Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Gang prevention'

This research investigated the strategies used by school administrators in selected high schools to prevent or reduce gang-related activity and violence. Interviews were conducted with six high school principals, six assistant principals, fifteen staff members and eleven students. All of the students were gang members. The results of the study showed that there are gang members in all schools, but that their gang activity at school is curtailed by some specific strategies.

The purpose of this study will explore increasing gang membership, gang structure, and strategies utilized by the criminal justice system in attempting to curb gang-related crime and activities. Through a quantitative research study, the researcher examined crime in the cities of Garden Grove, California and Santa Ana, California in an attempt to determine the success of the Santa Nita Gang Injunction in reducing crime within the injunctions "safety zone."

This research study examined an innovative gang approach in the city of San Bernardino called Operation Phoenix. The purpose of this study was to conduct a needs assessment for Operation Phoenix. This qualitative and quantitative study examined how effective Operation Phoenix was in the prevention, intervention, and suppression of gang activity in the city of San Bernardino. In addition it assessed the unique needs of this comprehensive gang program.

I denna uppsats försöker jag förklara vad ungdomsbrottslighet innebär, vilka faktorer gör så att man som ungdom utför brottsliga handlingar och hamnar i kriminella gäng samt hur man på bästa sätt kan förebygga ungdomsbrottslighet. Jag har gjort en litteraturöversikt och sedan behandlat informationen med hjälp av två tidigare teorier, sociala bandteorin och inlärningsteorin. För att få mina frågeställningar besvarade har jag fokuserat på ungdomar och hur det kommer sig att de väljer en kriminell väg. I diskussion och resultat stycket presenterar jag vad jag kommit fram till i analysdelen och analyserar resultatet med dem valde teorierna. I uppsatsen tar jag även upp om det finns någon koppling mellan maskulinitet och brottslighet och iså fall vilken.

Research on gangs has traditionally focused on identifying the risk factors associated with youth gang membership in multiple developmental domains with limited attention on examining the protective factors that may buffer youth from joining gangs (Howell & Egley, 2005). Educational and psychological research have found robust evidence that school engagement protects youth from a host of risky activities and negative outcomes (e.g., substance use, dropping out of school) and may hold promise in also protecting youth from gang involvement. Therefore, the purpose of the present study is three-fold: (1) to identify students who are at risk for gangs; (2) to investigate whether school engagement can be a protective factor for youth at risk for joining gangs; and (3) to examine whether a well-supported model of motivational development can account for the dynamics that may facilitate or undermine school engagement as a protective factor for gang involvement. Data (N = 342) from an ethnically/racially diverse and socio-economic homogeneous sample were analyzed. Students reported on their levels of (1) engagement versus disaffection from school activities, (2) belongingness, competence, and autonomy, (3) school climate and teacher support, and (4) attraction to and participation in diverse extracurricular activities. In addition, an innovative method for measuring student attraction to gangs was tested. Preliminary evidence indicated that Gang Attraction Profile was a distinct student profile that was structurally different and not redundant with traditional methods of self-reported gang membership. The Gang Attraction profile was sensitive in distinguishing youth of differing levels of gang attraction and gang involvement. Results also indicated that school environments that are experienced as supportive and caring promoted student engagement and achievement. Evidence was found that belongingness to the school played an important role in buffering youth from being attracted to and involved in gangs. Specifically, a student's self-perception of belongingness was related to higher levels of school engagement and teacher support, and lower levels of gang attraction and gang involvement. These results not only highlighted the importance of school belongingness in buffering youth from negative outcomes such as gang involvement and gang attraction, but also revealed a different motivational process that may lead to gang involvement than previously expected. Implications for the design of prevention and intervention programs are discussed as well as directions for future research.

Incidence of youth and gang violence in the Portland, Oregon metro area has increased dramatically over the past five years. This violence has recently become more spatially diffuse, shifting outwards from gentrified, inner city neighborhoods, towards the city's periphery. These incidents exist within the context of a shifting regional political economy, characterized by a process of gentrification associated displacement and growing, and distinctly racialized and spatialized, inequalities. While gang researchers have long argued a corollary between the emergence of gangs and economically and culturally polarized urban landscapes, the ongoing suburbanization of poverty in American cities suggests a new landscape of uneven power differentials playing out between disenfranchised youth and those seeking to police and prevent violence. This paper provides a critical examination of how local agencies charged with addressing youth and gang violence are responding to shifts in the landscape of violence and navigating the inequitable distribution of wealth and resources in the "progressive" city. Drawing on interviews conducted with police, policy makers and gang outreach workers, the author investigates both perceptions of gentrification's role in youth and gang violence and the spacialities of emerging enforcement and prevention efforts. My findings suggest that prevention and enforcement efforts frequently rely on techniques and models designed to replicate conditions in older, gentrified neighborhoods, while perhaps unwittingly reifying existing inequalities. Ultimately, I hope to reveal some of the links, both at macro-structural levels and those of daily practice, between a shifting political economy and emerging forms of suburban policing.

The purpose of this thesis was to write a grant to fund anger management groups for at-risk youth. The groups would be held immediately after the boxing classes currently offered by the city of Hawaiian Gardens. Six sessions are envisioned. Topics would include self-responsibility and accountability for one’s actions inside and outside of the ring, alternatives to conflict, emotion-regulation skills, and coping with triggers. The goals are to enhance anger management skills, develop positive social skills, and decrease the risk for aggressive behavior and delinquency. In turn, this is expected to reduce the risk for gang membership.

The city of Hawaiian Gardens would be the host agency for this program. The funding source selected was the city of Hawaiian Gardens in conjunction with the Board of State and Community Corrections.

Based on the review of the literature, pairing a gang prevention program with sports has the potential to engage at-risk youth and deter them from the gang culture. The proposed program is expected to provide at-risk youth in the disadvantaged community of Hawaiian Gardens with a positive alternative path in life.

The actual submission of the grant proposal was not required as part of the thesis project.

The purpose of this study was (1) to review programs directed towards students defined "at risk" in the literature, (2) to construct a profile of the at-risk population served by the Gang Risk Intervention Program (GRIP) in Riverside County, and (3) to make future recommendations towards enhanced service delivery to the same.

The term graffiti has been adapted to mean any type of writings on a surface area that have been scratched, painted or marked. These writings, which are typically perceived from a negative point of view, may be something as small as doodles on a paper or something as large as paintings on a wall or the side of a building. Because graffiti is often part of gang culture and identified as criminal activity, when graffiti enters into a school the school's atmosphere and graffiti deters from a positive educational environment. In this study, five School Resource Officers from urban secondary schools in Utah were interviewed. These interviews were conducted in order to better understand Utah School Resource Officers' experiences and their perceptions of the most common types of graffiti being created inside their school building; what (if any) disciplinary measures are typically applied when those responsible for graffiti are identified; and what strategies are used to prevent future incidents of graffiti. Their perceptions and recommendations are considered and summarized to assist other school communities who face similar challenges with in-school graffiti. Overall, School Resource Officers' feedback indicates that graffiti is a major problem in public schools, particularly for high schools that have gang related graffiti. Implications for school-based interventions include the following recommendations made by the participating School Resource Officers. They emphasized the importance of closely monitoring and supervising students during school hours; rapidly removing graffiti in situations where graffiti is displayed; and clearly stating and enforcing consequences for students who participate in creating graffiti in schools. School Resource Officers also noted the importance of building trust with students and providing opportunities of anonymous reporting.

Thesis (MTech (Education and Social Sciences))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2009
This study examines the nature and the extent of school gang activity and how it impacts on learner academic performance in South African township schools. The research evidence shows that learners in South Africa have been exposed to widespread school gang activity leading to poor learner academic performance in the township schools. The effects of the phenomenon of school gang activity on learner academic performance are given a more insightful understanding of its effects. The literature review supports the central argument that school gang activity persists in South African schools, especially in the townships. In addition, the literature provides both international and local perspectives of the high prevalence of school gang activity and claims that it results in an insecure teaching and learning environment. The specific research design selected for the study is a phenomenological study and is qualitative, explorative and descriptive in nature. A semi-structured interview method was employed to gather the data required. The findings of the study reveal that many learners in the township schools experience direct incidences of school gang activity either at school or on the way to or from school. In addition, the findings reveal that feelings of insecurity are most intense in the classroom situation because the opportunities to escape danger are minimal. The conclusions drawn from the study are that classrooms are dangerous places and this impacts on the ability of learners to achieve academically. Based on the findings, this mini-dissertation recommends collaborative efforts of all role-players to interact and produce amicable strategies and solutions that will decrease the occurrence of school gang activities and school violence. Gang activity in schools severely hinders learner academic performance. Hence incorporating interdisciplinary perspectives, involving activities such as teamwork and programme development can provide some solutions. This mini-dissertation is dedicated to my little angel, Avuyile Boqwana, in memory of the day she was born. I said that day, "A professor is born in my house," trusting that my wishes will be fulfilled one day. As young as she is, she is the source of all my inspirations to pursue life-long learning. My little is a source of motivation every time I look at her. She is my hope for the future. It was her enduring love when she always missed her bedtimes waiting for me to come back from my late tiring sessions that provided "the wind beneath my wings" to complete this educational journey.

Sexual assault of women is a well-documented phenomenon in U.S. samples, particularly on college campuses. Innovative approaches to prevention encourage men and women to intervene as bystanders in sexual assault situations; however, bystander behavior is notoriously inhibited by various situational factors. This study used a mixed-method approach to better understand the role of situational factors in college men’s bystander behavioral intentions in a party gang rape situation. The first aim was to develop an experimental paradigm using vignette methodology to manipulate the amount of masculinity threat present in a party gang rape situation, which could then be used to explore the effect of masculinity threat on men’s bystander behavioral intentions. Although I was unable to heighten masculinity threat, findings indicate that a previous relationship with the offenders results in men expecting a typical male college bystander to experience less negative affect in the situation. The second aim was to use the vignettes to examine whether men’s perception of the rape-supportive and traditional masculine gender role norms among the offenders involved, as well as indicators of masculinity threat, would predict men’s bystander behavioral intentions. Boding well for bystander intervention programs, the majority (98%) of men reported intention to intervene to stop the assault to some degree, although this intention was lower for men who perceived the party gang rape situation to result in more negative affect for a typical college male bystander. Data depicts the party gang rape situation as one in which masculine norms and masculinity threat are salient; however, these aspects did not play a role in intentions to intervene. Eighteen percent of men reported some intention to join in the assault, which was predicted by perceived masculine norms and men’s demographic characteristics. Findings point to the importance of culturally competent programming and the utility of incorporating a social norms approach in bystander intervention programs. Programs may benefit from addressing concerns about retaliation, particularly as a function of men’s relationships to the offenders. A limitation is the exclusion of individual difference variables to explore whether men’s own attitudes interact with situational factors to predict bystander behavioral intentions.

The impact of intervention strategies to reduce gang related violence by Non- Governmental Organisations (NGOs) and the community at large has so far not attracted much attention or support from provincial and national authorities. Helenvale and its surrounding areas plays an integral part of the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality as the economic-hub of the Eastern Cape Province. But its gang problem has evolved over decades of socio-economic difficulties and struggle for a better life in the predominantly Coloured community. In order for this problem to be overcome a more strategically focused intervention strategy is required by local, provincial, and national authorities. This research study evaluates the gang intervention strategies in the Helenvale area and seeks to provide a primary research base from which key policies and strategies could be developed to address this challenge in an effort to bring about peace and stability in this community and other affected areas within close proximity of the area of study. At the heart of providing possible solutions to practices of gangsterism amongst mostly the youth, should be a well-coordinated intergovernmental high impact intervention strategy in partnership with NGO’s, civil society and other sectors of the community. Further solutions are the investment by authorities in rehabilitation centres, with skills development and job-creation opportunities as a key exit strategy for those involved in gangs. Acknowledgement that the enhancement and development of mediation skills of community based structures through the sharing of critical conflict theory and mediation practices, could make a substantial contribution to greater peace and stability in our communities.

Although the government of the United States of America was established to protect the rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness among all American citizens, this thesis argues intractable gang violence in inner-city Chicago has persistently denied these rights, in turn undermining fundamental (and foundational) American political values. Thus, gang violence can be argued to represent a threat to both civil order and state legitimacy. Yet, where comparable (and generally lower) levels of community-level violence in Northern Ireland garnered the sustained attention and direct involvement of the United Kingdom's central government, the challenge posed by gang violence has been unappreciated, if not ignored, by the American federal government. In order to mobilise the political commitment and resources needed to find a durable resolution to Chicago's long and often anarchic 'uncivil war', it is first necessary to politicise the problem and its origins. Contributing to this politicisation, this thesis explains why gang violence in Chicago has been unable to capture the political imagination of the American government in a way akin to paramilitary (specifically republican) violence in Northern Ireland. Secondly, it explains how the depoliticisation of gang violence has negatively affected response, encouraging the continued application of inadequate and largely ineffective response strategies. Finally, it makes the case that, while radical, a conditional agreement-centric peace process loosely modelled on that employed in Northern Ireland might offer the most effective strategy for restoring the sense of peace and security to inner-city Chicago lost over half a century ago.

Våldsbrottsutvecklingen har varit en central fråga i den offentliga debatten desenaste åren och LPO Storgöteborg Nordost har skildrats som ett av Sveriges mestbrottsutsatta områden. Polisen i nordöstra Göteborg har på senare år intensifieratdet proaktiva arbetet med bland annat utökad hot spot-patrullering ochimplementering av kameraövervakning. Samtidigt påträffas brister i polisensanalys- och uppföljningsarbete vilket förorsakar bristande kunskap ombrottsutvecklingen och tillämpade åtgärders brottsförebyggande effekter. Genomatt studera brottsutvecklingen över tid går det att identifiera mönster ochförändringar i brottslighetens omfattning och struktur, vilket kan användas somunderlag för mer problemorienterade analyser. Syftet med föreliggande uppsats ärföljaktligen att redogöra för hur det anmälda gatuvåldet har utvecklat sig ilokalpolisområdet mellan åren 2014-2018. Uppsatsen ämnar även att bidra medkunskap till hur utvecklingen kan förstås i termer av brottsförebyggande åtgärderspotentiella effekter. Det samlade resultatet av analyserna indikerar på naturligafluktuationer av gatuvåldet i nordöstra Göteborg de senaste åren, med undantagför år 2016 då anmälda brott ökade signifikant. Våldet tenderar att vara klustrattill särskilda platser och genom s.k. near repeat analyser kan bland annatkonstateras att risken för upprepade personrån bedöms vara hög. Samtidigtpåträffas en tydlig minskning på några av de särskilt brottsutsatta platser som varitföremål för en rad polisiära insatser de senaste åren, vilket skulle kunna indikerapå att polisens kraftansträngningar har gett resultat. Enligt poliserna själva finnsdet emellertid en antydan om att brottsligheten, istället för att minska, förflyttastill närliggande områden. Sammanfattningsvis konstateras att bidragande faktorertill utvecklingen kan vara många och att fler studier behövs som undersökerbrottsligheten i relation till åtgärdernas preventiva förmåga, för att få en mernyanserad bild av brottsutvecklingen.
The development of violent crime has been a central topic in the public debate ofrecent years and Local Police District of Northeast Gothenburg has beendescribed as one of Sweden’s most exposed areas. Northeast Gothenburg policehave in recent years intensified the proactive work with, among other things,increased hot spot policing and implementation of CCTV cameras. At the sametime, deficiencies are found in the police's analysis and follow-up work, whichcauses a lack of knowledge about crime development and the crime preventioneffects of applied measures. By studying crime development over time it ispossible to identify patterns and changes in the extent and structure of crime,which can be used as a basis for more problem-oriented analyses. The purpose ofthis thesis is to describe how reported street violence has developed in the localpolice area between 2014-2018. This paper also aims to contribute knowledge onhow this development can be understood in terms of the potential effects of crimeprevention measures. The overall result of the analyses indicates naturalfluctuation of street violence in Northeast Gothenburg in recent years, with theexception of 2016 when reported offenses increased significantly. Violence tendsto be clustered in specific places and near-repeat analysis demonstrates a greatrisk of repeated muggings. At the same time, a clear reduction is found in some ofthe particularly crime-exposed locations that have been the subject of a series ofpolice efforts in recent years. This could indicate that police efforts have yieldedresults. However, according to the police themselves, there is a suggestion thatcrime, rather than reducing, is spreading to neighboring areas. In conclusion,contributing factors to the development can be many and more studies are neededto investigate crime in relation to the preventive ability of those measures, in orderto get a more nuanced picture of crime development.

Thesis (M.A. in National Security Affairs)--Naval Postgraduate School, September 2005.
Thesis Advisor(s): James Russell, Anne Marie Baylouny. Includes bibliographical references (p. 105-111). Also available online.

Epidemiological methods and public health theories can be tied to theories of crime and delinquency and used to create evidence-based policy. Interdisciplinary theoretical approaches to existing, and emerging, public health and criminal justice problems hold great promise. Differential association theory postulates that close association with delinquent peers leads to an increase in deviant activities such as illicit drug use. Social cognitive theory postulates that health behavior change is driven by the interaction of (a) cognitive states that support a health outcome, (b) the social and contextual environment, (c) and individual action. Combined, these theories can be applied to drug eradication programs as well as other health and crime issues. Focus groups and interviews were performed to identify rates of illicit substance use among incarcerated African American adolescent male gang members and nongang members. The policy recommendations illustrate the convergence of criminological and epidemiological theory under the new paradigm of epidemiological criminology or ??EpiCrim.??

Syfte: Syftet med denna studie är att undersöka vilken betydelse social påverkan upplevs ha i förebyggande av avvikande beteende och våldsutövning samt att diskutera hur Fittjabors förhållningssätt till och erfarenheter av preventiv vuxenroll och kollektiv självförmåga under perioden 1971–2020 kan förstås teoretiskt. Teori och metod: Den teoretiska referensramen utgörs av teorin om kollektiv självförmåga med fokus på social påverkan och teorin om sociala band med fokus på vardagsanknytning. Datainsamlingsmetoden utgörs av semi-strukturerade djupintervjuer med tio vuxna Fittjabor. Resultat och analys: Informanterna redogör för upplevda svårigheter men även för vikten av att utöva social påverkan vid förekomsten av avvikande och kriminella beteenden hos unga män i Fittja. De anser att vuxna lokalbor bör ha en grundläggande preventiv roll i förhållande till unga män i området. För att social påverkan ska kunna fungera brottspreventivt krävs enligt informanternas upplevelser att relationer mellan Fittjaborna stärks, att boende och verksamma aktörer i Fittja samverkar, att vuxna (både lokalbor och aktörer) bygger relationer till unga män i området samt att preventiva insatser sätts in tidigt. Vuxna Fittjabor har av informanterna med åren upplevts utöva allt mindre social påverkan och särskilt undvikit subgrupper av unga män, det vill säga unga män med tydlig koppling till en kriminell livsstil. Detta har i analysen diskuterats som en eventuell delförklaring till varför unga mäns beteenden under 2010-talet och 2020 upplevs ha nått en nivå som är svår att reglera med social påverkan. Analysen har vidare framhållit att social påverkan är ett beteende som vuxna lokalbor behöver träna sig själva i att utöva och unga män tränas i att motta, men även att det behöver utövas kontinuerligt och riktas mot samtliga unga män för att förebygga bildandet av subgrupper som frikopplar sig från den konforma samhällsordningen och lokalbefolkningens påverkan.
Aim: This study aims to investigate the perceived significance of social influence in deviant behavior and community violence prevention and to discuss how Fittja resident’s perceptions of pre­ventive adult roles and collective efficacy during 1971–2020 can be understood theoreti­cally.   Theory and method: The theoretical framework consist of collective efficacy theory, focusing on social influence and social bonds theory, focusing on everyday attachment. Data was collected by using semi-structured in-depth interviews with ten adult Fittja residents. Results and analysis: The informants report on perceived difficulties but also on the importance of exercising social influence towards young men with deviant and criminal behavior in Fittja. They believe that local adults should have a basic preventive role in relation to young men in the area. According to the informants, certain measurements need to be taken to obtain crime prevention effects from social influence: a) relations between Fittja residents need to be strengthened, b) collaboration between residents and local actors in Fittja needs to be established, c) adults (both residents and local actors) need to build relationships with young men in the area and d) preventive measures need to be taken early. Adult residents have according to the informants over the years been perceived to exert less and less social influence and especially avoid subgroups of young men, meaning young men with a clear connection to a criminal lifestyle. The analysis shows that this could be a possible partial explanation for why young men’s behavior during the 2010s and 2020 is perceived to have reached a level that is difficult to regulate with social influence. The analysis argues that social influence is a behavior that adult residents need to train themselves in exercising and young men trained in receiving, but also that social influence needs to be exercised continuously and directed at all young men to prevent the formation of subgroups that disconnect from conformity and the influence of the local population.
Populärvetenskaplig sammanfattning  Denna studie undersöker vilken betydelse social påverkan upplevs ha inom lokalsamhällen. Studien lyfter frågan huruvida boende i Fittja har reagerat på inkorrekta och kriminella beteenden hos unga män i området och om upplevs kunna vara en metod för förebyggande av avvikande och mindre kriminella beteenden samt på längre sikt våldsutövning i form av skjutvapenvåld. Tio vuxna Fittjabor har intervjuats om synen på sin egen roll i förebyggande av ungdomskriminalitet i området samt om upplevelser av hur de och andra Fittjabor har utövat social påverkan under perioden 1971–2020. Studien utgår från de teoretiska perspektiven social påverkan och vardagsanknytning som hämtats och modifierats ur teorin om kollektiv självförmåga och teorin om sociala band. De teoretiska perspektiven har integrerats med grund i idén om att när vuxna i lokalsamhällen har en god relation och dialog med unga män i området, så underlättas möjligheten att tillrättavisa dem om de skulle uppföra sig på ett avvikande eller mindre kriminellt sätt. Den framåt­blickande idén med perspektiven ifråga är att kontinuerlig dialogföring, relationsbyggande och tillrättavisning av unga män bryter inkorrekta och kriminella beteenden i ett tidigt skede och förebygger att beteendena utvecklas till grövre sådana, såsom exempelvis våldsbrott.  Resultatet och analysen visar att informanterna tycker att det är svårt att utöva social påverkan mot unga män som beter sig inkorrekt och kriminellt, men ändå anser att det är viktigt att göra det samt att vuxna har en viktig roll i denna fråga. De har även en upplevelse av att vuxna lokalbor behöver bygga relationer med varandra och med unga män samt samarbeta med olika aktörer i Fittja för att kunna förebygga ungdomsbrottslighet. Framförallt anser de att detta behöver göras medan unga män fortfarande är pojkar. Vuxna lokalbor i Fittja upplevs enligt informanterna ha utövat allt mindre social påverkan genom åren och särskilt undvikit unga män med lite stökigare och kriminella beteenden jämfört med mer skötsamma unga män från området. I analysen diskuteras det att detta skulle kunna vara en delförklaring till den upplevda förvärringen av unga mäns beteenden under 2010-talet och år 2020 och varför social påverkan under dessa senare tider flera gånger inte upplevs ha en inverkan på deras beteenden. Analysen påvisar att social påverkan är ett beteende som vuxna lokalbor behöver träna sig själva i att utöva och unga män tränas i att motta. Det konstateras vidare att social påverkan behöver utövas kontinuerligt och riktas mot samtliga unga män för att inte tillåta bildandet av mindre grupper av unga män som lever en kriminell livsstil och som lokalbefolkningen sedan inte kan hantera.

Thesis (MTech (Education))--Peninsula Technikon, 2003
Teaching and Learning cannot take place in an unsafe environment. The school plays a central role in the socialisation of a child and it is critical that schools offer a safe environment in which learning can take place. This study attempts to investigate school stakeholder perceptions of the Safe Schools Programme of the WCED and its impact on the learning environment of one primary school in the Mitchell's Plain district. The study as a whole is set against the research literature on crime and violence in schools. The literature surveyed covered the following aspects: (I) What constitutes crime and violence in schools; (2) The effects of crime and violence on the school environment; and (3) Approaches to reducing crime and violence in schools. This research project is a case study of school stakeholder perceptions of the Safe Schools Programme of the WCED as implemented in one primary school. Qualitative research techniques were employed and data was collected by means of individual semi-structured interviews with the acting principal and the safety officer of the school. A focus group interview was held with a group of educators and support staff members. Learners were excluded from the study as the aim was to determine the perceived impact of the Safe Schools Programme on the learning environment at the school. Primary school learners may perhaps not be able to articulate their views on the issue under research. Parents were not included in this research process but could be a valuable source of data for future research.

Thesis (PhD)--Stellenbosch University, 2013.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This study set out to research the influence of a local non-state actor on the role and authority of the state, in the domestic environment. Accordingly, the research problem focused on the impact of a domestic actor on the association between the state and the society. This study only focused on the state at the level of local government and the impact of one specific actor, organised criminal groups, on social control by the state. Thus, state-society relations were discussed in this context. In order to guide this study, the main and two supportive research questions were stated as follows: What is the impact of organised crime on the social control by the state? What are the power dynamics between local governance, criminal agents and society? Has the state become criminalised at the level of local government, as a result of the activities of organised crime, and if so, to what extent? The state thus functioned as the dependent variable and organised criminal groups as the independent variable. The theoretical foundation of this study was located in state-society relations, and specific reference was given to the work of Migdal (1988) and his analysis of state social control, pyramidal and weblike societies. Furthermore, a neo-pluralist view of the state was followed. A conceptualisation of the criminalisation of the state was provided, as the criminalisation of the state was regarded as one possible impact of organised crime on the state. In order to analyse the criminalisation of the state, a framework was constructed from four main avenues of empirical observation. In order to answer the research questions, a case study research design and a predominantly qualitative methodology was selected. As a case, the City of Cape Town was selected and Manenberg, located on the Cape Flats, as the site for the research. A case study research design created the opportunity to describe the context in detail and to connect the micro level of analysis to the macro level; thus, it provided insight on the research topic that enabled the researcher to expand/build theory. The field research process occurred over a period of three months using a triangulation of methods: Key informant interview, small group discussions and observation with three categories of respondents. These three categories included: Community members of Manenberg, organised criminal groups and agents of local government and local governance. In order to set the stage for the empirical analysis, a contextualisation of the dependent and independent variables were provided. It was stated that there is a lack of a universally agreed upon definition of organised crime, and as a result, a conceptualisation of organised crime was generated for this study. It was further argued that the majority of literature treats organised criminal groups and organised criminal gangs as two separate concepts, despite the fact that there are more similarities than differences. Thus, for the purpose of this study, a conclusion was reached that the difference is inconsequential. The development of organised crime in South Africa and an examination of the historical development of the gangs on the Cape Flats were described. With regards to the dependent variable, the context was provided for an analysis of local government in South Africa. The demographical and operational features of the municipal area of the City of Cape Town were explained, with specific reference to safety and security elements. The primary data collected was analysed according to the indicators of social control (compliance, participation and legitimacy), as identified by Migdal (1988). In addition, the framework to analyse the criminalisation of the state at the level of local government was applied on the case study. Based on the analysis, a different system, to what was described by Migdal (1988) in his narrative of a triangle of accommodation was found to be in operation in Manenberg on the Cape Flats. It was confirmed that there is the presence of a weakened state and accordingly, a weblike society, where social control is fragmented between local government and the criminal community. However, in this weblike society a system of local power dynamics exists between the criminal community, social community and local agents of governance, where dyadic collaboration occurs between all three the actors. However, despite the collaboration, the criminalisation of the state does not occur, but rather the statification of the organised criminal community, as it provides goods and service to the social community. The main findings can be summarised as: If a state lacks extensive social control and a rival authority has claimed a level of social control, this will not necessarily lead to the further weakening of the state, as a result of a system of power dynamics in place, where collaboration between the social community, the criminal community and local agents of governance occurs. This system is kept in place by: On-going efforts by the state to maintain (or regain) compliance, participation and legitimacy; corrupt agents of the state (specifically in the security sector); a level of operational ease that exists for the criminal community (and the interweaving of the criminal community in the social community) and a relatively strong society that acknowledges the benefits of criminal activities for the social community, but also recognises the authority and control of the state.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie studie het ten doel om die uitwerking van 'n plaaslike nie-staatsrolspeler op die rol en gesag van die staat in die plaaslike omgewing te ondersoek. Vervolgens fokus die navorsingsvraag op die impak van 'n plaaslike rolspeler op die verhouding tussen die staat en die samelewing. Die studie fokus op die staat op plaaslike regeringsvlak en op die impak van een spesifieke rolspeler, georganiseerde misdaadgroepe. Staat-samelewing-verhoudinge is dus teen hierdie agtergrond bespreek. Om die studie te rig, is die hoof- en twee ondersteunende navorsingsvrae soos volg gestel: Wat is die impak van georganiseerde misdaad op die sosiale beheer van die staat? Wat is die magsdinamiek tussen die plaaslike regeringsvlak, kriminele agente en die samelewing? Is die staat gekriminaliseer op plaaslike regeringsvlak as gevolg van die resultate van georganiseerde misdaadbedrywighede en, indien wel, in hoe 'n mate? Die staat vorm dus die afhanklike veranderlike en georganiseerde misdaadgroepe die onafhanklike veranderlike. Die teoretiese begronding vir hierdie studie is gevind in staat-samelewing-verhoudinge en die werk van Migdal (1988), spesifiek sy analise van staat-sosiale beheer en piramiede- en webvormige samelewings, word genoem. Verder is 'n neo-pluralistiese beskouing van die staat ingeneem. 'n Konseptualisering van die kriminalisering van die staat word verskaf, aangesien dit voorsien is as een moontlike impak van georganiseerde misdaad op die staat. Ten einde die kriminalisering van die staat te ontleed, is 'n raamwerk opgebou uit vier hoofrigtings van empiriese observasie. 'n Gevallestudie is as navorsingsontwerp gebruik om die navorsingsvrae te beantwoord, met hoofsaaklik 'n kwalitatiewe metodologie. As 'n geval is die Stad Kaapstad gekies, met Manenberg op die Kaapse Vlakte as die terrein vir die navorsing. Die gevallestudie-navorsingsontwerp het die geleentheid geskep om die konteks in detail te beskryf en die mikrovlak-analise met die makrovlak-analise te verbind; derhalwe het dit insig verskaf wat die navorser in staat gestel het om teorie (uit) te bou. Die veldwerkproses het oor 'n tydperk van drie maande deur drie metodes plaasgevind: onderhoude met sleutelinformante, kleingroepbesprekings, en observasies met drie kategorieë respondente. Hierdie drie kategorieë is gemeenskapslede van Manenberg, georganiseerde misdaadgroepe, en agente van plaaslike regering en bestuur. Ten einde die empiriese navorsing op te stel, is 'n kontekstualisering van die afhanklike en onafhanklike veranderlikes verskaf. Dit is gestel dat daar 'n gebrek is aan 'n universeel-aanvaarde definisie van georganiseerde misdaad, en as gevolg hiervan is 'n konseptualisering vir hierdie studie gevorm. Daar is verder geargumenteer dat die meerderheid literatuur georganiseerde misdaadgroepe en georganiseerde misdaadbendes as twee aparte konsepte hanteer, ten spyte daarvan dat hierdie groeperinge veel meer ooreenstem as verskil. Vervolgens is die gevolgtrekking gemaak dat die verskil nie betekenisvol is nie. Die ontwikkeling van georganiseerde misdaad in Suid-Afrika en 'n ontleding van die historiese ontwikkeling van bendes op die Kaapse Vlakte is beskryf. Rakende die afhanklike veranderlike, is die konteks verskaf vir 'n analise van plaaslike regering in Suid-Afrika. Die demografiese en operasionele kenmerke van die munisipale area van die Stad Kaapstad is uiteengesit, met spesifieke verwysing na veiligheid- en sekuriteitselemente. Die primêre ingesamelde data is ontleed aan die hand van die indikatore van sosiale beheer (nakoming, deelname en legitimiteit) soos deur Migdal (1988) gedefinieer. Verder is die raamwerk om die kriminalisering van die staat op plaaslike regeringsvlak te ontleed, op die gevallestudie toegepas. Op grond van die analise is daar bevind dat 'n ander stelsel as wat Migdal (1988) in sy narratief van ‟n driehoek van akkommodasie beskryf het, in Manenberg op die Kaapse Vlakte voorkom. Dit is bevestig dat daar 'n verswakte staat voorkom en, vervolgens, 'n webvormige samelewing, waar sosiale beheer gefragmenteer is tussen die plaaslike regering en die kriminele gemeenskap. In hierdie webvormige samelewing bestaan egter 'n stelsel van plaaslike magsdinamiek tussen die kriminele gemeenskap, die sosiale gemeenskap en plaaslike regeringsagente, waar diadiese medewerking tussen al drie die akteurs voorkom. Ten spyte van hierdie samewerking, kom die kriminalisering van die staat egter nie voor nie, maar eerder 'n verstaatliking van die georganiseerde misdaadgemeenskap, aangesien dit goedere en dienste aan die sosiale gemeenskap verskaf. Die hoofbevindinge kan soos volg saamgevat word: As 'n staat nie uitgebreide sosiale beheer het nie en 'n mededingende gesag het 'n vlak van sosiale beheer opgeëis, sal dit nie noodwendig lei tot die verdere verswakking van die staat nie, as gevolg van 'n stelsel van magsdinamiek wat in plek is waar medewerking tussen die sosiale gemeenskap, die kriminele gemeenskap en plaaslike agente van bestuur voorkom. Hierdie stelsel word in plek gehou deur aaneenlopende pogings deur die staat om nakoming, deelname en legitimiteit te verkry (of terug te kry), korrupte staatsagente (spesifiek in die sekuriteitsektor), 'n vlak van operasionele gemak wat vir die kriminele gemeenskap bestaan (en die vervlegting van kriminele gemeenskap en die sosiale gemeenskap), en 'n relatiewe sterk samelewing wat die voordele van kriminele aktiwiteit vir die sosiale gemeenskap erken, maar so ook die gesag en beheer van die staat.

Thesis (M.S.) -- Central Connecticut State University, 2005.
Thesis advisor: Stephen M. Cox. "... in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Criminal Justice." Includes bibliographical references (leaves 51-53). Also available via the World Wide Web.

The study describes the perceptions of a specific group of students toward the advantages and disadvantages of joining gangs. The research identifies the likely impact of a gang prevention program, the Gang Education and Resistance Curriculum (Tsagaris, 1996), on changing student perceptions about joining gangs. Lastly, the study examines what educators and law enforcement officials view are essential characteristics of a successful program to prevent students from joining gangs. Data were collected using a student survey and guided interviews with educators, correctional officers and teachers. One hundred seven students were administered a Gang Awareness Survey prior to and upon completion of the gang prevention program. Guided interviews explored observations and experiences the adults had working with each other and with the students who participated in the program. Findings indicate that students have varying perceptions about the advantages and disadvantages of joining gangs. The impact of a gang prevention program differs for each student. And, there is commitment by adults to prevent students from joining gangs. Specific findings suggest that: (1) Student perceptions of the advantages of joining gangs prior to participation in the program demonstrated lack of knowledge about gang member attributes. (2) Upon completion of the program fewer students perceived many advantages to joining gangs. (3) Overall data analysis indicates that it is likely that the Gang Awareness and Resistance curriculum has an impact on changing participating student perceptions of the advantages and disadvantages of joining gangs. (4) Educators and correctional officers believe that collaborative models best serve the needs of the students, the schools and the community. The research culminates in recommendations for developing gang prevention programs. These recommendations can be used by school districts in collaboration with law enforcement officials and other community members to guide the development of programs that meet unique needs to prevent gangs in their schools and communities.

Drawing on both post-colonial literature and critical gang studies research, this study situates the advent and growth of Indigenous street gangs in the context of settler colonialism, global economic restructuring, and the turn to a New Right political rationality. While the current street gang problem is rooted in structural barriers created in the past, the turn to a New Right rationality has meant that solutions must now be individually focused, economically efficient, and created within an “at risk” framework. Interviews with workers at inner-city organizations in Winnipeg determined that youth gang prevention programs are able to act as sites of resistance to the New Right rationality by redefining what it means for youth to be considered “at risk.” In addition, short-term, program-based funding results in the inefficient use of resources, reduces the ability to create long-term, positive changes, and often does not provide the resources to effect larger structural changes.

Magister Administrationis - MAdmin
Post-apartheid local government in South Africa has significant responsibilities in terms of redressing the socio-economic imbalances of the past, including basic service delivery and fostering local economic development. In meeting the socio-economic and material needs of communities, local government is also required to be democratic by enhancing various forms of public participation in governance and through the election of community representatives for local decision-making. So far as participation is concern, Cornwall (2002), distinguishes between two forms of mechanisms for public participation to include; ‘invited spaces’ (authorized participation) and ‘invented spaces’ (unauthorized participation). In the context of local government in South Africa, invited spaces include elections ward committees and public consultation around the annual budget and integrated development planning (IDP) process. While, invented spaces include protest, civil society engagement with the state and social movement activities. However, the last ten years has revealed that, the promise of effective, responsive and inclusive local governance has not been fulfilled. Rather local government has proven to be unresponsive as revealed by increasing protests over poor service delivery, as well as formal assessments of local government performance. In this context of poor state performance and unresponsiveness, substantial literature points to civil society as a source for deepening democracy and active citizenship. This thesis explores one version of this idea by examining two civil society programmes in the impoverished and gang-ridden community of Manenberg in Cape Town. More specifically this thesis examines the security programme of the Proudly Manenberg Organisation (PMO) and the infrastructure development programme of the Violence Prevention Through Urban Upgrading Programme (VPUU). Contrary to the claim that civil society is a source for enhancing democracy and service delivery, this thesis has found that neither of these programmes has yielded much in terms of fostering democracy and service delivery. In interrogating concerns regarding forms of representation, accountability and participation, it may be argued that in terms of both representation and accountability, the PMO represents and accounts to a certain minority only. Moreover, there is evidence to suggest that participation in the safety sector activities reinforces rather than challenging the coercive rule iii of gangs (drug lords) in Manenberg. With reference to VPUU, failure to implement the programme has frustrated many potential community allies. Furthermore, inclusion in the VPUU project in Manenberg was only accorded to two NGOs (notably PMO), despite the fact that there are two hundred and thirty NGOs conducting activities in Manenberg. This has limited participation in the first stages of the project to those groups. While, the VPUU project has delayed in Manenberg, its representatives have also been seen to be unaccountable to the community. In short, with reference to Manenberg, the notion that civil society can solve or model alternative solutions to democratic development remains farfetched.