The pathway to gang life: a descriptive analysis of South Asian youth most susceptible to recruitment

This major paper provides an in-depth review of the history of South Asian gang-affiliated crime across the Lower Mainland of British Columbia and establishes a profile of youth most susceptible to gang recruitment. Through an historical analysis of media coverage on South Asian gang members, in addition to gleaning available information from recent exploratory and observational studies, there is sufficient material available to suggest that most South Asian gang-affiliated youth are young males between the ages of 16 to 29, who were raised in two-parent homes in middle-class neighbourhoods, and who have potential to excel both academically and professionally. However, to date, empirical data has been lacking and researchers have been unable to validate the characteristics of South Asian gang members and the factors influencing their apparent voluntary pathway to gang life. With a multitude of opportunity available to them, this major paper attempts to identify the potential causal factors influencing South Asian youths’ choice to become gang involved, including cultural integration; social bonds with parents, peers, and schools; parental supervision; family and peer delinquency; and financial gain.