Linking gender, minority group status and family matters to self-control theory: A multivariate analysis of key self-control concepts in a youth-gangcontext

The variable roles of family gender, and race ore underdeveloped in Gottfre dson and Hirschi's general theory of crime, also called self control and pr opensity-event theory. Using cross-sectional data generated as part of the National Evaluation of the Gong Resistance Education and Training program, we assessed the links between the self-reported gong involvement of 5,935 e ighth-grade public school students residing in eleven widely dispersed citi es and their levels of self-control, gender, minority group status, and fam ily context. We found that youths with low self-control levels reported tha t they were more deeply involved in gangs than youths with high self-contro l, as were youths who were not closely monitored by their parents. We also found differences by gender, minority group status, and family structure. T his article explores the limitations and implications of these findings for gang research, theory, and juvenile justice practice.