ED471717 2002-12-00 Can Education

Play a Role in the Prevention of Youth

Gangs in Indian Country? One Tribe's

Approach. ERIC Digest.

ERIC Development Team

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Can Education Play a Role in the Prevention of Youth Gangs in Indian

Country? One Tribe's Approach. ERIC Digest.......................... 2

GANG INVOLVEMENT: COMMON FACTORS AND

CHARACTERISTICS..................................................... 2

INDIAN COMMUNITIES AND GANG INVOLVEMENT.................. 2

ONE TRIBE'S RESPONSE TO GANG INVOLVEMENT AMONG ITS

YOUTH......................................................................3

NOT OUT OF SIGHT AND NOT OUT OF MIND: KEEPING

TROUBLED YOUTH WITHIN........................................... 4

REFERENCES.................................................................. 5

ERIC Identifier: ED471717

Publication Date: 2002-12-00

Author: Hernandez, Arturo

Source: ERIC Clearinghouse on Rural Education and Small Schools Charleston WV.

Can Education Play a Role in the Prevention of

Youth Gangs in Indian Country? One Tribe's

ED471717 2002-12-00 Can Education Play a Role in the Prevention of Youth Gangs in

Indian Country? One Tribe's Approach. ERIC Digest.

Page 1 of 9
Approach. ERIC Digest.

THIS DIGEST WAS CREATED BY ERIC, THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES

INFORMATION CENTER. FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT ERIC, CONTACT

ACCESS ERIC 1-800-LET-ERIC

Traditionally an urban problem, gang involvement is growing on Native American

reservations. While research is nascent on this phenomenon, Indian communities are

developing interesting and promising remedies. This Digest examines common factors

in gang involvement and one tribe's response through a Native-centric education and

juvenile justice system.

GANG INVOLVEMENT: COMMON FACTORS

AND CHARACTERISTICS

Poverty, family stress, and school dropout characterize the lives of gang members.

More than 70 percent of incarcerated delinquents also have learning disabilities

(Morgan, 1979; Murphy, 1986; Stanley & Hudson, 1981) which factor into the chronic

truancy, school failure, and alienation that accompany gang involvement (Hernandez,

1998; Huff, 1998).

Incarceration among gang members is normative, as are drug use, violence, and

criminal activity. The literature has long reported that underlying these negative

attributes is a detachment from hope--gang members believe they have nothing to lose.

Gang youth seldom finish school, have few prospects for employment, and find

conventional opportunities out of their reach (Curry & Spergel, 1988; Hernandez, 1998;

Lattimore et al., 1995; Richardson, 2001; Rodriguez, 1993; Thrasher, 1936; Vigil, 1988

& 1989).

The sum of handicaps associated with gang involvement has been termed "multiple

marginality" by Vigil (1988) and discussed by others (Hillet al., 1999; Loeber &

Farrington, 1998; U.S. Department of Justice, 1999), including factors specific to girls

(Campbell, 1987; Moore & Hagedorn, 2001).

INDIAN COMMUNITIES AND GANG

INVOLVEMENT

Most Indian reservations lack basic infrastructure, including phone service, adequate

housing, and reliable health care. Few jobs are available and life expectancies are as

low as 48 years (American Indian Relief Council, n.d.; Tiller Research, Inc., 1996). The

high rates of adolescent suicide, depression, alcoholism, and school dropout indicate

the toll that chronic poverty takes on reservation youth (Arrillaga, 2001;

O'Connell,1987). In spite of these, tribal children traditionally were shielded from gang

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Indian Country? One Tribe's Approach. ERIC Digest.
activity by two conditions: the presence of a cohesive, tribal culture providing

participation and identity, even for troubled youth; and a rural isolation that made it

difficult for teenagers to find drugs, cars, weapons, and populated places to commit

crime. The recent surge in gang activity reflects both a growing loss of culture and

community and a growing exposure to urban environments (Conway, 1999;

Donnermeyer et al., 1996; Devitt, 2002; Hailer, 1998; Hailer & Hart, 1999; Juneau,

1998).

It is "highly significant" that the only on-site assessment of reservation gang activity, the

Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) study "Finding and

Knowing the Gang 'Nayee' on the Navajo Nation" (1995), reported that Navajo gang

members were likely to be non-speakers of their native tongue; report severe problems

in school; come from urbanized, poor, and generally dysfunctional families; and lack

contact with clan members and tribal ceremonies. In other words, they were the adrift,

marginalized equivalents of their non-Indian peers.

