Scott H. Decker and Barrik Van Winkle

About the author: Scott H. Decker is a professor and chair of the criminology and criminal justice department at the University of Missouri in St. Louis. Barrik Van Winkle is a systems analyst at the University of Texas at Austin. They are the authors of Life in the Gang: Family, Friends, and Violence.

The most common reason many teens give for becoming involved in gangs is the perceived protection the gang offers against rival gangs in their neighborhoods. Teens consider their fellow gang members as family who will look out for them and protect them from opposing gangs. Within the gang they believe that they are safe from attacks by other gang members, even though they are actually more likely to be involved in violent fights as a gang member. Violence...