E-Book Overview
Choo explores group delinquency in the Asian American community. His primary focus is two youth groups, a Korean affiliated Chinese youth gang and a Korean delinquent group. The two groups have evolved through different processes and under different community circumstances. Both manifest differing patterns of delinquent activities and require different approaches to their problems. By analyzing the demographic, socioeconomic, and cultural characteristics of the Korean immigrant community, the book discusses the unique lifestyle of Korean-American immigrants in relation to their youth and group delinquency problem. Choo also explains the phenomenon of gangs and immigrant youth by detailed comparison of the emergence, development, persistence and change of theser two distinctive groups.
E-Book Content
Criminal Justice Recent Scholarship Edited by Marilyn McShane and Frank P. Williams III A Series from LFB Scholarly This page intentionally left blank Gangs and Immigrant Youth Kyung-Seok Choo LFB Scholarly Publishing LLC New York 2007 Copyright © 2007 by LFB Scholarly Publishing LLC All rights reserved. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Choo, Kyung-Seok, 1969Gangs and immigrant youth / Kyung-Seok Choo. p. cm. -- (Criminal justice : recent scholarship) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN-10: 1-59332-148-1 (alk. paper) ISBN-13: 978-1-59332-148-2 (alk. paper) 1. Gangs--United States. 2. Juvenile delinquents--United States. 3. Korean Americans. 4. Korean Americans--Social conditions. 5. Juvenile delinquency--United States. 6. Violence--United States. I. Title. HV6439.U5C48 2007 364.106'6089957073--dc22 2006029527 ISBN-10 1593321481 ISBN-13 9781593321482 Printed on acid-free 250-year-life paper. Manufactured in the United States of America. To my daughters Beitrice and Iris This page intentionally left blank Table of Contents Table of Contents.................................................................................vii List of Tables ........................................................................................ix List of Figures.......................................................................................xi Acknowledgments ..............................................................................xiii Chapter 1. Introduction ..........................................................................1 Chapter 2. Review of the Literature.....................................................17 Chapter 3. Research Method................................................................33 Chapter 4. The Quality of Korean Community Life ............................47 Chapter 5. Assimilation: Comparison of General Characteristics of Delinquent Groups and Youth Gangs ..................................................63 Chapter 6. The Delinquent Group: Joong and His Boys......................83 Chapter 7. The Gang: Mo Ming Pai................................................... 117 Chapter 8. Conclusion........................................................................ 151 Appendix A: Notification Form......................................................... 159 Appendix B: Social and Physical observation Instrument ................. 161 Appendix C: Questions Used at Informal Interview.......................... 163 Appendix D: Formal Questionnaire................................................... 165 Appendix E: Profile of the Delinquent Group Members ................... 177 Appendix F: Profile of the Mo Ming Pai Gang members .................. 185 Reference ........................................................................................... 189 Index .................................................................................................. 199 vii