Under the Hood: Understanding pathways in and out of gang life from the point of view of gang members' experience

This study used data collected from in-depth interviews with five male members of a B.C. Lower Mainland gang, who self-identified as growing up in a middle-class environment, to examine risk factors associated with gang involvement and barriers to exiting a gang. More specifically, the study compares risk factors associated with joining gangs and barriers to exiting gangs between youth who grow up in a middle-class “suburban” environment and the available research, which has predominantly been focused on youth who grow up in a “poor” underprivileged environment. The study found no distinguishing risk factors between the participants and the available data. In addition, the study also examined whether there are any unique risk factors encountered by youth who were raised in Canada by foreign born parents. The research found no unique risk factors associated with joining and obstacles to exiting among this group either.