The Gang Alternative: A Participant Perspective
Date
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Abstract
Gang activity has increased in Regina over the past ten to fifteen years and has attracted considerable attention ostensibly contributing to higher crime rates and the abundance of drugs. As a result the public pressure on government to slow and reverse this proliferation of gangs is also growing. This is not a phenomenon unique to Regina yet the factors leading to gang proliferation in Regina among Aboriginal youth are vaguely understood at best. This results in an increased likelihood of faulty theorizing as to what are these risk factors and ineffective prevention and intervention programs. Through interviews with gang involved individuals, an understanding of why youth in Regina find the gang lifestyle an attractive option was developed. While this alone will not delineate the blueprint of custom-made programming to address this proliferation, it has added to the body of knowledge with respect to risk factors in Regina. In doing so, this work can ultimately contribute to the development of more effective and defendable gang reduction strategies in Regina. Keywords: gangs; gang involvement; risk factors; Regina; aboriginal; youth