Psychological and behavioral characteristics differentiating gang and non-gang girls in the UK
| Pages | 122-133 |
| Published date | 13 June 2016 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/JCRPP-05-2015-0017 |
| Date | 13 June 2016 |
| Author | Emma Alleyne,Elizabeth Pritchard |
| Subject Matter | Health & social care,Criminology & forensic psychology |
Psychological and behavioral
characteristics differentiating gang and
non-gang girls in the UK
Emma Alleyne and Elizabeth Pritchard
Emma Alleyne and
Elizabeth Pritchard are both
based at the School of
Psychology, Keynes College,
University of Kent,
Canterbury, UK.
Abstract
Purpose –Research has demonstrated that girls are involved in gangs as members and affiliates. However,
the psychological processes related to female gang membership has, to date, not been examined using a
rigorous comparative design. The purpose of this paper is to assess whether female gang members exhibit
distinct psychological and behavioral features when compared to female non-gang youth.
Design/methodology/approach –In total, 117 female students were recruited from all-girls’secondary
schools in London, U K. Gang members (n¼22; identified using the Eurogang definition) were compared to
non-gang youth(n¼95) on self-report measures ofcriminal activity, sexual activity, self-esteem,anti-authority
attitudes, their perceived importance of social status, and hypermasculinity, using a seriesof MANCOVAs.
Findings –The results found that gang me mbers reported signific antly more criminal activ ity,
sexual activity, unwanted sexual contact, and held more anti-authority attitudes when compared to their
non-gang counterparts.
Practical implications –These findings support Pyrooz et al.’s(2014) findings that gang membership
contributes to the theoretical conceptualization of the victim-offender overlap. Practitioners need to take this
into consideration when working with female gang members.
Originality/value –There is very little research that explicitly examines the characteristics of female gang
members with suitable comparison groups. This study adds to the growing literature on female involvement
in gangs and highlights the distinct psychological and behavioral characteristics of this group. In summary,
these findings support the notion that female gang members are both at risk of being sexually exploited and
engaging in criminal activities.
Keywords Attitudes, Psychology, Delinquency, Victimization, Antisocial behaviour, Female gang members
Paper type Research paper
The gang culture in the UK has an undeniable and detrimental impact on many urban
communities (e.g. London, Birmingham (Shropshire and McFarquhar, 2002); Edinburgh
(Bradshaw, 2005); Glasgow (Everard, 2006); Manchester (Mares, 2001); to name a few).
This impact can be characterized by the overwhelming proportion of violent crime that is
attributed to street gang behavior (Home Office, 2008). But most importantly, the rule of thumb
was that street gang members predominantly comprised males, and it was often claimed that
female gang members were rare, if not non-existent (Campbell, 1995; Medina et al., 2012).
However, a plethora of work would confirm that this is not the case. Female gang membership
has been well-documented in the US literature (e.g. De La Rue and Espelage, 2014;
Miller, 2001). Yet, academic interest still appears to be predominantly focussed on male gang
members. This could be attributed to the asymmetrical sex composition of the gang found in
some studies (e.g. Peterson and Carson, 2012). However, we cannot be certain that the findings
from research conducted on predominantly male gang members are applicable to females
Received 31 May 2015
Revised 9 September 2015
Accepted 26 October 2015
PAGE122
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JOURNAL OF CRIMINOLOGICAL RESEARCH, POLICY AND PRACTICE
j
VOL. 2 NO. 2 2016, pp.122-133, © Emerald Group Publishing Limited, ISSN 2056-3841 DOI 10.1108/JCRPP-05-2015-0017
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