Gangs: Links

The following links are to external resources that teachers may find useful for lesson extension, student exploration and expansion of personal knowledge on this topic. Please contact us to report any broken links.

Canadian Focused Resources

Aboriginal Resource Centre
http://www.arconline.ca/
The Gangs Bibliography; a handout from the Aboriginal Resource Centre Library.

Alberta Rural Crime Watch
http://www.ruralcrimewatch.ab.ca/
Information on community awareness and crime prevention in Rural Alberta.

CBC: The Fifth Estate "Lost in the Struggle"
Lost in the Struggle follows the stories of three Toronto teens and their involvement with crime and violence. http://www.cbc.ca/fifth/lostinthestruggle/index.html

The Community Solution to Gang Violence

http://www.csgv.ca/
An Edmonton area initiative focused on working "collaboratively on a strategic, community-wide approach to address the issue of gangs and gang violence and make the Edmonton and surrounding area free from gang violence." Resources, Information, and Links.

The Resources section has an extensive collection of gang resources from a variety of sources. Topics include
Gangs, Gangs and Drugs, Prevention and Youth, Prevention and Families, Prevention and Schools, Policy Development, Asset Development, and Gang Prevention and Intervention Services

From the Who Gets Involved with Gangs? page -> Case Scenarios: Situations of Risk
"In an attempt reflect the realities we face in addressing gang violence and the complexities surrounding the lives of young people we developed a number of case scenarios to show the complexities surrounding the lives of young people who may become vulnerable to gang involvement."

Edmonton Police Services Gangs Page
http://www.edmontonpolice.ca/EPS%20External/Home/CommunityPolicing/OrganizedCrime/Gangs.aspx

Gang and Anti-Gang Activities LINKS from SafeCanada.ca
http://www.safecanada.ca/link_e.asp?category=2&topic=19&PID=
A large collection of links to other websites and online resources

John Howard Society of Alberta: Gangs 2001
http://www.johnhoward.ab.ca/PUB/PDF/gangs.pdf
This is a report overviewing media, law enforcement, government, research and academic perspectives on gangs, the available responses to gang presence and the change in focus by these various groups.

Project Gang Proof: Manitoba Justice; Safer Communities
http://www.gov.mb.ca/justice/safe/gangproof/
"Gangs form in all types of neighbourhoods, and across all cultures and ethnic groups.  The provincial government has developed a comprehensive coordinated response that focuses on dealing with gang issues and creating positive alternatives for Manitoba youth.  These initiatives are enhanced by crime prevention programs, educational opportunities and community and economic development initiatives which help address social and economic challenges."

Public Safety Canada.
Youth gangs in Canada: What do we know?
http://www.publicsafety.gc.ca/prg/cp/bldngevd/2007-yg-1-en.asp

The 2002 Canadian Police Survey on Youth Gangs
http://ww2.ps-sp.gc.ca/publications/policing/pdf/gangs_e.pdf
The 2002 Canadian Police Survey on Youth Gangs, conducted by Astwood Strategy Corporation under contract to the Department of the Solicitor General Canada, is the first of its kind in Canada. The primary purpose of the survey is to assess the extent and characteristics of the youth gang problem in communities throughout Canada, as reported by law enforcement agencies.

Addressing Youth Gang Problems: The Importance of Research and Evaluation in Guiding Policy and Practice
http://www.ps-sp.gc.ca/res/cp/_fl/NJCPresentation-en.pdf
Presentation at the Semi-Annual National Meeting of the National Joint Committee of Senior Criminal Justice Officials Meeting Theme: "Working Together to Prevent Gang-Related Crime”; The Radisson Hotel, Winnipeg, Manitoba; May 10th, 2007; Mark Irving Senior Research Analyst, National Crime Prevention Centre, Department of Public Safety Canada.

Youth Gang Prevention Fund: Public Safety Canada
http://www.publicsafety.gc.ca/prg/cp/ygpf_index-en.asp
The Youth Gang Prevention Fund (YGPF) invests in communities where youth gangs are an existing or emerging threat and supports initiatives that clearly target youth in gangs or at greatest risk of joining gangs. Priority is given to projects that address specific risk and protective factors associated with youth violence and gang membership and will demonstrate results that reduce and prevent the risks of future gun violence and gang activity. The NCPC works with provinces and territories to identify those communities most affected by gang-related problems. Funding will be directed to community-based organizations and municipalities that are addressing these issues.

