Research & Publications

G.R.E.A.T PROJECT DISSEMINATION

Final Report

Finn-Aage Esbensen, Wayne Osgood, Dana Peterson, Terrance J. Taylor, Dena Carson, Adrienne Freng, Kristy Matsuda. Process and Outcome Evaluation of the Gang Resistance Education and Training Program (G.R.E.A.T.). NCJRS Doc # 244346, December 2013

Publications

Finn-Aage Esbensen, Chris Melde, Terrance J. Taylor, Dana Peterson. 2008. “Active Parental Consent in School-based Research: How much is enough and how do we get it?” Evaluation Review. 32:335-362.

Terrance J. Taylor, Finn-Aage Esbensen, Bradley T. Brick, and Adrienne Freng. 2010. “Exploring the Measurement Quality of a ‘Street Code’ Scale: Differences across groups and contexts.” Youth Violence and Juvenile Justice 8: 187-212.

Finn-Aage Esbensen, Dana Peterson, Terrance J. Taylor, Adrienne Freng, D. Wayne Osgood, Dena Carson, and Kristy Matsuda. 2011. “Evaluation and Evolution of the Gang Resistance Education and Training (G.R.E.A.T.) Program.” Journal of School Violence 10:53-70.

Dana Peterson and Finn-Aage Esbensen. 2011. “Preventing Youth Gang Involvement with G.R.E.A.T.” In S.R. Jimerson, M.J. Furlong, A.B. Nickerson & M.J. Mayer (eds.) The Handbook of School Violence and School Safety: International Research and Practice, 2nd Edition. New York, NY: Routledge.

Finn-Aage Esbensen, Kristy Matsuda, Terrance J. Taylor, and Dana Peterson. 2011. “Multi-method Strategy for Assessing Program Fidelity: The national evaluation of the revised G.R.E.A.T. program.” Evaluation Review 35:14-39.

Finn-Aage Esbensen, Dana Peterson, Terrance J. Taylor, and D. Wayne Osgood. 2012. “Results from a Multi-site Evaluation of the G.R.E.A.T. Program.” Justice Quarterly 29:125-151.

Melde, Chris and Finn-Aage Esbensen. 2012. The Onset of (Euro)Gang Membership as a Turning Point in the Life Course. In F.-A. Esbensen & C. L. Maxson (Eds.), Youth Gangs in International Perspective (pp. 169-187). New York: Springer.

Kristy N. Matsuda, Finn-Aage Esbensen, and Dena C. Carson. 2012. “Putting the ‘Gang’ in Eurogang; Characteristics of Delinquent Youth Groups by Different Definitional Approaches.” In F.-A. Esbensen and C.L. Maxson (under contract). Youth Gangs in International Perspective: Results from the Eurogang Program of Research. New York, NY: Springer.

Finn-Aage Esbensen and Dena Carson. 2012. “Who Are the Gangsters?: An examination of the age, race/ethnicity, sex, and immigration status of self-reported gang members in a seven city study of American youth.” Journal of Contemporary Criminal Justice 28:462-478. Reprinted in The Modern Gang Reader, 4th edition, edited by Cheryl L. Maxson, Arlen Egley, Jr., Jody Miller, and Malcolm W. Klein. New York, NY: Oxford University Press. 2013.

Dana Peterson and Dena Carson. 2012. “Group Sex Composition and Youth’s Delinquency: A comparison of gang and non-gang peer groups.” In F.-A. Esbensen and C.L. Maxson (eds). Youth Gangs in International Perspective: Tales from the Eurogang Program of Research. New York, NY: Springer.

Chris Melde and Finn-Aage Esbensen. 2012. “Gangs and Violence: Disentangling the Impact of Gang Membership on the Level and Nature of Offending.” Journal of Quantitative Criminology 29:143-166.

Kristy Matsuda, Chris Melde, Adrienne Freng, TJ Taylor & Finn-Aage Esbensen. 2012. “Gang Membership and Adherence to the ‘Code of the Streets.’” Justice Quarterly 30:440-468.

Finn-Aage Esbensen and Dena C. Carson. 2012. “Who are the gangsters?: An examination of the age, race/ethnicity, and sex of self-reported gang members in a seven city study of American youth.” Journal of Contemporary Criminal Justice 28:462-478.

Dena C. Carson, Finn-Aage Esbensen, and T.J. Taylor. 2013. “A Longitudinal Analysis of the Relationship between School Victimization and Student Mobility.” Youth Violence and Juvenile Justice 11:275-295.

Kristy Matsuda, Chris Melde, Terrance J. Taylor, Adrienne Freng, and Finn-Aage Esbensen. 2013. “Gang Membership and Adherence to the ‘Code of the Street.’” Justice Quarterly 30:440-468.

Finn-Aage Esbensen and L. Thomas Winfree, Jr. 2013. “Motivations for Gang Joining: Does Context Matter?” Pp.77-90 in Klaus Boers, Thomas Feltes, Joerg Kinzig, Lawrence W. Sherman, Franz Streng, and Gerson Trueg (Eds.) Criminology, Crime Policy, and Penal Law: Festschrift for Hans-Juergen Kerner on the Occasion of his 70th Birthday. Tuebingen, Germany: Mohr Publishing.

