A Tucson principal learned that denial and traditional administrative strategies cannot mitigate evolving gang activity. He recommends that school leaders use respect; provide relevant programs; establish a zero-tolerance policy for weapons, drugs, and violence; create parent patrols; keep video records; regulate attire; welcome police; support…

Describes the Identity Workshop, a club established in a suburban high school for students opposed to bullying and bigotry. Developed as a teacher response to the presence of anti-Semitic "Skinheads" in the student body, the club brought about positive changes in the school climate. (SLD)

Using data gathered from a multi-year field study, this article identifies specific life-course events shared by gang-affiliated women. Gangs emerge as a cultural adaptation or pro-social community response to poverty and racial isolation. Through the use of a social-network approach, data show that violence dramatically increases in the period…

The literature provides ample evidence of the relationship of substance abuse to crime. Research over the last 20 years has established a strong correlation between substance abuse and juvenile delinquency (held, 1998). Currently, there are more than 350,000 juveniles on probation and in continuing care programs in the U.S. who have substance…

A sample of gang members and a comparison group of club boys are compared on 11 factors from the Objective-Analytic Personality Factor Battery. The findings are examined in light of several hypotheses drawn from theories of personality and of gang delinquency. (Author/CTM)

Discusses unforeseen costs (including potential litigation expenses), benefits, and consequences of adopting security measures (such as metal detectors, drug dogs, security cameras, campus police, dress codes, crime watch programs, and communication devices) to counter on-campus violence and gang activity. High-tech gadgetry alone is insufficient.…

During the 1930s, a worldwide depression created a fear of communism and a "law-and-order" mentality. The 1990s, by contrast, are marked by a social void in which guilt is ascribed to no one. As recent TV commercials show, dispensing reasonable consequences in response to negative actions is viewed as socially backward. Too often,…

In "Raising Children in a Socially Toxic Environment," James Garbarino's nostalgic recollection of family, school, and neighborhood life in the 1950s becomes the utopian antecedent for a comparative bashing of contemporary times. Although racial stratification and social/economic marginality compromise 1990s families' child-raising…

School systems need to have a uniform reporting system of security incident data. Analysis of the data can help the district decide whether to (1) do nothing; (2) employ local police; (3) contract with a guard service; (4) hire security professionals; or (5) combine above options. (MLF)

Clothing is a primary form of gang-member identification. School boards that seek to revise dress-code policy on gang attire need to make certain they can justify their steps so that students' right to freedom of expression and the need for a safe school environment can coexist. Reviews five court cases and offers guidelines. (MLF)

Presents an annotated bibliography of 22 trade books that deal with violence and its consequences. The books have been chosen for their power in dealing with tough subjects forthrightly and without compromise. Includes fiction and non-fiction suitable for intermediate (grades 3-5), middle (grades 6-8), and advanced (grades 9-12) levels. (MJP)

Innercity students who enter a suburban school system often find themselves at a significant disadvantage, both academically and socially, and seek acceptance by flaunting gang symbols. Identifies 10 strategies for addressing the problems of gang influence in suburban schools, including involving transfer students and providing career counseling.…

Economic restructuring has exacerbated problems of black men such as poverty, unemployment, lowered life expectancy, and low expectations. Power diverted from productive channels is expressed in gang violence, homicide, and suicide. Recommendations include a national agency to eliminate poverty, involve the black community, and increase funding…

Gang membership in large cities is declining but may be increasing in small towns. A student high-school teacher in Silver City, New Mexico, describes several academic, counseling, disciplinary, and extracurricular programs (including a support group for gang dropouts) to address students' and teachers' school-safety concerns. (MLH)

Investigated factors associated with gang involvement among rural and urban adolescents using data from a sample of 1,183 Nevada students in grades 7 through 12. There was no significant difference in gang membership or pressure to join gangs between the rural and urban samples, but there were differences on other gang and violence indicators.…