ONE TRIBE'S RESPONSE TO GANG

INVOLVEMENT AMONG ITS YOUTH

The Pima-Maricopa lost the traditional farming culture when the diversion of the Salt

River destroyed the tribe's extensive irrigation system. Endemic poverty replaced

agriculture. Pima language and culture collapsed under the assimilation policies of the

Bureau of Indian Affairs' (BIA) boarding school system. After the close of the BIA

schools, the Pima-Maricopa were required to bus their children into the Phoenix

metropolitan area to attend school. With phone service unavailable to reservation

homes and few families owning transportation, little interaction occurred between school

and family. Indian students rarely finished high school, and the majority dropped out

much earlier. The combined effects of long-term poverty, loss of tradition, and an erratic

education led to a gang problem severe enough to attract national attention (Campbell,

1997).

The Pima-Maricopa response has involved using a tribal sensibility to transform how

conventional institutions deal with troubled youth. The tribe recently built a high school,

an alternative school for students with a significant history of delinquency, and a juvenile

detention facility with a special education program. The divergence from how these

kinds of institutions usually treat gang youth includes these requirements: students at

the alternative school have access to all extra-curricular activities at the high school,

jailed students have a rich and therapeutic curriculum, and the three programs work as

a unit to develop long-term plans and joint accountability for individual students.

Although this project has not been formally evaluated, the story of Lorenzo (name

changed) will illustrate how establishing communal responsibility for a troubled youth

has kept one gang member from slipping outside the community's obligation to raise

him.

NOT OUT OF SIGHT AND NOT OUT OF MIND:

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ED471717 2002-12-00 Can Education Play a Role in the Prevention of Youth Gangs in

Indian Country? One Tribe's Approach. ERIC Digest.

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KEEPING TROUBLED YOUTH WITHIN

THE TRIBAL CIRCLELorenzo started 9th grade at the tribal high school with a history of

trouble and a well-developed gang persona. He was on probation and had been

expelled at two off-reservation schools. The tribal school principal, a school counselor,

and directors from the alternative and detention programs met with Lorenzo and his

parents. This group established a working plan for Lorenzo's academic and personal

development.

The plan required Lorenzo to play on the high school football team, which was coached

by a group of dedicated Indian men, including the campus police officer. Through much

effort, the football team had become a neutral place where kids from different gangs

could interact, become school heroes, and develop an identity beyond the gang.

In addition to football, they enrolled Lorenzo in the art program, which the Navajo

assistant principal developed and co-taught. This would provide an additional avenue

for mentorship and self-esteem.

The school counselor arranged testing for learning disabilities. This led to an important

placement in a Native Studies/English/Science track designed around reading

improvement and special education support.

The plan initially proved successful. Lorenzo passed courses, did well in football, and

received his first athletic award. He fought once on campus, and was sent to a room

where unruly students spend days in seclusion with a stern Indian mentor.

During the second semester, Lorenzo created another altercation. When a teacher

intervened, he struck her. The police picked him up and took him into detention.

The assaulted teacher visited Lorenzo that evening, along with the high school's

assistant principal and the detention facility's special education director. Their purpose

was to let him know that while he had earned incarceration, he was still part of his

school and his tribe, and he was not being abandoned. The teacher expressed her

continued faith in him, and Lorenzo apologized for striking her. That same week the

high school principal made a request to the Tribal Court: If his behavior warranted,

would the court allow Lorenzo to practice with the football team once a week and play

on Friday nights? The court agreed this would be good for Lorenzo, and tribal police

volunteered to provide the necessary escort and supervision.

While in detention, special student computers transmitted Lorenzo's academic work to

the alternative school, where it was decided he would transfer after his incarceration.

This computer program allowed both locations to communicate about his progress, and

eased his transfer at the end of his sentence. The software and networking for this

process involved a sizeable investment by the tribe, but the transition from jail to the

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Indian Country? One Tribe's Approach. ERIC Digest.
alternative school would not involve an interruption in curriculum or loss of time toward

graduation.

While in detention, Lorenzo benefited from a horse therapy program, art classes,

tutoring with a tribal elder, and mentorship from a Tribal Council member. He had the

opportunity to listen to the same invited speakers as had visited the high school and

alternative school, received Pima language classes, and took part in the Brushing

Ceremony given by a Pima medicine woman.