Finn-Aage Esbensen and Kristy N. Matsuda. 2013. Program Evaluation: “How Do We Know If We Are Preventing Gang Membership?” In Thomas R. Simon, Nancy M. Ritter, Reshma Mahendra. (Eds.), Changing Course: Preventing Gang Joining. (NCJ 239234). National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and National Institute of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice. Washington, DC.

Finn-Aage Esbensen, Dana Peterson, Terrance J. Taylor, and D. Wayne Osgood. 2013. “Is G.R.E.A.T Effective? Program Implementation Quality and Results from the National Evaluation of the Gang Resistance Education and Training (G.R.E.A.T.) Program.” In Cheryl L. Maxson, Jody Miller, Malcolm Klein, and Arlen Egley (Eds.) The Modern Gang Reader, 4th edition. New York: Oxford University Press.

Chris Melde and Finn-Aage Esbensen. 2013. “Gangs and Violence: Disentangling the impact of gang membership on the level and nature of offending.” Journal of Quantitative Criminology 29:143-166.

Stephanie A. Wiley, Lee Ann Slocum, and Finn-Aage Esbensen. 2013. “The Unintended Consequences of Being Stopped or Arrested: An exploration of the labeling mechanisms through which police contact leads to subsequent delinquency.” Criminology 51:927-966.

Finn-Aage Esbensen, D. Wayne Osgood, Dana Peterson, Terrance J. Taylor, and Dena C. Carson. 2013. “Short and Long Term Outcome Results from a Multi-site Evaluation of the G.R.E.A.T. Program.” Criminology and Public Policy 12:375-411.

Dena C. Carson, Dana Peterson, and Finn-Aage Esbensen. 2013. “Youth Gang Desistance: An examination of different operational definitions of desistance on the motivations, methods, and consequences associated with leaving the gang.” Criminal Justice Review 38:510-534. Recipient: 2013 James L. Maddex, Jr. Paper of the Year Award

Dena C. Carson. 2013. “Perceptions of Prosocial and Delinquent Peer Behavior and the Effect on Delinquent Attitudes: A Longitudinal Study.” Journal of Criminal Justice 41:151-161.

Dena C. Carson and Finn-Aage Esbensen. 2014. “The Mediating Effects of Delinquent Attitudes on Race, Race Heterogeneity, and Violent Offending.” Journal of Crime and Justice. 37:23-41.

Dana Peterson and Kirstin Morgan. 2014. “The overlap in youths’ risk factors for onset of violence and gang involvement.” Journal of Crime and Justice 37:129-154.

Lee Ann Slocum, Finn-Aage Esbensen, and Terrance J. Taylor. 2014. “The Code of Silence in Schools: An assessment of a socio-ecological model of youth’s willingness to report school misbehavior.” Youth & Society doi:10.1177/0044118X14528958

Chris Melde and Finn-Aage Esbensen. 2014. "The Relative Impact of Gang Status Transitions: Identifying the mechanisms of change in delinquency." Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency 51:349-376.

Stephanie DiPietro, Lee Ann Slocum, and Finn-Aage Esbensen. 2015. “School Context, Immigrant Status, and Delinquency.” Youth Violence and Juvenile Justice 13:299-332.

Finn-Aage Esbensen. 2015. “The Gang Resistance Education and Training (G.R.E.A.T.) Program: An Evaluator’s Perspective.” In Scott H. Decker and David C. Pyrooz (eds.) The Handbook of Gangs. New York, NY: Wiley Blackwell.

Lee Ann Slocum, Stephanie A. Wiley, and Finn-Aage Esbensen. 2016. “The Importance of Being Satisfied: A longitudinal exploration of police contact, procedural injustice, and subsequent delinquency.” Criminal Justice and Behavior 43:7-26.

Stephanie A. Wiley and Finn-Aage Esbensen. 2016. “The Effect of Police Contact: Does official intervention result in deviance amplification” Crime & Delinquency 62:283-307.

Chris Melde, Finn-Aage Esbensen, and Dena C. Carson. 2016.“Gang membership and involvement in violence among U.S. adolescents: A test of construct validity.” In Cheryl L. Maxson and Finn-Aage Esbensen (eds.) Gang Transitions and Transformations in an International Context. New York, NY: Springer.

Dena C. Carson and Finn-Aage Esbensen. 2016. “Motivations for Leaving: A Qualitative Comparison of Leaving Processes across Gang Definitions.” In Cheryl L. Maxson and Finn-Aage Esbensen (eds.) Gang Transitions and Transformations in an International Context. New York, NY: Springer.

