- This unique volume by eminent gang researchers presents valuable new data on European youth gangs, describing important characteristics of these groups, and their similarities and differences to American gangs. Their findings from the Eurogang Research Program highlight the impact of immigration and ethnicity, urbanization, national influences, and local neighborhood circumstances on gang development in several European countries. Contents : Preface; Introduction Malcolm W. Klein; PART I: Qualitative Approaches; 1. In the Grip of the Group Frank van Gemertand Mark S. Fleisher; 2. Criminal Gangs and Their Connections: Metaphors, Definitions, and Structures Inger-Liese Lien; 3 An Old-Fashioned Youth Gang in Genoa Uberto Gatti, Francesca Angelini, Gilberto Marengo, Natalia Melchiorre, and Marcello Sasso; 4. Why Do Young Male Russians of German Descent Tend to Join or Form Violent Gangs? Elmar G.M. Weitekamp, Kerstin Reich, and Hans-Jürgen Kerner; 5. The Role of Crime Acts in Constituting the Gang's Mentality Inger-Liese Lien. PART II: Quantitative Approaches; 6. Identification and Self-identification: Using a Survey to Study Gangs in the Netherlands. Frank M. Weerman; 7. Youth Groups and Gangs in Amsterdam: A Pretest of the Eurogang Expert Survey. Frank van Gemert; 8. Contemporary Russian Gangs: History, Membership, and Crime Involvement. Alexander Salagaev, Alexander Shashkin, Irina Sherbakova, and Elias Touriyanskiy; 9. Terrors and Young Teams: Youth Gangs and Delinquency in Edinburgh. Paul Bradshaw; 10. A Cross-National Comparison of Youth Gangs: The United States and the Netherlands. Frank M. Weerman and Finn-Aage Esbensen. PART III: Integrative Approaches; 11. Gang and Youth Violence Prevention and Intervention: Contrasting the Experience of the Scandinavian Welfare State with the United States. Yngve Carlsson and Scott H. Decker; 12. European Street Gangs and Troublesome Youth Groups: Findings from the Eurogang Research Program. Frank M. Weerman and Scott H. Decker; Index; About the Contributors.