Online Resources for Teachers:
Gangs
Information
The following materials are intended to help teachers familiarize themselves with how the law addresses gangs, and to suggest some ways to help their students gain a greater understanding of gangs and their legal implications.
IMPORTANT NOTE (March 13, 2012): Parliament has now passed Bill C-10, which will introduce some changes to laws affecting youth, such as the Youth Criminal Justice Act (YCJA). The materials on this site are currently being revised to reflect these legislative changes, and the updated versions will be posted as they are completed. In the meantime, please note that some of these documents will have outdated information. To see a summary of the changes to the YCJA, please refer to this page on the Parliament of Canada website.
PLEASE NOTE: All documents are in PDF format except where otherwise indicated. To view them, you will need the Adobe Acrobat Reader, available for free at this link. To save the document to your computer, right-click on the link and choose “Save Target As…” or “Save link as…”.
Gangs: Overview
Intended For: Teachers
This backgrounder will help you better understand what a gang is, who is at risk, how people become involved in gangs, and the dangers of being involved.
Lessons
Defining Gangs
Intended For: Secondary Grade Level
This activity directs the student to an understanding of what a gang is by comparing the legal definition of a gang to other definitions. Students synthesize their understanding by coming up with their own definition. This activity is suitable for individuals or small groups, with an opportunity for large group discussion and sharing.
Gangs: Novel Study – Character Profile
Intended For: Teachers, Secondary Grade Level
This activity was created to be used with the novel of your choice (Outsiders, Durango Street, etc.). Students identify the risk factors and protective factors associated with gang involvement while analyzing a character from a book they are reading. (A character from any work of fiction can be used, or even a character from a film.) A page of links for identifying local community resources is also included. This is a useful activity for tying in Health/C.A.L.M. Healthy Choices issues, knowledge of community resources or Language Arts.
Links
The following links are to external resources that teachers may find useful for lesson plan source material, student exploration and expansion of personal knowledge on this topic. Please contact us to report any broken links.
The following links are to external resources that teachers may find useful for lesson extension, student exploration and expansion of personal knowledge on this topic. Please contact us to report any broken links.
Canadian Focused Resources
Alberta Rural Crime Watch
Information on community awareness and crime prevention in rural Alberta.
CBC: The Fifth Estate – “Lost in the Struggle”
This program followed three Toronto teens and their involvement with crime and violence. (The program itself appears to be no longer available, but the site has information on the program and related resources.)
The Community Solution to Gang Violence
An Edmonton area initiative focused on working”collaboratively on a strategic, community-wide approach to address the issue of gangs and gang violence and make the Edmonton and surrounding area free from gang violence. The Resources section of this site has an extensive collection of gang resources from a variety of sources.
Case Scenarios: Situations of Risk
A PDF document from the CSGV site. “In an attempt to reflect the realities we face in addressing gang violence and the complexities surrounding the lives of young people, we developed a number of case scenarios to show the complexities surrounding the lives of young people who may become vulnerable to gang involvement.”
Edmonton Police Services Gangs Page
Public Safety Canada: Youth Gangs
“The National Crime Prevention Centre (NCPC) of Public Safety Canada is committed to developing and disseminating practical knowledge to address the problem of youth gangs. The resources and information provided on this web page are designed to assist people interested in learning more about preventing children and youth from becoming involved in gangs.”
John Howard Society of Alberta: Gangs (2001)
This report gives an overview of media, law enforcement, government, research and academic perspectives on gangs, the available responses to gang presence and the change in focus by these various groups.
Project Gang Proof: Manitoba Justice; Safer Communities
“Gangs form in all types of neighbourhoods, and across all cultures and ethnic groups. The provincial government has developed a comprehensive coordinated response that focuses on dealing with gang issues and creating positive alternatives for Manitoba youth. These initiatives are enhanced by crime prevention programs, educational opportunities and community and economic development initiatives which help address social and economic challenges.”
Youth gangs in Canada: What do we know?
