Finn-Aage Esbensen is the E. Desmond Lee Professor of Youth Crime and Violence in the Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice at the University of Missouri-St. Louis. Dana Peterson, is an Associate Professor in the School of Criminal Justice at the University at Albany. Terrance J. Taylor is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Criminology & Criminal Justice at the University of Missouri-St. Louis. Adrienne Freng is an Associate Professor of Criminal Justice at the University of Wyoming.

• List of Figures and Tables Preface 1. Introduction PART I: Understanding Youth Violence 2. Conceptual Framework 3. Research Design and Methodological Issues PART II: Types of Youth Violence 4. Youth Violence 5. Gang Membership 6. Violent Victimization 7. The Co-occurrence of Violence and the Cumulative Effect of Multiple Risk Factors PART III: Understanding and Responding to Youth Violence 8. Putting It All Together: A Theoretical Framework 9. Responding to Youth Violence Appendix: Demographic and Risk Factor Measures References Index

"Youth Violence is a thorough and clearly written analysis. There is no other work that systematically examines the intersection of violent offending, victimization, and gang membership with original empirical analyses. This is a compelling policy concern because it is crucial to understand whether we need customized prevention and intervention programs to address these different phenomena." -Cheryl L. Maxson, Associate Professor, Department of Criminology, Law, and Society, University of California, Irvine "Youth Violence fills a clear void in the literature. The major strength of this book is its exhaustive analysis of the GREAT (Gang Resistance Education and Training Program) data in reporting the distribution and nature of violence among teenagers and gang members. The authors have written a useful book that provides a unique big picture view of gang violence and victimization. As such, it should be required reading among those who seek to understand the factors responsible for gang membership, violence, and violent victimization." -Chris Schreck, Department of Criminal Justice, Rochester Institute of Technology