GANGS IN MILITARY

GANG WAY: MILITARY-TRAINED GANG MEMBERS

By

Irving L. Miller

Jeffrey Rush, D.P.A., Faculty Mentor and Chair

Deborah Gangluff Ph.D., Committee Member

Antonio Johnson, DBA, Committee Member

Charles Tiffan, Ph.D., Dean, School of Public Safety

Presented in Partial Fulfillment

Of the Requirements for the Degree

Doctor of Philosophy

Capella University

1 January 2011



( Irving L. Miller 2011

ABSTRACT

Gangs have had an influence upon communities of the Midwestern United States for decades for some communities this influence has lasted for more than six decades. Those gang descendents threaten to take that influence to another level. A new phenomenon is taking place. Gangs are joining the military to receive training and bring that training back to their members. This is a small quantitative study to determine if militarily trained gang members in these communities increase the threat of violence to the community. Dr. Carter Smith originated this investigation in his dissertation Perceptions of gang Investigation regarding presence of military-trained gang members (2010). The original quantitative study surveyed investigators from the Tennessee Gang Investigators Association. This study will be similar in scope and interest, and will build on Dr Smith's original concept. Using the Military gang perception questionnaire authored by Dr. Smith, to collect the data, this study will poll investigators from the Mid-west gang Investigators association?

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

My thanks go out to all who have helped me complete this study and with whom this project may have not been possible. In particular, my gratitude goes out to friends, facilitator and family for extensive and helpful comments on early drafts. I am also deeply indebted to the authors who have shared my interest and preceded me. Their works provided me with a host of information to learn from and build upon, also served as examples to emulate.

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DECLARATION

I, (Your name), would like to declare that all contents included in this thesis/dissertation stand for my individual work without any aid, & this thesis/dissertation has not been submitted for any examination at academic as well as professional level previously. It is also representing my very own views & not essentially which are associated with university.

Signature:

Date:

TABLE OF CONTENTS

ABSTRACTii

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTSiii

DECLARATIONiv

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION1

Purpose of the Study2

Background of the Study5

Statement of the Problem8

Rationale10

Research Questions12

Definition of Terms14

What is a gang?14

Conceptual framework16

Organization of the Remainder of the Study17

CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW18

Midwest Gang Investigators Association (MGIA)20

United States and MTG21

Gangs in 21st century23

Military trained gangs and Violent Behavior26

Violence28

Theories of Gang Violence30

Structural Explanations32

Social Processes33

Conclusions38

CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY40

Research design40

Research questions40

Phenomenology42

Steps for methodology44

Reason for selecting the research method45

Imaginative Variation45

Quantitative Data Analysis46

Research Instrument46

Data Collection Procedure47

The Questionnaire47

Types of Questionnaires48

Descriptive statistics48

Internal Validity49

Ethical Considerations49

Informed Consent51

Confidentiality51

Sample52

Data Analysis53

Reliability/Dependability53

Validity55

Reliability (If using Questionnaire)56

Data Analysis57

Quantitative Data Analysis57

Data Security: Participant Anonymity and Document Retention57

Limitation of the study58

Justifying the Research Question59

Summary60

Flow Chart61

REFERENCES63

APPENDICES68

Questionnaire68

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION

This is a quantitative survey based study about gangs in the military; specifically, street gang whose members join the military, receive training, and return home to the communities from which they entered the military as in the case of the National guard or reserves or with the express intent to use their military training to further the gang's agenda on the streets of that ...