You may be interested in a recent report prepared by Scot Wortley, Centre of Criminology, and Julian Tanner, Department of Sociology, University of Toronto.  Dr. Wortley is a Domain Leader at the Ontario Metropolis Centre as well as the Priority Leader of the Justice, Policing and Security area.

"Money, Respect and Defiance: Justifications for Gang Activity in Canada"

This paper begins with a brief review of the literature on youth gangs in Canada.  As in the United States and Europe, quantitative research indicates that age, gender, poverty, ethnicity, family background and educational performance are strong predictors of gang membership.  However, such statistical studies provide only limited insight into why young people become involved in gangs.  In order to address this shortcoming, the 2005 Toronto Youth Gang Pilot Project directly asked known criminal gang members to explain why they first became involved in a gang and their reasons for remaining involved in gang lifestyle.  The results indicate that young people provide numerous utilitarian justifications for their gang activity.  These justifications include financial gain, protection, status, social support and companionship.  However, in addition to these practical considerations, many youth maintain that their involvement in gangs can be directly linked to experiences of social alienation and exclusion.  These youth construct their own gang involvement as an act of pride and defiance brought on by discrimination, social injustice and inequality.  The theoretical and policy implications of these results are discussed.