Three surveys have assessed youth gang problems in juvenile detention and correctional facilities. Administrators in detention centers and training schools were asked to estimate the proportion of confined juveniles who had problems in particular areas, including gang involvement. Fifty-two percent of the responding institutions reported that more than 10 percent of confined youth were involved in gangs. The survey inquired about problems gangs presented in the institutions. Approximately one-third of all responding institutions reported one or more incidents in which violence involving gang members resulted in serious injury.
Gangs clearly present significant problems in juvenile detention and correctional facilities.
The formation of gangs probably is related to inmates' need for protection from other inmates. Programs are needed to break the cycle of street-level youth gang involvement, further involvement in juvenile detention and correctional facilities and prisons, and continued gang involvement in the communities to which former inmates return. Community and Economy A major source of variation in youth gang violence is found in relationships between the gang and the community. First, the gang's relevance goes beyond its relationship to individual gang members. Second, a youth's identification with a gang affects how others react to him or her.