Research Institute for the Law and Family
http://www.ucalgary.ca/~crilf/
2005 YOUTH GANGS IN CANADA: A PRELIMINARY REVIEW OF PROGRAMS AND SERVICES Prepared for: Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Canada

RCMP
http://www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca
A Research Report on Youth Gangs: Problems, Perspective and Priorities http://www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/ccaps/youth_gangs_e.htm
Feature Focus 2006: Youth Gangs and Guns  http://www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/focus/youth_gun/toc_e.htm

A Snapshot of Prison Gangs and Youth Gangs in Canada: Well-known Gangs, Membership, Offences, Risk, and Reconviction
http://www.insideprison.com/prison-gangs-canada.asp
"Insideprison.com is an independent research site on criminal justice issues. It is not affiliated with any governmental organization or institution."

Young Thugs
http://www.youngthugs.ca/
Michael Chettleburgh takes you inside the dangerous world of Canadian Street Gangs. Information, Links and Resources.

Youth Gangs in Canada: A Preliminary Review of Programs and Services.
http://www.ucalgary.ca/~crilf/publications/Youth_Gang_Report.pdf
Mellor, B., MacRae, L., Pauls, M., & Hornick, J.P. (2005).Ottawa, ON: Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Canada. Hosted by the Canadian Research Institute for Law and Family

Books

The Youth Gang Problem: A Community Approach
By Irving A. Spergel - 1995 available on Google Books, at you local library, or through interlibrary loans.

Street Gangs: Current Knowledge and Strategies
by Catherine H. Conly - 1993 available from Google Books, at you local library or through interlibrary loans.

Other Resources

Arturo J. Hernandez: Gang Prevention and Intervention
http://www.helpinggangyouth.com/
Arturo Hernandez is an educator, author, counsellor and expert on gang involved youth and founder of two schools for gang youth. The articles Education and the Prevention of Youth Gangs and A different Healing: Gang Youth Within a Tribal Circle offer two stories of working with gang affected youth in Native American communities.

Gangs and At Risk Kids
http://gangsandkids.com/index.html
This site includes stories by ex-gang members or gang members serving long prison sentences, written to offer hope to others who might be going through the same problems. The Ask a Prisoner section offers information about gangs, prison, and other topics of interest.

Gangs in Small Towns and Rural Counties by James C. Howell and Arlen Egley, Jr.: NYGC Bulletin
http://www.iir.com/nygc/publications/NYGCbulletin_June05.pdf
"Implementation of the Comprehensive Gang Prevention, Intervention, and Suppression Model involves six steps, which are managed by a Steering Committee of policy or decision-makers from organizations or agencies that have an interest in or responsibility for addressing the community’s gang problem."

Into The Abyss: A Personal Journey into the World of Street Gangs by Mike Carlie
http://faculty.missouristate.edu/M/MichaelCarlie/default.htm
Into the Abyss is an electronic book that provides an overview of gangs and the American gang phenomenon. This website explores over 80 different gang-related topics and offers more than 2,400 links to useful gang-related websites on the Internet.

National Criminal Justice Reference Service: Spotlight on Gangs
http://www.ncjrs.gov/spotlight/gangs/Summary.html
A variety of resources and information from the U.S. Department of Justice

Youth Gangs in Rural America by Ralph A. Weisheit and L. Edward Wells
http://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/jr000251b.pdf
"The differences between urban and rural gangs strongly suggest that the policies and practices aimed at suppressing urban gangs may not be the best approaches in nonurban areas. A different set of strategies must be created, directed squarely at the unique characteristics of rural youth gangs."

National Youth Gang Center (NYGC): Institute for Intergovernmental Research
http://www.iir.com/nygc/
Gang information and resources from the U.S. Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP)

National Youth Violence Prevention Resource Centre: Gangs
http://www.safeyouth.org/scripts/topics/gangs.asp
Articles, fact sheets, and links to external resources. Sponsored by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

^top