In the spring, students at the high school and alternative school entered the tribal arts

competition at the Heard museum, had a student art sale, and produced a volume of

student poetry. Incarcerated students had their own art sale, produced a literary

magazine, and staged a show of horsemanship. Lorenzo again made an important

contribution and furthered a positive identity.

Upon release, administrators and parents greeted him and planned his entry into the

alternative school. Opposing gang members were also present. The latter were invited

in order to get written and verbal understandings that there would be no conflict when

Lorenzo returned to campus. Because several gangs are represented and study

together in the alternative school, transitional meetings address this issue openly and

firmly. This meeting was positive, welcoming, and clear as to expectations, standards,

and hopes.

Like all students at the alternative school, Lorenzo will continue to participate in the art,

Native studies, and athletic programs available at the regular high school. He will learn

to deal with opposing gang members who receive instruction in his same classroom,

and benefit from special education teachers in an affirming, structured environment. His

parents will be called nightly to speak of progress or problems, and he will receive

regular counseling, special field trips, and attention to learning and emotional

disabilities. In time, he may exit the alternative school and re-enroll in regular classes at

the high school, or choose to stay until he graduates.

This process of support and inclusion will continue until Lorenzo becomes an adult.

While his behavior may require more or less contained and supervised settings, the

option he does not have is to escape from the education, affirmation, and discipline

essential to becoming a contributing adult. The principal may have to visit him in jail, the

coach meet with judges, the community apply more of its resources, but he will learn to

read, get a job, learn his history, study his language, and use his gifts productively.

REFERENCES

American Indian Relief Council. (n.d.). Reservation profiles: Pine Ridge reservation.

Rapid City, SD: Author. Retrieved December 9, 2002, from

http://www.airc.org/reservations/pineridge.html

ERIC Resource Center www.eric.ed.gov

ED471717 2002-12-00 Can Education Play a Role in the Prevention of Youth Gangs in

Indian Country? One Tribe's Approach. ERIC Digest.

Page 5 of 9
Arrillaga, P. (2001, April 15). Stuck between two worlds: Tribal youth ravaged by

violence, drug abuse, depression. Los Angeles, CA: The Los Angeles Times, pp. B1.

Retrieved December 9, 2002, from online archives at

http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/

Campbell, A. (1987). Self-definition by rejection: The case of gang girls. Social

Problems, 34(5), 451-466.

Campbell, B. N. (1997, Sept. 17). Statement of Chairman Ben Nighthorse Campbell.

Joint Oversight Hearing on Criminal Gang Activity Within Indian Country. Retrieved

December 9, 2002, from http://indian.senate.gov/hearings/917_bnc.htm

Conway, M. K. (1999). SIAU intelligence report: Gangs on Indian reservations.

Washington, DC: Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Curry, G. D., & Spergel, I. A. (1988). Gang homicide, delinquency, and community.

Criminology, 26:381-405.

Devitt, S. (2002, June 6). Deadly silence: Gang problem a silent scourge on Navajo

Nation. Farmington, NM: The Daily Times. Retrieved December 10, 2002, from

http://www.daily-times.com/Stories/0,1413,129~6572~656809,00.html

Donnermeyer, J. F., Edwards, R. W., Chavez, E. L., & Beauvais, F. (1996). Involvement

of American Indian youth in gangs. Free Inquiry in Creative Sociology, 24(2), 167-174.

Hailer, J. A. (1998). A Loss of traditions: The emergence of American Indian youth

gangs. Masters thesis. San Jose, CA: San Jose State University, Administration of

Justice Department.

Hailer, J. A., & Hart, C. B. (1999). A new breed of warrior: The emergence of American

Indian youth gangs. Journal of Gang Research, 7(1), 23-33.

Hernandez, A. (1998). Peace in the streets: Breaking the cycle of gang violence.

Annapolis Junction, MD: Child Welfare League of America, Inc.

Hill, K. G., Howell, J. C., Hawkins, J. D., & Battin-Pearson, S. R. (1999). Childhood risk

factors for adolescent gang membership: Results from the Seattle social development

project. Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency, 36(3), 300-322.

Huff, C. R. (1998). Comparing the criminal behavior of youth gangs and at-risk youths.

Research in brief. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Juvenile

Justice and Delinquency Prevention. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED

426 175)

Juneau, S. K. (1998). 1998 Annual report: Gangs in Indian country. Artesia, NM: U.S.

www.eric.ed.gov ERIC Custom Transformations Team

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Indian Country? One Tribe's Approach. ERIC Digest.
Department of the Interior, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Indian Police Academy.

