Kids Join Gangs for Protection, Respect & Friends, Report Says
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There's some new nationwide research on why kids are involved in gangs and how to stop them from joining up. The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention released its December 2010 report called Gang Prevention: An Overview of Research and Programs.
The report highlights why kids join gangs and how communities can best combat gang activity. The OJJDP found that not all strategies work. But, here are a few that do:
Parent and family involvement
Training teachers and parents to manage unruly young people
Providing education that teaches kids interpersonal skills
For some insight on how to rescue a teenager from a gang, check out the column from Sedgrid Lewis in Ideas and Opinions at JJIE.org.