This volume is bold and revolutionary, a clinically oriented primer for clinicians and others interested in the mental health functioning of gang youths and their families. Providing a well-integrated mixture of theory, clinical axioms, and practical ideas, the book offers invaluable information to clinicians, researchers, and program planners working with gang-affiliated adolescents. Standard psychotherapeutic and assessment procedures are discussed in terms of their specific use with gang members.

The oft-made assumption that a gang member's life is one continuous state of antisocial and violent behavior is abandoned in favor of a developmental orientation that considers pregang functioning as well as the transformation that occurs as a result of joining the gang.