Section II - Observations on the Community and Gangs

Introduction

In Section I we explored the nature of gangs. In Section II our attention focuses on how the various social institutions in gang communities respond to their presence. 

Ideally, at the heart of every community is the individual in a family setting. Immediately outside the family is the neighborhood and the community in which it is found. Then, in a kind of radiating circle, come the various social institutions to which the individual may belong and which provide for the many needs of the collective that is the community. Among these institutions are education (the schools), faith groupings, commerce (the business community), social services, health care, the justice system, government, and the media. These are the social institutions I want to explore in terms of their relationship to the gang phenomenon.

What follows are my own observations on how various social institutions in the research cities were responding to the gang situation accompanied by quotes from the literature and the observations of my interview subjects.

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© 2002 Michael K. Carlie
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without permission in writing from the author and copyright holder - Michael K. Carlie.