Jody Miller

About the author: Jody Miller is the author of One of the Guys: Girls, Gangs, and Gender.

It is much more likely that a girl will join a gang if she comes from a home with family problems, such as family violence, sexual abuse, drug and alcohol abuse, or a weak attachment to her parents. Involvement in a gang begins when the girl tries to avoid home due to the problems or dangers she encounters there. For many girls, the gang becomes their surrogate family and fulfills their needs for belonging and acceptance. Other girls join gangs because close members of their family—especially brothers—are gang members. In fact, many girls join a gang to be near their brother and to get his approval.

The family has...