AN EXPLORATORY STUDY ON THE IMPACT OF STREET GANG VALUES ON THE CURRENT BEHAVIOURS OF FORMER STREET GANG MEMBERS
LAU HWEI, GARY
LAU HWEI, GARY
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Abstract
Many studies from Western countries have found that street gang subculture does not only teach gang members about the “bad stuff" but also quality values that influence their behaviours. However, unlike Singapore, it lacks such studies. While there is available literature overseas, this cannot be generalised in Singapore as most Singaporean street gangs have been found to be dominated by Chinese secret societies. These Chinese secret societies culturally and uniquely shape the value systems that influence the behaviours of local gang members. This study was thus conducted to understand how street gang values are important to gang members and how these values influence the current behaviours of former gang members in the context of Singapore.
Husserlian phenomenology was chosen as this study’s research design. The research design was used to explore the local former gang members’ lived experiences and meanings that they attached to their street gang values influencing their current behaviours. Six former gang participants and two social worker-participants were recruited through the purposive sampling method. Semi-structured interviews were then conducted with the participants in obtaining the relevant data for this study. The gathered and analysed findings, provided in this paper, are found to be insightfully telling. These findings inform experts at both the practice and policy levels how they could work with street gang members more effectively in Singapore.
Keywords
Street Gang Values, Influencing Current Behaviours, Gang Members
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Date
2022-04-29
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