GANG ACTIVITY: A DEEPER ANALYSIS INTO THE TYPES OF CRIME COMMITTED BY GANG MEMBERS by ZANE LEHMAN NASH Presented to the Faculty of the Graduate School of The University of Texas at Arlington in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of MASTER OF ARTS IN CRIMINOLOGY AND CRIMINAL JUSTICE THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT ARLINGTON May 2015 Copyright © by Zane Nash 2015 All Rights Reserved ii Acknowledgements My sincerest gratitude goes to my thesis chair, Dr. John Rodriguez. Your expertise and knowledge were essential throughout this research process. I would also like to thank the other members of my committee, Dr. Jaya Davis and Dr. Seokjin Jeong, for the assistance and guidance they provided during this project. Thank you Dr. Richard Smith, for taking time out of your busy schedule to offer general editions and input. Lastly, I would like to recognize the entire faculty of the UTA Criminology and Criminal Justice Program for their teachings and supervision in completing this endeavor. I would also like to acknowledge my past professors at the University of Texas of the Permian Basin. Dr. Kiekbusch and Dr. Hoskin truly helped set me on my path towards advanced criminal justice studies. Dr. Amanda Johnson, I hope you get the chance to read this. It was in your undergraduate course on gangs that I first experienced what has come to be one of my criminal justice callings. A tremendous thank you goes to the Arlington Police Department for allowing me the opportunity to utilze its data for this study. Lastly, I want to thank my family, friends, and colleagues who have supported me throughout this journey. You have all inspired me and your encouragment was vital in achieving this milestone. April 9, 2015 iii Abstract GANG ACTIVITY: A DEEPER ANALYSIS INTO THE TYPES OF CRIME COMMITTED BY GANG MEMBERS Zane Nash, M.A. The University of Texas at Arlington, 2015 Supervising Professor: John Rodriguez The aim of this study is to get a better understanding of the different types of gang- related crime. The arrests of 410 gang members in Arlington, Texas from 2010-2014 are the subjects of analysis. These records display the date of arrest, age, committed offense, and gang affiliation of each gang member arrested by the Arlington Police Department’s gang unit during this time span. Characteristics of gang members, such as age and gang type, were compared to attributes of gang-related offenses. Gang members were broken down into different age groups and gang classifications, while criminal offenses were categorized as being violent, drug-related, or miscellaneous, based on their traits. Descriptive, univariate statistics are utilized to show the basic demographics of gangs and gang crime in Arlington. A bivariate analysis consisting of a chi- square and ANOVA was utilized to calculate the findings. Only one of the gang categories was found to have a connection to drug-affiliated crime. Similarly, age played a significant role in nearly all types of gang-related crime. Based on the findings, it can be concluded that Arlington gangs are more likely to engage in miscellaneous and drug-related offenses than violent crime. iv Table of Contents Acknowledgements ......................................................................................................................... iii Abstract ............................................................................................................................................ iv List of Tables .................................................................................................................................. vii Chapter 1 Introduction ...................................................................................................................... 1 Introduction to Gang Activity ...................................................................................................... 1 Research Questions ................................................................................................................... 4 Chapter 2 Literature Review ............................................................................................................. 5 Gang Research .......................................................................................................................... 5 Miscellaneous Crime .................................................................................................................. 7 Drug Crime ............................................................................................................................... 12 Violent Crime ............................................................................................................................ 20 Chapter 3 Methods ......................................................................................................................... 28 Chapter 4 Results & Findings ......................................................................................................... 35 Sample Characteristics ............................................................................................................ 35 Warrants ................................................................................................................................... 39 Miscellaneous Crime ................................................................................................................ 41 Drug Crime ............................................................................................................................... 43 Violent Crime ............................................................................................................................ 46 Research Questions ................................................................................................................. 48 What Are The Most Frequent/Infrequent Crimes Committed By Gangs? ......................... 48 Are Gang Members Especially Violent? ............................................................................ 49 Can Motives Be Established?............................................................................................ 49 Do Any Connections Exist Between Different Gang-Related Crimes? ............................. 50 Summary .................................................................................................................................. 51 Chapter 5 Implications, Limitations, & Conclusion ........................................................................ 52 v Policy Implications/Response .................................................................................................. 52 Limitations ................................................................................................................................ 58 Conclusion ............................................................................................................................... 61 Appendix A Arlington Gangs Organized by Tier ............................................................................. 65 Appendix B Gang-Related Offenses Divided by Type ................................................................... 67 Appendix C Gang Tiers Outlined by Texas Department of Public Safety ...................................... 69 Appendix D Arlington Police Department Gang Identificaiton Card ............................................... 71 References ..................................................................................................................................... 73 Biographical Information ................................................................................................................. 77 vi List of Tables Table 4-1 Arlington Arrests by Age 2010-2014 .............................................................................. 36 Table 4-2 Gang Arrests by Tier 2010-2014 .................................................................................... 38 Table 4-3 Gang Affiliations 2010-2014 ........................................................................................... 39 Table 4-4 Warrants 2010-2014 ....................................................................................................... 40 Table 4-5 Chi-Square & ANOVA: Gang Characteristics & Warrants ............................................. 41 Table 4-6 Miscellaneous Crime Arrests 2010-2014 ....................................................................... 43 Table 4-7 Chi-Square & ANOVA: Gang Characteristics & Miscellaneous Crime .......................... 43 Table 4-8 Drug Crime Arrests 2010-2014 ...................................................................................... 45 Table 4-9 Chi-Square & ANOVA: Gang Characteristics & Drug Crime ......................................... 46 Table 4-10 Violent Crime Arrests 2010-2014 ................................................................................. 48 Table 4-11 Chi-Square & ANOVA: Gang Characteristics & Violent Crime .................................... 48 Table 4-12 Chi-Square: Connections Between Types of Gang-Related Crime ............................. 50 vii Chapter 1 Introduction Introduction to Gang Activity Gang activity has been and continues to be a serious issue in the United States. The issue goes back to the early 1800’s, during which European immigrants formed “gangs” and “banded together…to form close alliances to each other” (Leet, Rush, & Smith, 2000, p. 1). After World War II, gangs started to develop into what they are today. They