This mixed-methods study examined the experiences of girls and young women within gang ecologies in the Rio Grande Valley, a unique transnational border region in Texas. Drawing on interviews with 150 girls and young women ages 14–25, focus groups and interviews with 26 community stakeholders, and analysis of local juvenile justice administrative data, the research revealed distinct patterns of female gang involvement shaped primarily by relationship-based pathways.
Many participants held a liminal “hang around” status where they were connected to gang ecologies through family, romantic partners, or friends without formal membership. The transnational context of the region included cross-border connections, exposure to border-related violence, and border crossing experiences shaping participants’ vulnerabilities. Gang-labeled girls involved with the juvenile justice system demonstrated significantly higher rates of trauma, substance use, and court order violations compared with their non-gang labeled counterparts.
However, multivariate analysis revealed that while having a gang label increased the likelihood of more severe disposition outcomes for boys, it had no significant independent effect on disposition severity for girls. The findings suggest that interventions for this population of girls and young women should be developmentally appropriate and trauma-informed, address family dynamics and substance use, and be anchored within the distinctive transnational context of border communities.
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