McCuddy, Timothy and Finn-Aage Esbensen. 2017. “After the Bell and Into the Night: The Link between Delinquency and Traditional, Cyber-, and Dual-bullying Victimization.” Journal or Research in Crime and Delinquency 54:409-441

Stephanie A. Wiley, Dena C. Carson, and Finn-Aage Esbensen. 2017. “Arrest and the Amplification of Deviance: Does Gang Membership Moderate the Relationship?” Justice Quarterly 34:788-817

Dena C. Carson and Finn-Aage Esbensen. 2017. “Prevalence, Risk Factors and Pathways to Gang Violence.” In Peter Sturmey (ed.) The Wiley Handbook of Violence and Aggression, Volume 3. Societal Interventions. New York, NY: John Wiley & Sons Publisher

Carson, Dena C., Chris Melde, Stephanie A. Wiley, and Finn-Aage Esbensen. 2017. “School Transitions as a Turning Point for Gang Status.” Journal of Crime and Justice 40:396-416.

Dena C. Carson, Stephanie A. Wiley, and Finn-Aage Esbensen. 2017. “Differentiating Between Delinquent Groups and Gangs: Moving Beyond Offending Consequences.” Journal of Crime and Justice 40:297-315.

Melde, Chris, Mark Berg, and Finn-Aage Esbensen. 2020. “Nerve” and Violent Encounters: An Assessment of Fearlessness in the Face of Danger. Criminology 58(2) 226-254.

Pyrooz, D. C., Melde, C., Coffman, D. L., & Meldrum, R. C. (2021). Selection, stability, and spuriousness: Testing Gottfredson and Hirschi's propositions to reinterpret street gangs in self-control perspective. Criminology, 1-30. DOI: 10.1111/1745-9125.12268

Reports

Finn-Aage Esbensen, Terrance J. Taylor, Bradley T. Brick, and Dana Peterson. 2007. 2007 Report to Schools and Communities. National Evaluation of the Gang Resistance Education and Training (G.R.E.A.T.) Program, Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice, University of Missouri-St. Louis.

Dena Carson, Finn-Aage Esbensen, Terrance J. Taylor, and Dana Peterson. August 2008. Results from Surveys and Interviews with G.R.E.A.T.-trained Officers. National Evaluation of the Gang Resistance Education and Training (G.R.E.A.T.) Program, Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice, University of Missouri-St. Louis.

Finn-Aage Esbensen, Dana Peterson, Terrance J. Taylor, Vanessa R. Panfil, and Bradley T. Brick. 2008. 2008 Report to Schools and Communities: Anti-Social Norms among a Sample of Middle-School Students. National Evaluation of the Gang Resistance Education and Training (G.R.E.A.T.) Program, Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice, University of Missouri-St. Louis.

Krystle M. Leugoud, Finn-Aage Esbensen, Bradley T. Brick, and Terrance J. Taylor. March 2009. Observing the Implementer: Description of Findings, Recommendations, and Conclusions from GREAT Program Implementation Observations. National Evaluation of the Gang Resistance Education and Training (G.R.E.A.T.) Program, Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice, University of Missouri-St. Louis.

Dana Peterson, Vanessa R. Panfil, Finn-Aage Esbensen, and Terrance J. Taylor. June 2009. School Personnel Survey Report. National Evaluation of the Gang Resistance Education and Training (G.R.E.A.T.) Program, Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice, University of Missouri-St. Louis.

Terrance J. Taylor, Finn-Aage Esbensen, and Dana Peterson. June 2009. G.R.E.A.T. Officer Training (GOT) Report. National Evaluation of the Gang Resistance Education and Training (G.R.E.A.T.) Program, Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice, University of Missouri-St. Louis.

Finn-Aage Esbensen, Dana Peterson, and Terrance J. Taylor. 2009. 2009 Report to Schools and Communities: Program Implementation and Preliminary Outcome Results. National Evaluation of the Gang Resistance Education and Training (G.R.E.A.T.) Program, Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice, University of Missouri-St. Louis.

Bradley T. Brick. “Examining Individual and Community Predictors of Formal Sanctioning in an Adolescent Sample.” 2009. Unpublished Ph.D. Dissertation, Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice, University of Missouri-St. Louis.

Matsuda, Kristy, Finn-Aage Esbensen, Dana Peterson, Terrance J. Taylor. 2010. 2010 Report to Schools and Communities: School Safety and Victimization. National Evaluation of the Gang Resistance Education and Training (G.R.E.A.T.) Program, Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice, University of Missouri-St. Louis.

Dena C. Carson. “Examining the Effect of Changes in the Peer Group on attitudes: A Longitudinal Study. 2011. Unpublished Ph.D. Dissertation, Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice, University of Missouri-St. Louis.

Finn-Aage Esbensen, Dana Peterson, Terrance J. Taylor, and D. Wayne Osgood. 2012. Is G.R.E.A.T. effective? Does the program prevent gang joining? Results from the National evaluation of G.R.E.A.T. Program, Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice, University of Missouri-St. Louis.

Presentations

Finn-Aage Esbensen, Chris Melde, Dana Peterson, and Terrance J. Taylor. “Obtaining Active Parental Consent for a School-based Evaluation.” Annual Meeting of the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences, Seattle, WA, March 2007.

