A latent profile analysis of child maltreatment among at-risk youth gang members: Associations with violent delinquency, non-violent delinquency, and gang organizational structures.

BACKGROUND: The relationship between child maltreatment and later delinquency is an enduring concern worldwide. However, the maltreatment-delinquency relationship is relatively underexplored in youth gang populations. Consequently, to date, studies have not examined typologies of maltreatment and their associations with violent delinquency, non-violent delinquency, and gang organizational structures. OBJECTIVE: First, to identify the characteristics of subgroups of youth gang members who varied in abuse type and severity within type. Second, to determine in what ways the profiles differed in terms of gang organizational structures, violent delinquency, and non-violent delinquency. PARTICIPANTS AND SETTINGS: A sample of 161 youth gang members (mean age: 16.8; range: 12-24) were recruited and surveyed by outreach social workers in Hong Kong. METHODS: Latent profile analysis was first used to examine heterogeneity in victimization experiences (physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, and neglect). Thereafter, non-parametric tests and post-hoc analyses were conducted to examine associations between the yielded typologies of maltreatment and gang organizational structures, violent delinquency, and non-violent delinquency. RESULTS: Poly-victimization was prevalent in the sample, with 148 respondents (91.9 %) reporting at least two types of past abuses. Three profiles of maltreatment emerged, varying in abuse types and severity within types: 'Minimally maltreated', 'Moderately maltreated, except sexual abuse', and 'Severely maltreated'. In comparison to the 'Minimal' maltreatment profile, the 'Moderate' and 'Severe' profiles were associated with greater delinquent behaviors and being in gangs that encouraged congregate illegal behaviors. CONCLUSIONS: There was a relationship between typologies of maltreatment and gang organizational structures, violent delinquency, and non-violent delinquency in the sample of youth gang members. Implications for practice and future research are discussed.

Entre lugares comunes y el desconocimiento. Pandillas juveniles en una ciudad intermedia (Popayán, 2016-2018) / Between Common Places and Lack of Knowledge. Youth Gangs in an Medium-sized City (Popayán, 2016-2018) / Entre lugares comuns e ignorância. Gangues juvenis em uma cidade média (Popayán, 2016-2018)

Resumen Este artículo de investigación es un ejercicio exploratorio que busca identificar las condiciones socioeconómicas y los contextos en los que se desarrollan actividades delictivas asociadas a las pandillas juveniles en Popayán, capital del departamento del Cauca. Para tal fin, se acude por un lado a estrategias cuantitativas a partir de información estadística de la Policía Nacional para describir los delitos de hurto y riñas. Además, se utilizan datos obtenidos del Sistema de Identificación de Beneficiarios (Sisben) para caracterizar las condiciones de vida de la población juvenil de la ciudad. Por otra parte, se acude a estrategias cualitativas en las que destaca el análisis documental mediante la revisión de prensa y de documentos institucionales, con el fin de conocer las acciones que se adelantan para la atención de las pandillas juveniles. Lo examinado permite advertir que las pandillas no son expresiones exclusivas de las grandes ciudades, en las ciudades intermedias están en el centro mismo de las acciones delincuenciales y son un importante desafío para la seguridad y la convivencia. Sin embargo, más allá de la intervención represiva, son pocas las iniciativas estatales para su atención, como poco el interés por comprender su complejidad. En consecuencia, las posibilidades efectivas de cambio de la situación son limitadas.

Abstract This research article is an exploratory exercise that seeks to identify the socioeconomic conditions and contexts in which criminal activities associated with youth gangs in Popayán, capital of the Department of Cauca, are performed. To that end, we resorted to, on one hand, quantitative strategies based on statistical information from the National Police to describe the crimes of theft and brawls. On the other hand, data obtained from the Beneficiary Identification System (Sisben) was used to characterize the living conditions of Colombia's juvenile population. Furthermore, qualitative strategies were used, in which documentary analysis stands out by means of press reviews and institutional documents, in order to know the actions being performed to attend to youth gangs. The analyzed information allowed cautioning that gangs are not exclusive expressions of large cities. Medium-sized cities are at the very center of crime and are a significant challenge to security and coexistence. However, beyond repressive intervention, there are few state initiatives related to this challenge and there is scant interest in understanding its complexity. Consequently, the situation's effective possibilities of change are limited.

Resumo Este artigo de pesquisa é um exercício exploratório que busca identificar as condições socioeconómicas e os contextos em que ocorrem atividades criminosas associadas a gangues juvenis em Popayán, capital do departamento de Cauca. Para este fim, por um lado, são utilizadas estratégias quantitativas com base em informações estatísticas da Polícia Nacional para descrever os delitos de furto e brigas. Além disso, para caracterizar as condições de vida da população jovem da cidade, são utilizados os dados obtidos do Sistema de Identificação de Beneficiários (Sisben). Por outro lado, são utilizadas estratégias qualitativas destacando a análise documental por meio da revisão de imprensa e de documentos institucionais, a fim de conhecer as ações que estão sendo realizadas para o atendimento das gangues juvenis. O resultado permite advertir que as gangues não são expressões exclusivas das grandes cidades, estão no centro das ações criminosas nas cidades médias e são um importante desafio para a segurança e a convivência. Porém, além da intervenção repressiva, são poucas as iniciativas estatais para sua atenção e é pouco o interesse por compreender a sua complexidade. Consequentemente, as possibilidades efetivas de mudança desta situação são limitadas.

Vulnerable children: Protection and social reintegration of child soldiers and youth members of gangs.

In the 30 years since the adoption of the United Nation's Convention of the Rights of the Child (CRC), international policy and research has continuously examined the impact of community violence exposure on child development. This article uses the framework of the CRC to review how the world has studied the involvement of child soldiers in armed conflict. We then apply Article 38 of the CRC (which prohibits the use of child soldiers) to parallel the literature regarding youth involvement in gangs. We argue that due to high similarities of these groups, including in regards to risk factors, traumatic experiences, and post-experience sequelae, youth gang members should be included as a protected group under the CRC as are child soldiers. We conclude with a discussion of programs that may be effective at preventing recruitment into armed conflict and gang memberships, and programs that reduce traumatic symptoms of children who experience and perpetrate violence.

Trust in Police Motivations During Involuntary Encounters: An Examination of Young Gang Members of Colour.

Problems related to distrust of police, including aggressive and prejudicial police behavior, continue to raise concerns. Using a procedural justice model, the present study examines perceptions of trust or the lack thereof among a subpopulation of young disadvantaged minority youth that routinely come in contact with the police: drug-dealing gang members. In this article, we examine 253 qualitative in-depth interviews comprised primarily of African American and Latino male and female drug-involved gang members, utilizing a comparative analysis, to examine how participants discuss interactions with law enforcement and describe situations where they trust the police or situations where they do not. The findings suggest that the context in which they were stopped operates as a primary differentiating component that shapes their perceptions of trust in the motivations behind police engagement. When stopped by the police for "justifiable" reasons, the participants expressed a trust in the motivations that necessitated the encounter. However, when stopped for reasons, which appeared as unreasonable, our participants voiced a strong sense of distrust in the motivations of the police. These findings suggest that procedural justice scholars should consider the extent to which the type or context of the encounter with the police plays an important role in influencing feelings of trust.