Details

Autor(en) / Beteiligte

• Ortiz, Jennifer M.
• Ortiz, Jennifer M

Titel

Gang as a proxy for race: How the criminal justice system uses "gang" to reinforce oppression in minority communities

Ist Teil von

• Critical and Intersectional Gang Studies, 2023, p.121-137

Auflage

1

Ort / Verlag

United Kingdom: Routledge

Erscheinungsjahr

2023

Quelle

Alma/SFX Local Collection

Beschreibungen/Notizen

• Within the United States, there exist tropes about gangs and gang members. These individuals are portrayed as animalistic and violent. The stereotypes about gangs are utilized to reinforce oppression via the criminal justice system, including increased police presence in "gang neighborhoods," increased criminal penalties, and oppressive correctional policies. While the term "gang" appears race-neutral on its surface, the term is disproportionately applied to communities of color and lower income communities. In this chapter, I utilize interview data from individual gang members as well as existing literature to argue that the term "gang" is used by the criminal justice system as a proxy for race to reinforce oppression in minority communities.