Gangs in Court - 9781933264493

With over fifty years experience working with gang members in and out of prison, Dr. Lewis Yablonsky educates you on the ins and outs of the gang world. He covers the history of gangs in the United States and compares historical gang behavior to contemporary gang behavior to give you an understanding of their similarities and differences. He informs you of contemporary gang characteristics and behaviors including racial and ethnic issues, drugs, family issues, violence, emotional, psychological and social issues, gangsters as sociopaths, criminal and non-criminal gang activity, gang social structure, the roles of members within the gang, six categories of gang status, and more. He gives you relevant information on the death penalty as compared to life in prison sentences of gang members. He gives examples of the Therapeutic Community model for treating gang members sentenced to jail time. This new second edition also teaches you about the viewpoint of the prosecutor, a perspective that is seldom covered in reference works relating to the legal process in gang cases. Dr. Yablonsky also supplies you with numerous case studies, where he served as an expert witness, on notable gang-related court cases. As a defense or prosecuting attorney, police officer, psychologist, expert witness, or other professional involved with criminal cases involving gang members, you will gain invaluable insights into gangs and gang behavior and the legal process related to gang-related behavior and criminal activity.