Youth in gangs: what do we know – and what don’t we know? A research review of national and international knowledge about youth in gangs

Abstract

This research and knowledge gathering project presents international, Nordic, and Danish research and knowledge regarding youth in gangs. This research and knowledge gathering constitutes part II of a combined research project focused on young men in gangs, which has been running since January of 2013. Earlier in the course of the project, report number 1 was published with the title “Voices from a Gang – Young Gang Members Own Stories as told by themselves about Growing Up, Daily Life, and Their Future".. The research project also encompassed a temporal and economic opportunity to develop research and knowledge gathering specifically with a focus on pinning down existing research-based knowledge on the subject of youth in gangs, both in a Danish and international context – and this is what is now being presented in this report. The third and last report (Report Part III) presents the results of that part of the research project that focused on the social programs and efforts that are being implemented across the country in various forms to prevent gang affiliation, as well as focusing on efforts that help young people leave gangs. Here, the professional workers are included, meaning those who work with young people in gangs in various ways, their knowledge and experience, and the social and social-pedagogical efforts, theories, and methods, on which the professionals base their work. The third and last report in the complete research project about young men in gangs is expected published in December of 2018.