Examines how the minority drug problem is framed in terms of anomie and underclass models suggesting that drug subcultures in urban black areas are formed as an adaptation to aggregate community conditions. The article considers how researchers use ecological and ethnographic data to back up claims that drug subcultures are a response to inner…

Challenges recent portrayals of the demonic character of female gang members by examining the life histories and social organizations of several different female gangs. Interviews with 65 female gang members from seven groups show that these young women experience potential and actual violence in different violence prone situations. (SLD)

Describes how Youth for Oakland United is working for positive alternatives to crime and incarceration. It argues for a critical need for safe common spaces for teens and cites preventive measures in cities across America. It documents how research on Oakland recreation centers resulted in a successful citizen ballot initiative for youth…

Articles in this theme issue counter the myths of youth violence and probe the realities in school, the community, and the juvenile justice system. Most articles highlight the situations of urban youth of color. Alternative perspectives are presented, including some consideration of the situation of young women and girls, and some artwork and…

Presents and discusses the "street scripts" of five African American urban high school and college students, writings that reflect personal perspectives on urban life and crime. These young people know that their lives, desires, and dreams are quite different from those that have been constructed in the public spaces of politics and the…

Instead of working solely to control young people and to put offenders behind bars, society should be trying to build a responsible community in which young people, aware of their value, act responsibly because they have seen responsible behavior in action. The importance of ritual and initiation for youth is discussed. (SLD)