1st Edition
Youth Involvement in Street Gangs in California’s Central Valley
1. Gangs in the Central Valley Community
Gangs in Agricultural Settings
Studying Gangs in the Central Valley
The Research Process
Field Relations
2. Family in the Ecological Context
Agricultural Communities in the Central Valley
Family Environment and its Impact
Deviant Family Members
Conclusion
3. Getting into Trouble in School
Motivation for School
Ditching Class
More Troubles in School
Schooling and Teen Parents
From Suspension to Expulsion
From Alternative School to Dropping Out
Conclusion
4. Immersion into Gangland
Gang Affiliation in a Neighborhood Context
Youth Gang Affiliation
Organizational Structures of Gangs
Jumped into the 'hood
Representing the Gang—Changing Perspectives
Conclusion
5. Gangs and Crime in Rural Counties
Gangs and Violence in Perspective
Gangs and Street Violence
Gangs and Drug Trafficking
Gangs and Property Crime
Conclusion
6. Juvenile Hall: A Revolving Door
Contacts with the Police
Moving into the Judicial Process
Cases in Juvenile Court
The Cycle of Juvenil Probation
Effectiveness of the Placement Program
Is Juvenile Hall Merely Daycare?
Gangs and Challenges in the Community Context
Would You Do It Again?
Leaving the Gang
Conclusion
7. Conclusion
Role of the Community
Community Reality: Obstacles to Participation
The Role of the Police in Rural Counties: At the Frontline
Family, School, Early Parenthood, and Repeated Confinement
Lessons from Community-Based Program
The Future: A Community in Transition
Final Thoughts
Biography
Huan Gao is Professor of Criminal Justice at California State University, Stanislaus. She is the author of Women and Heroin Addiction in China’s Changing Society (2011) and was an academic visitor at the Center for Criminology at Oxford University in 2022.
