to be the most responsible for the strong influence of gang culture diffusion on gang development and growth in the 1980s and 1990s?
@ Learning objective: N/A; Cognitive Domain: Analysis; Answer Location: Pg. 146; Question Type: MC
Law enforcement agencies
Politicians
Gang members themselves
*d. The media
_____________ implies that a survey could be used multiple times and the findings would be substantively similar over time.
@ Learning objective: N/A; Cognitive Domain: Comprehension; Answer Location: Pg. 148; Question Type: MC
Validity
*b. Reliability
Trajectory modeling
A study population
The key difference between validity and reliability is that _________________________.
@ Learning objective: N/A; Cognitive Domain: Analysis; Answer Location: Pg. 148; Question Type: MC
validity is about the consistency of results while reliability is about the accuracy of capturing the study population
reliability is about the consistency of results while validity is about accurately capturing the study population
validity is about the consistency of results over time while reliability is about the extent to which a measure actually measures what it is intended to capture
*d. reliability is about the consistency of results over time while validity is about the extent to which a measure actually measures what it is intended to capture
Between 2002 and 2009, the percentage increase in jurisdictions with gang problems was _______________ the percentage increase of the number of gangs reported in the National Youth Gang Survey (NYGS).
@ Learning objective: N/A; Cognitive Domain: Comprehension; Answer Location: Pg. 149; Question Type: MC
much less than
*b. a little less than
exactly the same as
a little more than
In Howell and colleagues’ (2011) trajectory models of gang activity, the T2 group represented cities with ____________________ T1 group.
@ Learning objective: N/A; Cognitive Domain: Analysis; Answer Location: Pg. 153; Question Type: MC
the same prevalence of gang activity as the
an unknown prevalence of gang activity in relation to the
*c. more consistent gang activity over time than the
less consistent gang activity over time than the
A _________________ city is defined as a city with a population of 50,000 people or more.
@ Learning objective: N/A; Cognitive Domain: Knowledge; Answer Location: Pg. 154; Question Type: MC
small
medium-sized
*c. larger
giant
Type: MR
CHOOSE ALL THAT APPLY. Which of the following are patterns of gang activity over the 14-year time period that Howell and colleagues (2011) observed in trajectory models of larger cities only?
@ Learning objective: N/A; Cognitive Domain: Comprehension; Answer Location: Pg. 155; Question Type: MS
*a. No change
*b. Increasing gang activity
*c. Decreasing gang activity
*d. A variable trend
Type: MR
CHOOSE ALL THAT APPLY. In terms of the political and criminal justice context of larger cities, it is implied that _______________ are more likely to evidence chronic gang problems.
@ Learning objective: N/A; Cognitive Domain: Comprehension; Answer Location: Pg. 156; Question Type: MC
liberal cities
*b. conservative cities
*c. cities with fewer public defense resources for criminals
cities with more public defense resources for criminals
Which of the following is a key difference in the economic context of larger cities with increasing or emerging gang problems and those with chronic gang problems?
@ Learning objective: N/A; Cognitive Domain: Comprehension; Answer Location: Pg. 157; Question Type: MC
They have lower poverty rates among non-Whites than cities with chronic problems.
They have higher poverty rates among non-Whites than cities with chronic problems.
*c. They have higher than average expenditures on social welfare than cities with chronic problems.
They have lower than average expenditures on social welfare than cities with chronic problems.
______________________ scores account for the number and size of groups in the local population.
@ Learning objective: N/A; Cognitive Domain: Knowledge; Answer Location: Pg. 157; Question Type: MC
Homogeneity
*b. Heterogeneity
Complete homogeneity
Complete heterogeneity
Which of the following is NOT an example of a demographic characteristic common to a city with chronic gang activity?
@ Learning objective: N/A; Cognitive Domain: Application; Answer Location: Pg. 157; Question Type: MC
Above-average percentage of female-headed households compared with other cities in the state
Above-average percentage of residential instability compared with other cities in the state
*c. Above-average percentage of Whites in poverty compared with other cities in the state
Above-average percentage of young males compared with other cities in the state
Which of the following is the most complex context to measure when comparing larger cities’ gang activity?
@ Learning objective: N/A; Cognitive Domain: Comprehension; Answer Location: Pg. 157; Question Type: MC
Political and criminal justice
Economic
Demographic
*d. Cultural
Which of the following is NOT an example of a law that punishes immorality?