From Public Safety Canada. Also available as a PDF. Includes a summary of the results of the 2002 Canadian Police Survey on Youth Gangs. This survey, the first of its kind in Canada, assesses the extent and characteristics of the youth gang problem in communities throughout Canada, as reported by law enforcement agencies.
Addressing Youth Gang Problems: The Importance of Research and Evaluation in Guiding Policy and Practice (PDF)
A presentation given in 2007 at the Semi-Annual National Meeting of the National Joint Committee of Senior Criminal Justice Officials. Presented by Mark Irving, Senior Research Analyst at the National Crime Prevention Centre, Department of Public Safety Canada.
Youth Gang Prevention Fund (Public Safety Canada)
The YGPF invests in communities where youth gangs are an existing or emerging threat and supports initiatives that clearly target youth in gangs or at greatest risk of joining gangs. Priority is given to projects that address specific risk and protective factors associated with youth violence and gang membership and will demonstrate results that reduce and prevent the risks of future gun violence and gang activity.
Research Institute for the Law and Family
In 2005, the Institute prepared a document for Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Canada entitled Youth Gangs in Canada: A Preliminary Review of Programs and Services.
Documents from the RCMP
- A Research Report on Youth Gangs: Problems, Perspective and Priorities (PDF version)
- Feature Focus 2006: Youth Gangs and Guns (PDF version)
A Snapshot of Prison Gangs and Youth Gangs in Canada: Well-Known Gangs, Membership, Offences, Risk, and Reconviction
“Insideprison.com is an independent research site on criminal justice issues. It is not affiliated with any governmental organization or institution.”
Young Thugs
A blog by Michael Chettleburgh, author of the book “Young Thugs” (published in 2007) which “takes you inside the dangerous world of Canadian street gangs”. Chettleburg’s book is available for purchase online, but check your local library as well.
Youth Gangs in Canada: A Preliminary Review of Programs and Services (PDF)
A report prepared for Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Canada in 2005. Submitted and hosted by the Canadian Research Institute for Law and Family.
Books
The following books are currently available on Google Books (linked below); they may also be at your local library, or available through interlibrary loans.
The Youth Gang Problem: A Community Approach
By Irving A. Spergel
Street Gangs: Current Knowledge and Strategies
by Catherine H. Conly
Other Resources
Arturo J. Hernandez: Gang Prevention and Intervention
Arturo Hernandez is an educator, author, counsellor and expert on gang-involved youth, and founder of two schools for gang youth. The articlesEducation and the Prevention of Youth Gangs and A Different Healing: Gang Youth Within a Tribal Circle relate two stories of working with gang-affected youth in Native South American communities.
Gangs and At-Risk Kids
This site includes stories by ex-gang members or gang members serving long prison sentences, written to offer hope to others who might be going through the same problems. The Ask a Prisoner section offers information about gangs, prison, and other topics of interest.
Gangs in Small Towns and Rural Counties by James C. Howell and Arlen Egley, Jr.: NYGC Bulletin (PDF)
“Implementation of the Comprehensive Gang Prevention, Intervention, and Suppression Model involves six steps, which are managed by a Steering Committee of policy or decision-makers from organizations or agencies that have an interest in or responsibility for addressing the community’s gang problem.”
Into The Abyss: A Personal Journey into the World of Street Gangs by Mike Carlie
An electronic book that provides an overview of gangs and the American gang phenomenon. This website explores over 80 different gang-related topics and offers more than 2,400 links to useful gang-related websites on the Internet.
National Criminal Justice Reference Service: Spotlight on Gangs
A variety of resources and information from the U.S. Department of Justice.
Youth Gangs in Rural America by Ralph A. Weisheit and L. Edward Wells (PDF)
“The differences between urban and rural gangs strongly suggest that the policies and practices aimed at suppressing urban gangs may not be the best approaches in non-urban areas. A different set of strategies must be created, directed squarely at the unique characteristics of rural youth gangs.”
National Youth Gang Center (NYGC): Institute for Intergovernmental Research
Gang information and resources from the U.S. Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP).
STRYVE (Striving to Reduce Youth Violence Everywhere)
Search this site for gang-related information. Sponsored by the USA’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.