1. Network Structure and Delinquency Within a Juvenile Gang

2. Some questions to consider. One often sees groups of youth who “hang out” in the downtown core. For example, along Granville Street near the Pacific Centre. What’s going on? Who are these people? Why are they there? What are they doing? What kind of social background do they come from?

3. A SOCIAL NETWORK a b c d e

4. HYPOTHESES

5. H1. Control theory suggests that individuals with low self- control will gravitate to the street and associate with similar others. While behavioral problems may hinder such individuals from developing close relationships with others, gangs do provide their members with a certain degree of social support. For these reasons we predict that those members in the gang with the weakest bonds to the conventional order will become the most integrated into the gang.

6. H2. Further, we predict that the longer a member has participated in the gang the greater his/her integration (as measured by degree). H3. We predict that those members in the gang with the weakest bonds to the conventional order will hold the most delinquent attitudes.

7. H4. We assume that the structurally core members of the gang, as indicated by degree will also be opinion leaders within the gang. Central location (as measured by degree) indicates a potential to engage in communication with a greater proportion of gang members. This allows one to influence others, and to receive feedback for one’s own opinions and attitudes. We assume that the group members are predisposed towards deviant attitudes in conjunction with their inability to establish bonds in normal social institutions. Hence, the greater an individual’s centrality (as measured by degree) the more delinquent attitudes he/she will hold.

8. H5. The more direct ties an individual has to other network members, the greater the number of geodesics he/he is likely to fall on (as measured by relative betweenness). H6. Falling in a central location (as measured by betweenness) potentially places one in the middle of many chains of communication. Hence central figures (as measured by relative betweenness) are likely to receive more influences and hence be more cross- pressured in the formation of their opinions and attitudes. Through this process we would expect that central figures would hold more delinquent attitudes than peripheral figures.

9. H7. The more direct ties an individual has to other members, the more indirect ties he/she is likely to have to the rest of the group. This means that peripheral members are likely closer (sociometrically) to those with whom they are linked (indirectly) because they have fewer total indirect ties. Hence we would expect core members (as measured by degree) to be more distant from other members (as measured by closeness) because they are linked to a greater number of ties indirectly.

10. H8. Being close to others (sociometrically) potentially makes communication with others more efficient. People in such locations will have greater opportunity to receive immediate reinforcement for their views relative to those in more distant locations. Hence we would expect people in central locations (as measured by closeness) to hold more delinquent attitudes than those in less central locations.

11. METHODOLOGY Ethical Concerns Data Collection The Sample

12. MEASUREMENT: CENTRALITY Degree Betweenness Closeness NETWORK DATA -- AN EXAMPLE

13. YEARS OF INVOLVEMENT BOND INDEX DELINQUENT ATTITUDES

14. YEARS OF INVOLVEMENT BOND INDEX DEGREE BETWEENESS CLOSENESS DELINQUENT ATTITUDES The Direct and Indirect Effects on Delinquent Attitudes.

16. Conclusion These results provide particular support for “control theory” because even when we statistically control for network structure (an indicator of peer influence) those with weak bonds hold the most delinquent attitudes. At the same time, there is also some support for aspects of subcultural theory, as structural location is associated with holding delinquent attitudes -- even when bonds (e.g., to family, school) are statistically controlled.