@ Learning objective: N/A; Cognitive Domain: Application; Answer Location: Pg. 159; Question Type: MC
*a. A three-strikes law
A law setting the age of sexual consent at 16
A law making slot machines illegal
A law banning open liquor containers
All of the following are common components of “traditionalism” except:
@ Learning objective: N/A; Cognitive Domain: Analysis; Answer Location: Pg. 159; Question Type: MC
The government must attempt to keep social order.
There is a commitment to maintaining the status quo.
The interests of elites are often met.
*d. The interests of the disadvantaged are often met.
In reference to political culture, it is implied that larger cities with emerging gang activity will ____________.
@ Learning objective: N/A; Cognitive Domain: Comprehension; Answer Location: Pg. 160; Question Type: MC
support a utilitarian government
support private enterprise
support individual goals
*d. support collective goals
A _______ city is a reprehensive locale for each gang activity trajectory.
@ Learning objective: N/A; Cognitive Domain: Comprehension; Answer Location: Pg. 161; Question Type: MC
chronic
*b. modal
median
valid
__________________ represents an average city with chronic gang activity.
@ Learning objective: N/A; Cognitive Domain: Knowledge; Answer Location: Pg. 136; Question Type: MC
*a. Modesto, CA
Warwick, RI
Newport Beach, CA
Asheville, NC
_________________ represents an average city with emerging gang activity.
@ Learning objective: N/A; Cognitive Domain: Knowledge; Answer Location: Pg. 161; Question Type: MC
Modesto, CA,
*b. Warwick, RI,
Newport Beach, CA,
Asheville, NC,
Which of the following factors has received the LEAST empirical support in explaining what leads cities to develop emerging gang activity?
@ Learning objective: N/A; Cognitive Domain: Comprehension; Answer Location: Pgs. 164-166; Question Type: MC
Social disorganization
*b. Population migration
Cultural diffusion
Economic deprivation
Which of the following factors is shared among cities that have chronic and emerging gang problems?
@ Learning objective: N/A; Cognitive Domain: Comprehension; Answer Location: Pgs. 165-166; Question Type: MC
Population migration
Returning prison gang members
Gang histories
*d. Economic deprivation
Which of the following class of factors is shared among cities that have chronic, emerging, and declining gang problems?
@ Learning objective: N/A; Cognitive Domain: Comprehension; Answer Location: Pgs. 169-170; Question Type: MC
Political
*b. Economic
Demographic
Cultural
Miller’s (1982, 1992) research on the geography of gang presence in the United States occurred in the ways predicted by Thrasher (1927) and other Chicago school sociologists.
@ Learning objective: N/A; Cognitive Domain: Analysis; Answer Location: Pg. 145; Answer: False; Question Type: TF
True
*b. False
Gang growth in the 1980s and 1990s is associated at least partly with the unsuccessful assimilation of Latino and Caribbean immigrants.
@ Learning objective: N/A; Cognitive Domain: Comprehension; Answer Location: Pg. 145; Answer: True; Question Type: TF
*a. True
False
Media portrayals of gangs have remained largely consistent over time.
@ Learning objective: N/A; Cognitive Domain: Comprehension; Answer Location: Pgs. 146-147; Answer: False; Question Type: TF
True
*b. False
It is implied that police are the best sources for collecting data on street-level gang trends.
@ Cognitive Domain: Comprehension; Answer Location: Pg. 148; Answer: True; Question Type: TF
*a. True
False
Smaller cities have a lower prevalence of gang activity than rural counties.
@ Learning objective: N/A; Cognitive Domain: Comprehension; Answer Location: Pg. 150; Answer: False; Question Type: TF
True
*b. False
Cities reporting chronic or near chronic gang presence between 1999 and 2006 were nearly 4 times as large as cities reporting fluctuating gang activity.
@ Learning objective: N/A; Cognitive Domain: Knowledge; Answer Location: Pg. 154; Answer: True; Question Type: TF
*a. True
False
The relationship between a city’s political and criminal justice context and the nature of its gang problem has been proven to be causal.
@ Learning objective: N/A; Cognitive Domain: Analysis; Answer Location: Pgs. 155-156; Answer: False; Question Type: TF
True
*b. False
The number of inmates that died in correctional custody due to insufficient medical care is an example of a measure of a state’s punitiveness scale based on Tonry’s (2001) scale.
