Considers cults as gangs, but also distinguishes cults from gangs by the cult's reference to and insistence on allegiance to single higher authority, usually spirit figure or spiritual leader. Examines Satanism, identifies Satanic holidays and symbols, and describes characteristics of cult-influenced youth. Includes list of organizations and books…

Presents interview with 14-year-old gang member and student classified as Severe Behavior Handicapped the day before he was to appear in court. Student explains how he became gang member, feelings toward rival gangs, selling drugs, the trouble he had gotten into, and his feelings about gangs in general. (NB)

Explains how the needs children are trying to meet through gang involvement are the same ones that societies meet with rites of passage. Although gang rituals are antisocial, the needs they meet for youth are healthy. Offers several strategies that can be used when working with youth involved in gangs. Urges educators to help youth develop…

Presents interview with Rasoul Jackson, psychologist who works with Beech Brook children's mental health programs and with Cleveland (Ohio) City Schools around gang-involved matters, and with Eddie Fields, Acting Director of Youth Services at Collinwood Community Center in Cleveland. Interviewees discuss gang problems in the schools, consider…

Books in the Opposing Viewpoints Series present debates about current issues that can be used to teach critical reading and thinking skills. The variety of opinions expressed in this collection of articles and book excerpts explore many aspects of juvenile gangs. Some youths join gangs of their own free choice, to satisfy ego or greed. Others are…

Books in the Opposing Viewpoints Series present debates about current issues that can be used to teach critical reading and thinking skills. The variety of opinions expressed in this collection of articles and book excerpts explores many aspects of juvenile crime. It is a commonly held view that the number of crimes committed by juveniles is…

Most gang membership research studies males; few examine the etiology of female gang membership. Presents themes of female gang membership gathered from interviews with 15 young women. Examines demographic material, family structure, initiation rites, and criminal behaviors. Explores implications for social work practice and research. (FC)

This autobiographical narrative describes the early life of Luis J. Rodriguez, a journalist and poet who was immersed in the youth gang culture of Los Angeles (California). Framed by the story of the pull of the gang life for the poet's son, it recounts his experiences from his childhood on the United States-Mexico border through his family's…

Explores the childhood and adolescence of the Hispanic American poet Luis Rodriguez, who grew up in Los Angeles (California) and was involved in gangs with other children of Mexican immigrants. Rodriguez's autobiography is offered so that adolescents, including his own son, may learn from his experience. (SLD)

The clan principle, the informal determination of human groups by totem characteristics, commonly accepted standards for self-definition, valued knowledge, and regulation of behavior, is a reality for American Indian and Native Alaskan cultures and for the mainstream urban, suburban, and industrial society as well. The tendency to group…