Irving A. Spergel is George Herbert Jones Professor Emeritus in the School of Social Service Administration, University of Chicago. He received his Ph.D. in Social Work with a minor in Sociology at Columbia University in 1960, and has worked for five decades on gang problems in the U.S. He is the author of The Youth Gang Problem: A Community Approach.

• Part 1 Project Background and Program StrategiesChapter 2 Gang ProblemsChapter 3 Project FormationChapter 4 Entering the FieldChapter 5 Team DevelopmentChapter 6 Social Intervention: The Outreach Youth WorkerChapter 7 Suppression/Social ControlChapter 8 Community MobilizationPart 9 Evaluation: Program Analysis and Project OutcomeChapter 10 The Project Evaluation ModelChapter 11 Changes in Social Context of Program YouthChapter 12 Life Course Factors Related to Self-Reported Offense/Arrest ChargesChapter 13 Project-Worker Contacts, Services and StrategiesChapter 14 Arrest Changes: Program and Comparison YouthChapter 15 Arrest Changes for Different Types of Gang YouthChapter 16 Services and OutcomeChapter 17 Gang and Community Crime ChangeChapter 18 Project Termination19 Summary20 References

Irving Spergel's book on the Little Village application of the Comprehensive Community gang intervention model is unique as an example of applied research and effective programmatic response. Spergel has created a program to ameliorate community gang problems that is well worth a look by policy makers, gang responders, and criminological theorists. It is the best and most tested reaction to gang problems available today.