@article{aa5fc8cbc0dd4b06bd6a8b3257ef3e4e,
title = "What Do We Know About Gangs and Gang Members and Where Do We Go From Here?",
abstract = "This review provides an opportunity to assess the current state of gang research and suggest directions for its future. There has been a dramatic increase in research on gangs, gang members, and gang behavior since the early 1990s, making this review especially timely. We use Short's three-level framework of explanation to organize the findings of prior research, focusing on individual-, micro-, and macro-level research. Attention is focused on the findings of such research, but we also examine theoretical and methodological developments as well. Drawing from Short and life-course research, we introduce a cross-level temporal framework to guide future directions in gang research.",
keywords = "gang members, gangs, group process, risk factors, structural correlates",
author = "Scott Decker and Chris Melde and Pyrooz, {David C.}",
note = "Funding Information: Dr. Scott H. Decker is foundation professor and director in the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice at Arizona State University. His main research interests are in the areas of gangs, criminal justice policy, and the offender{\textquoteright}s perspective. His research on gangs has examined drug use, violence and desistance. He is currently engaged in a study of gang desistance and the use of technology funded by Google Ideas and a study of gang desistance over the life course funded by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. Dr. Chris Melde is assistant professor of Criminal Justice at Michigan State University. He earned the PhD in Criminology and Criminal Justice from the University of Missouri-St Louis. His primary research interests are in gangs, quantitative methods and program evaluation. Dr. David Pyrooz is assistant professor in the College of Criminal Justice at Sam Houston State University. He earned the PhD in Criminology and Criminal Justice from Arizona State University. His main research interests are in criminological theory, desistance and gangs. Correspondence to: S. Decker, School of Criminology and Criminal Justice, Arizona State University, Phoenix, AZ 85004, USA. E-mail: scott.decker@asu.edu",
year = "2013",
month = jun,
doi = "10.1080/07418825.2012.732101",
language = "English (US)",
volume = "30",
pages = "369--402",
journal = "Justice Quarterly",
issn = "0741-8825",
publisher = "Taylor and Francis Ltd.",
number = "3",
}