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| | Nat' Academies Press, Juvenile Crime, Juvenile Justice (2001) |
 | | Most of these delinquent peer groups do not fit the popular stereotypes of youth gangs, with the attendant ritual trappings of distinctive group names, costumes, hand signs, and initiation ceremonies (Sullivan, 1983, 1996). |
 | | Although most adolescent co-offending is committed in the context of delinquent peer groups that are not ritualized youth gangs, the emergence of ritualized gangs in a neighborhood appears to be associated with even higher levels of offending than occur when ritualized gangs are not present (Spergel, 1995; Thornberry, 1998). |
 | | For this reason, the recent spread of youth gangs across the United States is cause for serious concern. |
| www.nap.edu /books/0309068428/html/93.html (717 words) |
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