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Classic Studies
If you are interested in gang research, it is important to study the full body of research on all early academic studies on gangs. Since 1912 up until the 1960s, there have been many important studies that have assisted in advancing our knowledge of gangs, gang formation, and gang activity. There were several very important theoretical frame works established during this period and it is important to understand the basic principles behind the leading theories and how others built upon them. Whether you agree with many of the early studies, you should be able to converse on the following publications.
Puffer, John A., 1912, The Boy and His Gang, Boston:MA, Houghton Mifflin.
Thrasher, Frederic, 1927, The Gang: A Study of 1,313 Gangs in Chicago. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press.
Shaw, Clifford and McKay H., 1942, Juvenile Delinquency and Urban Areas: A Study of Rates of Delinquency in Relation to Differential Characteristics
Cohen, Albert, 1955, Delinquent Boys: The Culture of the Gang, Glencoe. IL: Free Press.
Miller, Walter, 1958, Lower Class Culture as a Generating Milieu of Gang Delinquency. Journal of Social Issues. Vol. 14, 5-20.
Miller, Walter, 1959, Implications of Urban Lower-Class Culture For Social Work. The Social Service Review. Vol. 33, 219-236.
Cohen, Albert & James Short, 1958, Research in Delinquent Subcultures, Journal of Social Issues, pp. 20-37.
Cloward, R., and Ohlin, L., 1960, Delinquency and Opportunity: A Theory of Delinquent Gangs. New York, NY: The Free press.
Bordua, David J., 1961, The Annals of the American Academy of Politcal and Social Sciences, vol. 338, November, pp. 119-137.
