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A Brief Review and Meta-Analysis of Gang Intervention Trials in North America

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Gang Transitions and Transformations in an International Context

Abstract

This chapter provides a brief review of the literature on controlled, gang intervention evaluations. Thirty-eight studies were included, and all were carried out in North America (primarily the United States). The majority of studies (63 %) were treatment-oriented (versus prevention-oriented; 37 %) trials, with participants who were predominantly male (84 %), youths (87 %), and ethnic minority (81 %). Although many studies showed that intervention was effective at remediating antisocial behavior and gang involvement, a somewhat larger number found only limited or no intervention effects. When meta-analysis was used to assess treatment effects across 26 studies, results were similarly mixed. Random effects analysis showed that intervention effects for antisocial behavior were nonsignificant, d = .07, p = .20, whereas effects for gang involvement were small yet statistically significant, d = .29, p = .03. Methodological challenges and limitations are discussed, as well as research programs that serve as models for how to conduct gang intervention evaluations.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    This null effect on gang membership is based on Esbensen and Osgood’s (1999) “full” sample analysis. When the authors restricted analysis to schools with more balanced samples, GREAT was significantly more effective at reducing self-report of “ever” being in a gang (Esbensen and Osgood 1999).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA

    Stanley J. Huey Jr., Gabrielle Lewine & Miriam Rubenson

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  1. Stanley J. Huey Jr.
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  2. Gabrielle Lewine
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  3. Miriam Rubenson
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Correspondence to Stanley J. Huey Jr. .

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  1. Department of Criminology, Law, and Soc., University of California, Irvine, California, USA

    Cheryl L. Maxson

  2. Department of Criminology and Crim Jus, University of Missouri-St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri, USA

    Finn-Aage Esbensen

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Huey, S.J., Lewine, G., Rubenson, M. (2016). A Brief Review and Meta-Analysis of Gang Intervention Trials in North America. In: Maxson, C., Esbensen, FA. (eds) Gang Transitions and Transformations in an International Context. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-29602-9_12

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-29602-9_12

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