"The Gang as an American Enterprise"

Paper Summary:

The paper looks at Vincent Padilla's study "The Gang as an American Enterprise". The paper basically takes on overview of the study discussing what type of study is and what certain questions are asked ending with a critique of the study. The writer shows how Padilla was able to enter a gang after many years of attempting, in order to find answers to the following questions: What is the process in entering and leaving the gang? How is the gang an American Enterprise? What is the involvement of drugs in this gang? Why are people joining gangs?

From the Paper:

"These questions seem to lead the reader to believe that the study would be a descriptive study as it asks mostly what and how questions with the social phenomenon being gangs and gangs being used as a substitute for a job market. In this descriptive study it took Padilla a while to gain enough access to a gang to provide enough information. The first time around he was going to study ex-gang members, but the sample was too small and the information too little, although this was not a waste of time as he gained information about gangs and gang members in this small study. For the main research he contacted a friend of his, a probation officer, and from there he was lead to his main informant Coco. Coco not only was his main informant, but he also allowed Padilla to gain access to other gang members and the gang atmosphere."

More papers on "The Gang as an American Enterprise":

• Argumentative Essay # 2818 : "Is the Twentieth Century an American Century?"
• Descriptive Essay # 106000 : "The Fundamentals of an American"
• Analytical Essay # 62723 : "The Emergence of an American Ethnic Pattern"

APA Citation:

MLA Citation: