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G96-1294 Gangs: The New Family, Herbert G. Lingren

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension: Historical Materials

This NebGuide discusses the history and present status of gangs in the United States, the implications of their effects upon family life today and offers suggestions for intervention and prevention.

There has been an explosion of awareness and concern about gang membership and gang activity in the United States since 1990. Parents, schools, city and state government and law enforcement officials have attempted to confront this phenomenon, often with limited success. Street gangs have existed in the U.S. since the late nineteenth century, and sociologists have studied them since the 1920s. But the current interest in gangs has been fueled …