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Preferred term

gangs  

Definition

  • Gangs in the urban United States range from youth groups to criminal corporations that work through an honor complex, use violent criminal behaviors to establish social position, and use symbols to express collective identity. Gangs in this country have traditionally arisen in areas where populations do not benefit from the institutions of U.S. society. [Source: Encyclopedia of American Urban History; Gangs]

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URI

https://concepts.sagepub.com/social-science/concept/gangs

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