Finn-Aage Esbensen. “Process and Outcome Evaluation of the G.R.E.A.T. Program.” Report to the National Policy Board, International Association of Chiefs of Police, New Orleans, LA, October 12, 2007

Terrance J. Taylor, Nick Miofsky, and Finn-Aage Esbensen. “(Foreign) Born in the USA: Immigration, Youth Victimization, and Awareness of Victim Assistance.” American Society of Criminology, Atlanta, GA, November 2007.

Dena Carson, Finn-Aage Esbensen, and Terrance J. Taylor “An Examination of Officers' Attitudes about a School-Based Community-Oriented Policing Strategy.” Western Society of Criminology, Sacremento, CA, February 2008.

Dena Carson, Finn-Aage Esbensen, Terrance J. Taylor, and Dana Peterson. 2008. National Evaluation of the Gang Resistance Education and Training (GREAT) Program: Results from Surveys and Interviews with GREAT-trained Officers. University of Missouri-St. Louis.

Finn-Aage Esbensen and Chris Melde. “Strategies to Enhance Program Fidelity.” National Institute of Justice Conference, Crystal City, VA. July, 2008.

Finn-Aage Esbensen. “Progress Report on the Evaluation of GREAT.” National GREAT Conference, St. Louis, MO. July 2008.

Finn-Aage Esbensen, Bradley T. Brick, Chris Melde, Dana Peterson, Terrance J. Taylor, and Dena Carson. “An Empirical Assessment of the Eurogang Funneling Aprroach to Establish Gang Membership.” European Society of Criminology, Edinburgh, Scotland, September 2008.

Finn-Aage Esbensen. “Preliminary Short-term Results from the Evaluation of the G.R.E.A.T. Program.” Report to the GREAT National Policy Board, San Diego, CA. November 2008.

Finn-Aage Esbensen, Bradley T. Brick, Terrance J. Taylor, Dana Peterson, Chris Melde, and Dena Carson. “Dueling Banjos: Does definition matter? ”American Society of Criminology, St. Louis, MO. November 2008.

Chris Melde, Finn-Aage Esbensen, Terrance J. Taylor, Dana Peterson. “Reducing Initial Loss Rates Associated with Active Parental Consent.” American Society of Criminology, St. Louis, MO. November, 2008.

Terrance J. Taylor, Dana Peterson, and Adrienne Freng. “Strategies for Reducing Attrition across Waves.” American Society of Criminology, St. Louis, MO. November, 2008.

Krystle M. Leugoud, Bradley T. Brick, and Finn-Aage Esbensen. “The Use of Observations to Assess Program Fidelity.” American Society of Criminology, St. Louis, MO. November 2008.

Dena C. Carson, Terrance J. Taylor, Dana Peterson, and Finn-Aage Esbensen. “Alternative Measures of Program Implementation.” American Society of Criminology, St. Louis, MO. November 2008.

Bradley T. Brick. “Race, Social Context, and Social Control: An Examination of Racial Disparity in School Punishment.” American Society of Criminology, St. Louis, MO. November 2008.

Finn-Aage Esbensen. Presentation to National Policy Board. Baltimore, MD. April 2009.

Finn-Aage Esbensen, Dana Peterson, and Terrance J. Taylor. “The Validity of the Filtering and Funneling Methods of Defining Gang Membership.” European Society of Criminology, Ljubljana, Slovenia. September 2009.

Bradley T. Brick. “Minority Threat in Schools: Racial Status, Social Context, and Social Control.” American Society of Criminology, Philadelphia, PA. November 2009.

Dana Peterson and Finn-Aage Esbensen. “Gang Sex Composition Effects: Selection or Social Facilitation?” American Society of Criminology, Philadelphia, PA. November 2009.

John Michael Vecchio, Terrance J. Taylor, and Finn-Aage Esbensen. “Self-control, Delinquent Lifestyles, and Subsequent Victimization.” American Society of Criminology, Philadelphia, PA. November 2009.

Dena Carson. “The Influence of Peer Group Composition on Delinquent Beliefs.” American Society of Criminology, Philadelphia, PA. November 2009.

Terrance J. Taylor, Finn-Aage Esbensen, Bradley T. Brick, and Adrienne Freng. “Exploring the Measurement Quality of an Attitudinal Scale of Street Code- Related Violence: Similarities and Differences across Groups and Contexts.” Western Society of Criminology, Honolulu, HI, February 2010.

Dena Carson. “The Moderating Effects of Race on the Relationship between Delinquent Attitudes and Delinquency.” Western Society of Criminology, Honolulu, HI, February 2010.

Kristy Matsuda, Finn-Aage Esbensen, and Dena Carson. “Putting the ‘Gang’ in Eurogang: Characteristics of Delinquent Youth Groups by Different Definitional Approaches.” Eurogang X Workshop. Neustadt an der Weinstrasse, Germany, June 2010.

