Norms and Networks of Latino Gang Youth

Title of Study: Norms and Networks of Latino Gang Youth

The Urban Institute will conduct a study utilizing a social network framework to understand the patterns of relations among Latino gang/group members and the nature of the links binding these groups to their social contexts. The research will provide policymakers, practitioners, and researchers with empirically-based information about the characteristics of Latino groups involved in violent crime, and the influence these characteristics, such as acculturation, have on the behavior of individual group members. The study will fill an important gap in the growing body of gang literature regarding how interpersonal relationships and networks shape social interaction, and, in turn, individual level pro- or anti-social behavior (e.g., group-based criminal behavior). The proposed study will collect personal and group network data from criminally-involved Latino groups in Montgomery County, Maryland and Phoenix Arizona. The Urban Institute will partner with Identity, Inc., Por La Causa, and Arizona State University to carry out this study. Project performance will be measured by the project's adherence to its established timeline and by the quality of deliverables. CA/NCF