THE VIOLENT GANG

by Lewis Yablonsky ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 24, 1962

The first half of this socio-psychological study of ""losers trying to be winners"" is chiefly drawn from the testimony of various members of the Egyptian King gang who were responsible for the 1957 killing of crippled Michael Farmer. (The author is the director of a New York crime prevention agency.) This particular crime was given a more popular book length treatment by the Judge who tried them- Irwin Davidson in The Jury is Still Out (Harper-1959). Yablonsky, who organized an athletic and social program in this area, achieved a temporary truce between two gangs, became a friend of some of the boys, traces the origins of these uptown gangs and the dynamics of the gang in action. The last half of the book deals with the historical view; early studies and interpretations of gang behavior, the sociopathic personality of its members, and possible prevention and treatment. The best job of rehabilitation, he feels, is now being done at Syanon House in Santa Monica under the auspices of a sociologist from the University of California... A simple presentation, documentation and evaluation of the negative physical and social forces which produce our ""street corner society""- for a professional market only.

Pub Date: Sept. 24, 1962

ISBN: 1440144621

Page Count: -

Publisher: Macmillan

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 1962

Categories: NONFICTION