Dana Peterson, Dena Carson, and Finn-Aage Esbensen. “Sex Composition of Gangs and Youth Gang Member Delinquency: An Examination of Selection and Social Facilitation Using the Eurogang Definition.” Eurogang X Workshop. Neustadt an der Weinstrasse, Germany, June 2010.

Hyon Namgung, Terrance J. Taylor, Finn-Aage Esbensen. “Exploring the Role of Different Policing Models of School-Based Prevention Efforts on Changes in Youths’ Attitudes towards the Police.” American Society of Criminology, San Francisco, CA, November 2010.

Dena Carson. “Changes in Youth Offending: An Examination of the Interdependence of Self-control and Social bonds.” American Society of Criminology, San Francisco, CA, November 2010.

Stephanie A. Wiley and Finn-Aage Esbensen. “Predicting Substance Use in Juveniles: A Test of an Integrated Model.” American Society of Criminology, San Francisco, CA, November 2010.

J. Michael Vecchio, Dana Peterson, and Finn-Aage Esbensen. “The apostasy of the gang: Motivations for youth gang desistance.” American Society of Criminology, San Francisco, CA, November 2010.

Finn-Aage Esbensen, Dana Peterson, Terrance J. Taylor, and D. Wayne Osgood. “G.R.E.A.T. is Great.” American Society of Criminology, San Francisco, CA, November 2010.

Dana Peterson and Kirstin Morgan. “Risky Business: Risk Factor Predictions of Girls’ and Boys’ Gang Involvement.” American Society of Criminology, San Francisco, CA, November 2010.

Kristy Matsuda and Finn-Aage Esbensen “The Missing Gang Members: Measuring Gang Careers using Longitudinal Data.” American Society of Criminology, San Francisco, CA, November 2010.

Lee Slocum, Terrance J. Taylor, and Finn-Aage Esbensen. “Contextual Determinants of Youths’ Willingness to Report Crime.” American Society of Criminology, San Francisco, CA, November 2010.

Dena Carson and Finn-Aage Esbensen. “Differentiating Delinquent Groups from Gangs: Moving Beyond Offending.” Western Society of Criminology, Vancouver, BC, Canada, February 2011.

Kristy Matsuda and Finn-Aage Esbensen. “Gang Structures in a National School-Based Sample of Youth: A test of Maxson and Klein’s gang typology.” Western Society of Criminology, Vancouver, BC, Canada, February 2011.

Finn-Aage Esbensen. “Promising Results from the National Evaluation of the G.R.E.A.T. Program” 10th Annual Youth Violence Prevention Conference. University of Missouri-St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, April 2011.

Finn-Aage Esbensen. “G.R.E.A.T. Evaluation: Preliminary Findings.” National Gang Symposium, Orlando, FL, June 2011.

Finn-Aage Esbensen. “Process and Outcome Evaluation of the Gang Resistance Education and Training (G.R.E.A.T.) Program.” Children’s Justice and Safety Conference, OJJDP, Washington, DC, October 2011.

Kristy Matsuda, Finn-Aage Esbensen, and Dana Peterson. “The Effect of Gang Structures on Gang Member Attitudes and Behavior: An Empirical Examination.” American Society of Criminology, Washington, DC, November 2011.

Chris Melde and Finn-Aage Esbensen. “The Proximate Impact of Gang Desistance: A Turning Point Framework.” American Society of Criminology, Washington, DC, November 2011.

Stephanie A. Wiley and Finn-Aage Esbensen. “Labeling Theory Revisited: Does Official Intervention Result in Deviance Amplification?” American Society of Criminology, Washington, DC, November 2011.

Kirstin A. Morgan. “Exposure to Risk: Examining the Impact of Risk Factors on Gang Involvement.” American Society of Criminology, Washington, DC, November 2011.

Adrienne Freng, Chris Melde, Kristy N. Matsuda, and Terrance J. Taylor. “Gang Membership and Adherence to the Code of the Streets.” American Society of Criminology, Washington, DC, November 2011.

Dana Peterson and Kirstin A. Morgan. “Sex Differences in Gang Risk Factors across Adolescence: Implications for Gang Prevention.” American Society of Criminology, Washington, DC, November 2011.

J. Michael Vecchio. “Exploring and Theorizing Youth Gang Leaving.” American Society of Criminology, Washington, DC, November 2011.

Dena C. Carson. “Examining the Effect of Peers on Changes in Attitudes: A Longitudinal Analysis.” American Society of Criminology, Washington, DC, November 2011.

Dena C. Carson, Terrance J. Taylor, and Finn-Aage Esbensen. “A Longitudinal Analysis of In-School Victimization as a Risk Factor for School Mobility.” Western Society of Criminology, Newport Beach, CA, February 2012.

Stephanie A. Wiley. “Revisiting Labeling Theory: What factors affect future delinquency?” Western Society of Criminology, Newport Beach, CA, February 2012.

Chris Melde and Finn-Aage Esbensen. “Gangs and Violence: Disentangling the Impact of Gang Membership on the Level and Nature of Offending.” Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences Annual Meeting, New York, NY, March 2012.

