NCJ Number
219799
Journal
Journal of Gang Research Volume: 14 Issue: 4 Dated: Summer 2007 Pages: 1-10
Date Published
2007
Length
10 pages
Annotation
This paper documents the evolution of gangs called "third-generation" street gangs (3 GEN), which operate in "lawless zones" where government influence, traditional security structures, and communities with informal social controls have deteriorated.
Abstract
First-generation gangs are traditional street gangs with a "turf" orientation. They operate at the lower end of extreme societal violence. They have loose leadership and focus on turf protection and gang loyalty within a few blocks or a neighborhood. Their criminal enterprises are largely opportunistic and local. Second-generation gangs engage in criminal businesses. They are entrepreneurial and based in drug dealing. They protect their markets and use violence to control and/or eliminate their competition. Third-generation gangs constitute the most complex type of gang. They operate or aspire to operate globally, using their sophistication in technology and managerial expertise to garner power, conduct financial acquisitions, and engage in mercenary-type activities. To date, most 3 GEN gangs have been primarily mercenary in their orientation; however, in some cases they have attempted to further their political and social objectives. Third-generation gangs have been studied for a decade. During this period, a growing number of papers have recognized their potential and have tracked their progress and proliferation. When 3 GEN gangs interact with and hire themselves out to drug cartels and other sophisticated criminal organizations, they become nonstate criminal soldiers. As such they challenge legitimate state institutions in creating instability and conflict. This is most likely to happen where state institutions are weak, where the gap between those that have and those that have not stimulate crime and instability, and in those areas where insurgency seeks power. Although 3 GEN gangs are not currently a threat in the United States, they do pose a threat in Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, and Guatemala. 23 references