The Street Gangs of Euroburg: A Story of Research

Placed in a fictional but typical European city, a research team responds to reports of street gang violence by adapting the widely used research procedures developed in the Eurogang Program in a dozen countries since 1997. The author follows the development of the research team and its relationships with community leaders, the press, and several different street gangs in the city. Entre to the gangs brings research and personal problems for the staff and reveals important differences between the gangs in crime patterns and group structures. Comparison to American and other European gangs builds the case for several forms of gang knowledge, while specific incidents including violent attacks on staff members bring to life the unique aspects of Euroburg, a city of tourism and commercial success. The author humanizes the study of street gangs, based on his forty-year career in gang research and control.