Finn-Aage Esbensen and Dena C. Carson. “Who are the Gangsters?: An Examination of the Age, Race/Ethnicity, Sex, and Immigration Status of Self-reported Gang Members in a Seven City Study of American Youth.” European Society of Criminology, Bilbao, Spain, September 2012.

Finn-Aage Esbensen, Dana Peterson, Terrance J. Taylor, and D. Wayne Osgood. “The Gang Resistance Education and Training (G.R.E.A.T.): Results from a Multi-Site, Randomized Control Trial.” American Society of Criminology, Chicago, IL, November 2012.

Dena C. Carson and Finn-Aage Esbensen. “Youth Gangs and Non-gang Delinquent Peer Groups: What’s the Difference?” American Society of Criminology, Chicago, IL, November 2012.

Terrance J. Taylor, Dena C. Carson, and Finn-Aage Esbensen. “Do social skills mediate the self-control – violence relationship?” American Society of Criminology, Chicago, IL, November 2012.

Stephanie A. Wiley and Finn Aage-Esbensen. “The Negative Consequences of Police Contact for Gang Youth.” American Society of Criminology, Chicago, IL, November 2012.

J. Michael Vecchio. “Pathways Into and Out of Youth Gangs” American Society of Criminology, Chicago, IL, November 2012.

Adrienne Freng, Dena C. Carson, and Finn-Aage Esbensen. “The Racial Composition of Gangs.” American Society of Criminology, Chicago, IL, November 2012.

Chris Melde, Mark Berg, and Finn-Aage Esbensen. “Fear of Crime as a Protective Factor.” American Society of Criminology, Chicago, IL, November 2012.

Dena C. Carson and Finn-Aage Esbensen. “A Multi-Method, Multi-Site Study of Gang Desistance: Some Preliminary Findings.” Western Society of Criminology, Berkeley, CA. February 2013.

Chris Melde, Dena Carson, and Finn-Aage Esbensen. “Gang Membership and Involvement in Violence among U.S. Adolescents: A Test of Construct Validity.” Eurogang Program of Research Meeting, June 2013. University of Kent, Canterbury, UK.

“A Multi-Method Exploration of Gang Desistance.” Eurogang Program of Research Meeting, June 2013. University of Kent, Canterbury, UK (with Dena C. Carson and Dana Peterson).

Stephanie A. Wiley, Lee Ann Slocum, and Finn-Aage Esbensen. “The Unintended Consequences of Being Stopped or Arrested: An Exploration of the Labeling Mechanisms through Which Police Contact Leads to Subsequent Delinquency.” European Society of Criminology, Budapest, Hungary, September 2013.

Finn-Aage Esbensen, Dena C. Carson and Dana Peterson“A Mixed-Methods Investigation of the Motives, Methods and Consequences of Gang Desistance.” European Society of Criminology, Budapest, Hungary, September 2013.

Dena C. Carson, Dana Peterson, and Finn-Aage Esbensen.“Mixed Methods Assessment of Self-reported Gang Membership.” American Society of Criminology, Atlanta, GA. November 2013.

Chris Melde, Dena C. Carson, and Finn-Aage Esbensen. “Getting Back to (non)Normal.” American Society of Criminology, Atlanta, GA. November 2013.

Dena C. Carson and Finn-Aage Esbensen. “Reasons for Gang Desistance: A Mixed-Methods Approach.” American Society of Criminology, Atlanta, GA. November 2013.

Stephanie A. Wiley, Dena C. Carson, and Finn-Aage Esbensen. “Police Contact and the Amplification of Deviance: Does gang membership moderate the relationship?” Western Society of Criminology, Honolulu, HI. February 2014.

Chris Melde and Finn-Aage Esbensen. “The interaction of Cognitive and Emotional Reactions to Victimization and Involvement in Violence.” Western Society of Criminology, Honolulu, HI. February 2014.

Dena C. Carson and Finn-Aage Esbensen. “Comparing Youth in Violent gangs to Youth in Violent Peer Groups: A propensity score analysis.” Western Society of Criminology, Honolulu, HI. February 2014.

Dena C. Carson and Finn-Aage Esbensen.“Motivations for Leaving: A qualitative comparison of leaving processes across gang definitions.” Eurogang XIV, Eurogang Program of Research Workshop, Stavern, Norway, June 2014.

Chris Melde, Dena C. Carson, and Finn-Aage Esbensen. Gender and Peer Influence: An Examination of the Influence of Gender by Gang Type.” Eurogang XIV, Eurogang Program of Research Workshop, Stavern, Norway, June 2014.

Stephanie A. Wiley, Lee Ann Slocum, and Finn-Aage Esbensen. “To Arrest or Not To Arrest: That is the Question.” European Society of Criminology, Prague, Czech Republic. September, 2014.

Dena C. Carson and Finn-Aage Esbensen. “’Just keep your head down’: Examining student perceptions of gangs in their school.” Midwest Criminal Justice Association, Chicago, IL. September, 2014.

