Bullying and gangs.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Although bullying is associated with gangs, questions arise as to whether bullying, as such, takes place within gangs. OBJECTIVE: To provide a critical analysis of bullying as this pertains to youth gangs and especially to violence within gangs, and as applied to the behaviour of individual gang members. STUDY GROUP Young men between 12 and 25 years of age. METHODS: Review of relevant literature with a view to theorising the nature of the relationship between bullying and violence within a youth gang context. RESULTS: Bullying is associated with the reasons why individuals join gangs and with gang-related behaviour, but the violence within a gang is of a different character than that usually described by the term bullying. CONCLUSION: Bullying has implications for related and/or subsequent types of street violence, but is less relevant for descriptions of violence within a youth gang context as such.