NCJ Number
136489
Date Published
1989
Length
13 pages
Annotation
An enthnographic and interview-based investigation was conducted of 30 Chicano men who had been active members of East Los Angeles gangs in their teens and who now ranged in age from their mid-20's to 60.
Abstract
The information obtained from interviews and field observations with 30 Chicano men revealed a subset of former barrio gang members whose lives were characterized by poor education, underemployment and unemployment, extensive involvement with illicit drugs, recurrent incarceration, and histories of family disruption in both childhood and adulthood. Many of these men and particularly those in their twenties and thirties continued to congregate and intermingle with gang youths at barrio "hangouts" and to reinforce by example deviant behavior patterns among the youths. Needed are multidirected interventions coordinated through prison work programs and through parole and probation authorities. Sensitive intervention programs implemented in schools might redirect barrio youths from adopting the lifestyle of these older role models. 8 references