So, I currently work with David Kennedy at the Center for Crime Prevention and Control at John Jay College in NYC. Part of my (more mind numbing) daily duties is to do a daily media search for anything that might concern our initiatives, contracted departments, clients, etc. etc. Yesterday, I found an unrelated article that was one of those good ol' "How to tell if your kid is in a gang" things, and it got me to thinking... Most of the people that we deal with in my line of work KNOW that their children are part of a gang/street group, because that's just the expectation in the community. They don't necessarialy like it, and they don't necessarialy support it, but most of them certainly expect it.

That can't always be the case, though. I know that the state I hail from has "gangs" of middle school kids who claim some sort of affiliation even though they don't fit the typical profile (including activities) of a street group member. Usually, we don't really count these kinds of "gangs" as an issue, because they tend to dissolve before the kids actually do any real damage. Then there are groups like the juggalos who, for the most part (with some heinous exceptions, of course) are really more just a nusiance than a criminal issue. In both of these cases, however, the parenting tips wouldn't be practical because they are almost always directed at "bloods/crips-style" gangs.

So, in light of all of this information I have been wondering - how much research is there out there on the parents of gang/street group members? Specifically, has anyone studied the differences between parents who expect/do know their child is involved and do not support the behavior, parents who expect/do know their child is involved and do support the behavior, and parents who are just wholly unaware? If we still have these "is your kid in a gang" things out there, I feel this means there must be some naive parents whose children are involved in legitimate, illegal gang activity. Any ideas on where I can go about finding such literature would be appreciated.