On Gangs and Family

Abstract

Abstract Research rarely explores the link between family and the gang directly. This is an important oversight, because family plays important and dynamic roles in the development of gangs, gang members, and gang careers. Marginalized or otherwise troubled primary families (i.e., families of origin) tend to push youth toward gangs. Later in life, the responsibilities of secondary families (i.e., created families) tend to pull young adults out of or away from gangs. However, how the gang functions as a replacement source of attachment (e.g., surrogate family) over the life course is not well understood. This chapter advances the discussion of gangs and families by integrating the life-course perspective of gang involvement with attachment theory to generate a more functional and inclusive framework through which to analyze family and the gang as group processes.