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This study proposes an analytical framework for examining the network of street gangs in Montreal. The objectives are twofold. One aim is to describe the core features of Montreal gangs. The second aim is to examine the structure of social relations between these gangs. These analyses allow us to assess whether the city’s gang landscape is structured around popularized rivalries between the Crips and the Bloods. Data for this research were gathered during focus group interviews involving 20 youth gang members residing in the Centre jeunesse de Montreal–Institut universitaire, the city’s main youth correctional institution. These gang members identified a total of 35 active gangs in Montreal. The network does reveal a relational setting that supports the popular Crips versus Bloods rivalry, with intercoalition conflicts and intracoalition alliances accounting for the vast majority of intergang relations. However, the study also revealed some important exceptions to this popular outlook. Such exceptions must be taken into consideration in order to arrive at a more complete and nuanced understanding of Montreal’s street gang landscape. The authors suspect that the conflicts and contradictions that emerge in the Montreal scene are also relevant for other major North American cities.

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Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to synthesize the effects of gang prevention programs on gang membership. Design/methodology/approach – The authors conducted a systematic literature review across 19 bibliographic databases and a meta-analysis of the effectiveness of these strategies. Findings – The database search resulted in 3,850 hits. Of the 162 studies that were screened in full, six involved a prevention program with outcomes commensurate for meta-analysis. Pooled log odds ratios indicate a significant, positive effect of gang prevention programs at reducing gang membership; however, sensitivity analysis demonstrates that the results are driven by the effects of a single study. Originality/value – Despite the small sample size, the current study presents the best available evidence regarding the effectiveness of gang membership prevention programs. There is a critical need in the field of gang control for rigorous evaluation of prevention strategies.

General strain theory (GST) posits that the experience of strains cause negative emotions that individuals try to alleviate through various strategies, including delinquency. GST predicts that the choice of delinquency as a coping solution will be more likely in certain conditions, including those where criminal opportunities are more abundant. The current study considers the role of strain as a direct predictor of lucrative criminal opportunities. Because we are specifically interested in lucrative, as opposed to routine criminal opportunities, our theoretical framework is also informed by research on criminal achievement which posits that offenders with more social capital are more likely to make money out of crime. Drawing from a sample of 170 juvenile offenders incarcerated in British Columbia, our results show that strain experiences are significantly associated with daily access to lucrative criminal opportunities, even after controlling for other factors, including negative emotions such as anger. Our results also indicate that criminal social capital -that is, the ability and willingness to collaborate with co-offenders in criminal pursuits -is strongly associated to access to lucrative criminal opportunities. The number of delinquent peers, however, did not emerge as a significant predictor. Theoretical and empirical implications for understanding and preventing juvenile delinquency are discussed.