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Introduction
MOST YOUNG PEOPLE IN THE INNER CITY, EVEN GANG MEMBERS, WOULD AGREE that the streets can be a dangerous place (Shakur, 1993; Rodriguez, 1993). It is on the streets that young men and women are constantly confronted with contests of honor and respect. It is also on the streets that they find themselves getting into trouble as they search for meaning and ways to deal with a bleak environment. Lucinda, a homegirl, describes the futile nature of the streets:
I. What does being a homegirl mean to you personally?
R. Being in the street all the time, getting into trouble, getting things for free, getting drunk, like not being in reality. If you are on the streets, you are doing drugs, you don't give a shit what is going on. If you think about it, it is a good life, except that it is not taking you anywhere but to your death (p. 648). (All interview quotations are from the original study reported in Waldorf [1993] and Joe [1993].)
Since the 1980s, popular assumptions about gang members have taken on a life of their own and have been the basis for endless scores of television talk shows, radio programs, and magazine features. Essentially, male and female gang members are characterized as being wild, hedonistic, irrational, amoral, and violent (see Chesney-Lind, 1993). Moreover, the popular image of female gang members portrays these "bad girls" as even more problematic than their male counterparts because they challenge traditional gender roles. Popular assumptions also have been the basis for much of the punitive policy response to the grimness of street life, like the stiffening of sentences, criminalizing drug addiction among pregnant women, remanding juveniles to adult courts, and reducing monies for diversion. Remarkably, juvenile justice policies continue to move in a more punitive direction, even though very little is known about the nature and context of violence among gangs, particularly among female members.
How are we to understand the violence in these young women's lives? Is it the case that they are becoming more violent than before? Are they defiantly challenging traditional images of femininity? What is the context in which these girls find themselves in violence-prone situations? What other factors are important to understanding violence and gender...