Finn-Aage Esbensen. “Overview of G.R.E.A.T. 1 and G.R.E.A.T. 2.” American Society of Criminology, San Francisco, CA. November 2014.

Dana Peterson, TJ Taylor, Wayne Osgood, Adrienne Freng, and Finn-Aage Esbensen. “What We Learned: How G.R.E.A.T. 1 informed G.R.E.A.T. 2.” American Society of Criminology, San Francisco, CA. November 2014.

Adrienne Freng, Dana Peterson, Tom Winfree, Chris Melde, and Finn-Aage Esbensen. “Impact on Public Policy and Contributions to the Literature.” American Society of Criminology, San Francisco, CA. November 2014.

Dena C. Carson, J. Michael Vecchio, Dana Peterson, and Finn-Aage Esbensen. “The Desistance Study.” American Society of Criminology, San Francisco, CA. November 2014.

Chris Melde, Dena C. Carson, Finn-Aage Esbensen. “Gender and Peer Influence: A multi-method examination of the influence of gender on the consequences of gang and delinquent peer group membership.” American Society of Criminology, San Francisco, CA. November 2014.

Dena C. Carson and Finn-Aage Esbensen. “Shared Endings: Comparing the group desistance processes of gang and non-gang youth.” American Society of Criminology, San Francisco, CA. November 2014.

Stephanie M. DiPietro, Lee Ann Slocum, and Finn-Aage Esbensen. “School Climate and Violence: Does Immigrant Status Matter?” American Society of Criminology, San Francisco, CA. November 2014.

Adrienne Freng, Dena C. Carson, T.J. Taylor, and Finn-Aage Esbensen. “R.E.S.P.E.C.T.: ‘Code of the Street” and Gang Membership.” Western Society of Criminology, Phoenix, AZ, February 2015.

Stephanie A Wiley, Lee Ann Slocum, and Finn-Aage Esbensen. “Amplification or Insulation: Examining Racial Variation in the Consequences of Police Contact.” Western Society of Criminology, Phoenix, AZ, February 2015.

Kristy Matsuda, Chris Melde, Adrienne Freng, T.J. Taylor, and Finn-Aage Esbensen. “Gang Membership and Adherence to the Street Code.” Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences, Orlando, FL, March, 2015.

Dena C. Carson and Finn-Aage Esbensen. “The Effect of Gangs on the School Experience: An examination of student’s perceptions.” Eurogang XV, Eurogang Program of Research Workshop, Blaubeuren, Germany, June 2015.

Stephanie A. Wiley and Finn-Aage Esbensen. “Examining Types of Gangs: A latent class analysis.” European Society of Criminology, Porto, Portugal, September, 2015.

Timothy McCuddy and Finn-Aage Esbensen. “After the Bell and Into the Night: Exploring Criminogenic Effects of Bullying Versus Cyberbullying Victimization.” American Society of Criminology, Washington, DC. November, 2015.

Stephanie A. Wiley, Dena C. Carson, and Finn-Aage Esbensen. “An Exploration of Gang Membership over Time.” American Society of Criminology, Washington, DC. November, 2015.

Adrienne Freng, Stephanie Wiley, Tom Winfree, and Finn-Aage Esbensen. “Gangs: What’s Learning Got to Do with It?” American Society of Criminology, Washington, DC. November, 2015.

Stephanie A. Wiley, Dena C. Carson, and Finn-Aage Esbensen. “The Transition from Middle to High School: Exploring Changes in Delinquent Peers.” Western Society of Criminology, Vancouver, BC, February 2016.

Chris Melde, Dena C. Carson, and Finn-Aage Esbensen. “Gender, Emotions, and Peer Influence: An examination of the consequences of gang membership.” Western Society of Criminology, Vancouver, BC, February 2016.

Dena C. Carson and Finn-Aage Esbensen. “Gang Resistance Education and Training (G.R.E.A.T.) – A Universal Gang Prevention Program.” 16th Eurogang Program of Research Meeting, Gothenburg, Sweden, June 2016.

Terrance J. Taylor, Chris Melde, and Finn-Aage Esbensen. “An Assessment of Alternative Explanations of Adolescent Weapon Carrying.” American Society of Criminology Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA, November 2016.

Chris Melde and Finn-Aage Esbensen. “Is the Street Code Protective? A Gendered Assessment of “Nerve” and the Victim-Offender Overlap.” American Society of Criminology Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA, November 2016.

Dana Peterson, Vanessa R. Panfil, and Yu Gao. “Collateral Effects of Gang Membership and Affiliation for Adolescent Females and Males.” American Society of Criminology Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA, November 2016.

Melde, Chris, Dena Carson, Stephanie Wiley, and Finn-Aage Esbensen. “School Transitions as a Turning Point for Gang Status.” European Society of Criminology Annual Meeting in Cardiff, UK. September 2017.

Melde, Chris, Finn-Aage Esbensen, Mark Berg. “Nerve” and the Victim-Offender Overlap: An Assessment of the Protective Function of Fearlessness in the Face of Danger. European Society of Criminology Annual Meeting in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. August 2018.

