Gangs, Gender and Drug Sales: A Qualitative Study

描述（由申请人提供）：这个为期42个月的定性研究项目的目的是探讨旧金山青年帮派中性别、毒品销售和帮派组织之间的当代关系。具体而言，我们将探讨结构特征，如帮派组成，以及关系过程，如相互作用和看法，如何影响帮派和毒品销售的性别性质。通过强调关系过程和结构特征，我们将能够研究男性和女性成员如何在帮派组织中作为毒贩谈判地位、角色和关系。此外，我们将调查与男性和女性销售相关的不同风险和结果。我们将重点研究以下三个问题：1。帮派成员的社会人口特征和社会环境在哪些方面促成了帮派组织和毒品销售的性别性质？2. 贩毒和帮派组织的结构和关系要素是什么？3. 帮派和毒品交易的性别组织对女性和男性帮派成员的经济、社会和个人资本有何不同影响？我们计划找到并采访270名年龄在14至25岁之间的贩毒团伙成员，他们来自不同的种族背景和不同类型的帮派组织，包括单性别帮派（全男性或全女性）、混合性别帮派和联合帮派。样本将被分为男女人数相等的受访者，并分为三个主要种族群体（非裔美国人、亚洲/太平洋岛民和拉丁裔）。我们将主要使用定性方法，包括关键信息提供者和深度访谈，访谈将包括结构化问卷调查，以收集社会人口和关键定量数据，以及开放式，相对非结构化的时间表，以提供详细，深入和丰富的叙事信息。对数据的分析将包括适合于所收集的各种类型数据的混合方法。该项目之所以重要，有三个原因：1)它将提供急需的关于贩毒团伙中性别构成和性别参与的经验数据；2)它将提供关于该团伙内部社会文化过程的信息，强调毒品销售背景下的性别关系；3)它将为预防从业人员和执法人员提供重要信息，帮助他们通过合法的就业机会设计毒品销售的替代方案，并制定有效的、与文化和性别相关的教育和干预策略，以防止吸毒和毒品销售。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The aim of this 42 month qualitative research project is to explore the contemporary relationship between gender, drug sales and gang organization among youth gangs in San Francisco. Specifically we will explore how both structural characteristics, such as gang composition, as well as relational processes, such as interactions and perceptions, influence the gendered nature of gangs and drug sales. By emphasizing the relational processes as well as the structural characteristics, we will be able to examine how male and female members operating within gang organizations negotiate status, roles, and relationships as drug sellers. In addition, we will investigate the differential risks and outcomes associated with selling for both men and women. We will focus on the following three research questions: 1. In what ways do the socio- demographic characteristics and social environment of gang members contribute to the gendered nature of gang organizations and drug selling? 2. What are the structural and relational elements of drug selling and gang organization? 3. How does the gendered organization of gangs and drug dealing differentially impact female and male gang members' economic, social and personal capital? We plan to locate and interview 270 gang members who are drug sellers, between the ages of 14 and 25, from different ethnic backgrounds and from different types of gang organizations including single gender gangs (all males or all females), mixed gender gangs, and associational gangs The sample will be divided into equal numbers of male and female respondents and into three primary ethnic groups (African American, Asian/Pacific Islander, and Latino). We will use primarily qualitative methods, including key-informant and in- depth interviewing, and interviews will include a structured questionnaire to gather socio-demographic and key quantitative data, and an open-ended, relatively unstructured schedule to provide detailed, in-depth, and rich narrative information. Analysis of the data will consist of mixed methods appropriate to the various types of data collected. This project is important for three reasons: 1) It will provide much needed empirical data on gender composition and gender participation in drug selling in the gang; 2) It will provide information on the socio- cultural processes within the gang that highlight gender relationships in the context of drug sales; 3) It will provide important information for prevention practitioners and law enforcement officials for designing alternatives to drug sales through legitimate employment opportunities, and to develop effective, culturally and gender relevant educational and intervention strategies against drug use and drug sales.