Lattimore, P. K., Visher, C. A., & Linster, R. L. (1995). Predicting rearrest for violence

among serious youthful offenders. Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency,

32(1), 54-83.

Loeber, R., & Farrington, D. P. (Eds.). (1998). Serious and violent juvenile offenders:

Risk factors and successful interventions. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, Inc.

Moore, J., & Hagedorn, J. (2001). Female gangs: A focus on research. Youth gang

series. Juvenile justice bulletin. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of

Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service

No. ED 452 295)

Morgan, D. I. (1979). Prevalence and types of handicapping conditions found in juvenile

correctional institutions: A national survey. Journal of Special Education, 13(3),

283-295.

Murphy, D. M. (1986). The prevalence of handicapping conditions among juvenile

delinquents. Remedial and Special Education, 7(3), 7-17.

O'Connell, J. C. (Ed.). (1987). A study of the special problems and needs of American

Indians with handicaps both on and off the reservation. Volume II: Individual reports.

Volume III: Appendices. Flagstaff: Northern Arizona University, Native American

Research and Training Center. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED 294

343)

Richardson, N. M. (2001). Out of site, out of mind: Central San Joaquin valley

delinquents and the California Youth Authority. Retrieved December 10, 2002, from

http://www.vision2020fresno.org/whatsnew/pdf/outofsightoutofmind.pdf

Rodriguez, L. J. (1993). Always running. La Vida Loca: Gang days in L. A. New York:

Touchstone.

Stanley, S. O., & Hudson, F. G. (1981). The relationship between learning disabilities

and juvenile delinquency: A link based on family and school. Lawrence: Kansas

University, Institute for Research in Learning Disabilities. (ERIC Document

Reproduction Service No. ED 217 651)

Thrasher, F. M. (1936). The gang: A study of 1,313 gangs in Chicago. (2nd rev.).

Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

Tiller Research, Inc. (1996). American Indian Reservations and Trust Areas. U.S.

Department of Commerce, Economic Development Administration. Retrieved December

10, 2002, from http://www.osec.doc.gov/eda/html/1g3_4_indianres.htm

ERIC Resource Center www.eric.ed.gov

ED471717 2002-12-00 Can Education Play a Role in the Prevention of Youth Gangs in

Indian Country? One Tribe's Approach. ERIC Digest.

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U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention

(OJJDP). (1995). Field initiated gang research: Finding and knowing the gang Nayee in

the Navajo nation. Washington, DC: Author.

U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention

(OJJDP). (1999). OJJDP Research: Making a difference for juveniles. Washington, DC:

Author. Retrieved December 10, 2002, from

http://ojjdp.ncjrs.org/pubs/makingadiffer/contents.html

Vigil, J. D. (1988). Barrio gangs: Street life and identity in southern California. Austin:

University of Texas Press.

Vigil, J. D. (1989). An emerging barrio underclass: Irregular lifestyles among former

Chicano gang members. Austin: University of Texas, Center for Mexican American

Studies, IUP/SSRC Committee for Public Policy Research on Contemporary Hispanic

Issues.

-----

Arturo Hernandez is a former principal on the Salt-River Pima-Maricopa Indian

Community and currently consults on issues related to education and juvenile

delinquency.

This publication was prepared with funding from the Office of Educational Research and

Improvement, U.S. Department of Education, under contract no. ED-99-CO-0027. The

opinions expressed herein do not necessarily reflect the positions or policies of OERI,

the Department, or AEL.

Title: Can Education Play a Role in the Prevention of Youth Gangs in Indian Country?

One Tribe's Approach. ERIC Digest.

Document Type: Information Analyses---ERIC Information Analysis Products (IAPs)

(071); Information Analyses---ERIC Digests (Selected) in Full Text (073);

Available From: ERIC/CRESS, P.O. Box 1348, Charleston, WV 25325-1348. Tel:

800-624-9120 (Toll Free). For full text: http://www.ael.org/eric/digests/edorc02-12.pdf.

Descriptors: American Indian Education, Community Responsibility, Culturally

Relevant Education, Educational Cooperation, Extracurricular Activities, Juvenile

Gangs, Juvenile Justice, Nontraditional Education, Reservation American Indians,

School Community Relationship, Secondary Education, Special Needs Students,

Tribally Controlled Education

Identifiers: Adjudicated Youth, ERIC Digests, Pima Maricopa (Tribe), Tribal Courts

###

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