Almanza, Matthew, Daniel Abad, Chris Melde, and Finn-Aage Esbensen. Gang Membership and Victimization Risk: Understanding the Cognitive, Emotional, and Physical Consequences of Gangs in the Life Course. American Society of Criminology Annual Meeting in Atlanta, GA. November 2018.

Dissertations

J. Michael Vecchio. “The Role of Violence with and across Self-identified Gang Youth.” Expected Completion, Spring, 2014. Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice, University of Missouri-St. Louis.

Stephanie A. Wiley. “The Amplification of Deviance Following Police Contact: An Examination of Individual and Contextual Factors.” Expected Completion, Spring, 2014. Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice, University of Missouri-St. Louis.

GANG DESISTANCE PROJECT DISSEMINATION

Publications and Book Chapters

Carson, Dena C. and Finn-Aage Esbensen. 2016. “Motivations for Leaving: A Qualitative Comparison of Leaving Processes across Gang Definitions.” In Cheryl L. Maxson and Finn-Aage Esbensen (eds). Gang Transitions and Transformations in an International Context. New York: Springer.

Carson, Dena C., Chris Melde, Stephanie A. Wiley, and Finn-Aage Esbensen. 2017. School transitions as a turning point for gang status. Journal of Crime & Justice 40:396-416.

Carson, Dena C. 2018. Examining racial and ethnic variations in reasons for leaving a youth gang. Journal of Developmental and Life Course Criminology 4:449-472.

Carson, Dena C. and Finn-Aage Esbensen. 2019. Gangs in school: Exploring the experiences of gang involved youth. Youth Violence and Juvenile Justice 17:3-23.

Reports and Dissertations

Esbensen, Finn-Aage and Dena C. Carson. 2016. “A Multi-Method, Multi-Site Study of Gang Desistance.” Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice, University of Missouri-St. Louis.

Vecchio, J. Michael. 2014. “The Role of Violence within and across Self-identified Gang Youth.” Unpublished Ph.D. Dissertation, Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice, University of Missouri-St. Louis.

Presentations

Dena C. Carson and Dana Peterson. “Exploring the Gang Desistance Processes of Women: A Qualitative Study.” Presented at the Annual Meetings of the American Society of Criminology, November 2019. San Francisco, CA.

Dena C. Carson, Dana Peterson, Finn-Aage Esbensen. “Similarity or Masked Differences? Investigating Gang-Leaving Motivations across Females and Males to Better Inform Intervention Practice.” Eurogang Program of Research Meeting, June 2019. Canterbury, England.

Dena C. Carson, Dana Peterson, and Finn-Aage Esbensen. “Gendered desistance processes: A qualitative examination of young women’s experiences leaving a youth gang.” Presented at the Annual Meetings of the American Society of Criminology, November 2018. Atlanta, GA.

Dena C. Carson. “Race differences in motivations for gang desistance: A mixed-methods approach.” Presented at the Annual Meetings of the American Society of Criminology, November 2016. New Orleans, LA.

Carson, Dena C., Chris Melde, and Finn-Aage Esbensen. “They Aren’t Always Who We Thought They Were: Retrospective Reinterpretation of Gang Status.” Presented at the Annual Meetings of the American Society of Criminology, November 2015. Washington, DC.

Carson, Dena C. and Finn-Aage Esbensen. “A Qualitative Analysis of Gang Joining Processes.” Presented at the Annual Meetings of the Midwest Criminal Justice Association, September 2015. Chicago, IL.

Carson, Dena C. and Finn-Aage Esbensen. “Shared Endings? Comparing the Group Desistance Processes of Gang and Non-Gang Youth.” Presented at the Annual Meetings of the American Society of Criminology, November 2014. San Francisco, CA.

Carson, Dena C. and Finn-Aage Esbensen. “‘Just Keep Your Head Down’: Examining Student Perceptions of Gangs in their School.” Presented at the Annual Meetings of the Midwest Criminal Justice Association, September 2014. Chicago, IL.

Carson, Dena C. “Exploring Gang Desistance: A Mixed-Methods Study.” Invited presentation at the International Criminology Symposium, March 2014. Istanbul, Turkey.

Carson, Dena C., Finn-Aage Esbensen, and Dana Peterson. “Reasons for Gang Desistance: A Mixed Method Approach.” Presented at the Annual Meetings of the American Society of Criminology, November 2013. Atlanta, GA.

Esbensen, Finn-Aage and Dena C. Carson. “Mixed Methods Assessment of Self-Reported Gang Membership.” Presented at the Annual Meetings of the American Society of Criminology, November 2013. Atlanta, GA.

Vecchio, J. Michael. Mixed methods assessment of the role of violence and gang desistance. Presented at the Annual Meetings of the American Society of Criminology, November 2013. Atlanta, GA.

Vecchio, J. Michael. Pathways into and out of youth gangs. Presented at the Annual Meetings of the American Society of Criminology, November 2012. Chicago, IL.