| This paper extends earlier research on the development, distribution, and characteristics of youth gangs beyond their traditional locations in metropolitan centers in the U.S. using data from the 1996 National Youth Gang Survey. The 1996 NYGS data are much more widely representative of U. S. communities of all sizes and contain more detailed information about gangs and gangrelated problems than prior surveys. Supplementing the NYGS data with information from county-level Census Bureau data and from phone interviews with police agencies in rural/small town locations, the paper: (a) analyzes the distinctive characteristics of youth gangs in smaller communities (in contrast with those in larger urban centers); (b) examines the characteristics of non-urban communities where youth gangs have been most active or problematic; (c) assesses the typical patterns by which youth gangs have appeared and operated in smaller communities; and (d) evaluates the validity of recent urban migration models of rural/small-town gang development.
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Updated 05/20/2006