Abstract
Recent years have witnessed growing concern about the existence of youth gangs and the engagement of their members in violent crime including gun and knife crime. Researchers in America, where a substantial amount of the literature on gangs derives, have identified five main developmental domains which influence the probability of youth gang membership. The five domains are: individual, family, community, school, and peers. The research found that young people who suffer adverse experiences in one or more of these five domains were at greater risk of joining a gang. However, there are individuals who do not conform to this ideology despite suffering adverse experiences in one or more of these developmental domains. As yet, little or no recent research exists in the UK to explain why some youths defy the odds and not join gangs. By employing semi-structured interviews of young people and youth practitioners, this qualitative research aims to improve our understanding of youth gang membership by exploring the mechanisms that, from their perspective, have stopped some potentially vulnerable young men (aged 16 to 25) growing up in the North London borough of Portville from joining gangs. This study found that young participants who experience a wide range of risk factors including offending, concerns over personal safety, weak parental supervision, school exclusion, and close association with gang members have increased probability of gang membership. However, protective factors that appeared to buffer risk factors included fear of violent victimisation, feeling safe in the community, resilience during setbacks, positive relationship with parents, positive relationship with teachers, and dissociation from peers who engage in criminal activities. Moreover, the results indicated that some single protective factors are able to nullify the effects of multiple risk factors. The conclusion outlines potential recommendations that can be explored and implemented to prohibit youths who experience risk factors from gang membership.