@ Learning objective: N/A; Cognitive Domain: Application; Answer Location: Pg. 159; Answer: False; Question Type: TF
True
*b. False
Both traditionalism and moralism are political cultures that significantly affect cities’ gang activity.
Learning objective number: N/A
@ Cognitive Domain: Analysis; Answer Location: Pgs. 159-160; Answer: False; Question Type: TF
True
*b. False
Of the four regions in the United States, the Northwest is most likely to have cities with chronic gang activity.
@ Cognitive Domain: Comprehension; Answer Location: Pg. 164; Answer: False; Question Type: TF
True
*b. False
Type: E
Why were gang prevalence rates in suburban counties so high from 1996 to 2009 compared with other kinds of locales?
@ Learning objective: N/A; Cognitive Domain: Analysis; Answer Location: Pg. 150
*a. Answer: While larger cities had the highest gang prevalence rates, suburban counties had the second highest rates, due to the following factors: (1) They had comparatively higher populations, which provided capacity to support gang activity; (2) they became the new sites of poverty and ghetto conditions once such neighborhoods were displaced from inner cities; and (3) gang culture became more popular in these areas.
Type: E
What is trajectory modeling and in what novel way was it applied to understanding gang activity trends?
@ Learning objective: N/A; Cognitive Domain: Comprehension; Answer Location: Pgs. 152-153
*a. Answer: Trajectory modeling is a kind of statistical modeling that traditionally has been used to assess individual-level offending patterns over time. Starting in 2004, researchers including Griffiths and Chavez (2004) started using trajectory modeling to assess the criminal activity of geographic areas, such as neighborhoods and street segments. In 2011, these geographic analyses were applied to study trends in the presence of gang activity in particular, and those trajectory models indicated that law enforcement agencies reported various trends in gang activity in their jurisdictions over time, such as rapid increases in gang activity, or a consistent gang presence.
Type: E
Explain the phenomenon of “gangsta rap,” describe how the medium is related to the growth of gangs in the 1990s.
@ Learning objective: N/A; Cognitive Domain: Analysis; Answer Location: Pgs.146-147; Question Type: ESS
*a. Answer: Varies. Students should say that the diffusion of gang culture is believed to be one of the most significant contributing factors leading to the growth in reported gang activity in the 1980s and 1990s, and the most common medium for this diffusion was “gangsta rap.” While the loudness and colorful nature of gang symbols have historically made them well-suited for presentation as media products, starting in the 1980s, gangsta rap dramatically changed how these images were presented to audiences. Students should note that before gangsta rap, media presentations of gangs were made largely by middle-class outsiders, who glorified and romanticized gang life. Gangsta rap represented a drastic shift in the source of information about gangs, as it was young insiders who were providing raunchy and violent insider takes on life in a gang. Students should explain that while this music was intended for a wide range of youth, spanning class and ethnic groups, it was especially influential among youth living in poor and disadvantaged areas. These youth came to idolize gangsta rappers, who spread messages of sexual conquests, money, and respect by virtue of their positions as gang members, and served as a significant catalyst for transforming members of youth gangs into members of verifiable street gangs.
Type: E
Discuss how characteristics of larger cities influence the nature and extent of their gang problems. Be sure to assess preliminary findings regarding at least two different characteristics (e.g., political, cultural) in your answer.
@ Learning objective: N/A; Cognitive Domain: Analysis; Answer Location: Pgs. 154-161; Question Type: ESS
*a. Answer: Varies. Students should first indicate that research has shown that a locale’s characteristics have been shown to significantly influence whether a city reports having a chronic gang problem, or whether that locale reports change of some kind. While extant research does not prove causality, studies have shown that four main factors influence the nature and extent of gang problems in larger cities; these include political/criminal justice factors, economic conditions, demographic conditions, and cultural dynamics. For example, studies have shown that cities that are more conservative and more punitive tend to have more chronic gang problems. Further, in terms of demographic context, research has found that cities with chronic gang presence tend to be located in states and counties with larger non-White populations. Cities with chronic gang problems tend to have larger proportions of Hispanic and immigrant residents compared with cities with variable gang activity, locales that are more heterogeneous in terms of ethnic and racial makeup.
