Gangs, groups, and delinquency: does membership and organizational level matter?

A consistent finding in delinquency research is that gang membership is strongly associated with increased delinquency levels for its members. What is less known are the reasons explaining why and how “membership” affects delinquency. Examining the level of organization manifested by the gang may help in understanding how membership affects delinquency. Changing the focus from “membership” to “organizational level” allowed for the consideration of other delinquent associations, namely those offenders who claim membership to a delinquent group. The relationship between organization and delinquency is examined using a self-report delinquency survey administered to 1262 high school students in the province of Quebec, Canada. Results show a progression in delinquency from non-affiliated offenders to group members, with gang members reporting the highest levels of delinquency. Rather than simply emphasizing membership, the multivariate results suggest much of this effect can be attributed to the level of organization found in the group, or gang.