Most offenders are generalists who commit a variety of crimes in a cafeteria style of criminal behavior. Thompson and colleagues at the University of Toronto analyzed data from the Seattle Youth Study to clarify whether gangs and non-gangs differ in terms of criminal specialization. They found that while gang members are more criminally active than non-gang members, patterns of criminal involvement in both groups seem to be general rather than specific. The study sampled primarily 10th, 11th and 12th graders. It used measures of delinquency that examined involvement in theft, auto theft, drug use and violent behavior.
Findings show that gangs tend to be very informal groups.
Only 40.5 percent of gang members reported their gang had a name. Fewer, 27.5 percent, said their gang wore jackets or other identifying insignia. Age and social class appeared to have little impact on gang membership. Females were less likely than males to be gang members, though that difference was relatively small. We can conclude that involvement in delinquency appears to be general for both groups.