35. From Middle School Teacher to Understanding Violence in Gangs with Dr. James Densley
When we think of the word “gang,” we associate it with a particular group of people. And this image we almost automatically create in our head is rarely positive. Crime and violence in gangs[1] , as well as illegal affairs, always come into the picture. But behind these stereotypes are real, dynamic people—often young teenagers—who have no choice but to embrace this way of life. To truly understand the violence in gangs and how they work, you first have to humble yourself and set foot in their reality.
In this episode, Dr. James Densley shares the story behind how he became an expert in street gangs. He describes his experience of immersing with gang members while simultaneously building trust in the community throughout his research. Dr. James also talks about his practice and the work they do at The Violence Project. Through his account, we get a better grasp of the realities of violence in gangs and the lessons surrounding the gang members.
Tune in to the episode to learn about the violence in gangs and what it’s like to build relationships with young gang members.
3 reasons why you should listen to the full episode:
Get a glance at the real picture of the demographic and life of a gang member.
Learn the importance of leveraging networks in doing violence and crime-related research studies.
Discover the biggest lessons around working with street gangs.
Resources
TEDx Talk: Violence in the Age of Social Media - James Densley
How Gangs Work: An Ethnography of Youth Violence by Dr. James Densley
Scotland’s Gang Members: Life and Crime in Glasgow by Dr. James Densley
Episode Highlights
[03:32] A Snapshot of What Dr. James Does
Dr. James emigrated from the UK to the US in 2010 and is now a British-American.
He is a Professor and the Department Chair of Criminal Justice at Metropolitan State University.
He is also the co-founder and co-president of The Violence Project with Jillian Peterson.
The Violence Project is a research-based nonprofit organization. It aims to advance policies and knowledge around mass shootings and violence reduction.
[05:36] How Dr. James Became a Street Gang Expert
Dr. James met his wife while doing his master’s degree program. At that time, she was set to go to law school in the US.
He decided to follow her after finishing his master’s degree in sociology. They eventually got married and lived in New York.
He underwent a teacher certification program and became a middle school teacher. This experience got him interested in violence in gangs and the youth.
Gangs became his research interest in his Ph.D. Coincidentally, Oxford was launching a new institute on organized crime at that time.
He started researching violence in gangs and immersed himself with gang members after moving back to the UK.
[08:26] Debunking Gang Member Stereotypes
Most gang members are teenagers.
They navigate all the things most people their age are doing. However, there are additional pressures from violence, threats, and poverty.
Often, gang members make ends meet through illegal means like drug dealing.
Dr. James: “When you say the label ’gang member,’ it evokes all these kinds of emotions and all these images, stereotypes, really, of what that person is. But the bottom line is, they’re young people. These are teenagers.”
[10:04] Violence in Gangs
Dr. James had a diverse experience that exposed him to many things, so the gang experience was not that shocking.
It was the sharper edge of things that made him sit back and think how he ended up there.
The saddest and most shocking thing is the acceptance of a certain level of violence in gangs and communities.
Dr. James: “Growing up in those environments, how can you ever expect these young people to succeed if in the back of their mind the whole time is that they’ve got to protect themselves in case they get assaulted by somebody else in the community?”
[12:01] The Nature of Dr. James’ Research Study
Dr. James was around 26 when he started his Ph.D.
He had to register his research study with the London Metropolitan Police. A researcher couldn’t just show up on the streets and start interviewing gang members.
The entire process involved leveraging networks, including nonprofit organizations, police officers, social workers, teachers, barbershops, churches, and the community.
He had to build trust in the community and prove himself to the young gang members and the police.
[14:04] Building Rapport with the Gang Members
Building relationships with the young gang members depended on their disposition.
Dr. James learned how to interact with young people, know their interests, and find ways to start and maintain conversations.
Being a school teacher was the best training possible for it. Without this experience, he wouldn’t have studied gangs and would have failed in the interviews.
Dr. James had to let them be themselves, observe everything, and ask the right questions without imposing himself on their lives.
It’s game over if they feel like you’re a threat or being fake.
[17:13] Becoming an Expert on Street Gangs
Being a first-generation college student alone gave Dr. James a significant shift in mindset.
He constantly got himself in trouble in secondary school. People he knew from that time get shocked when they find out he’s now a professor of criminology.
His undergraduate university friends were supportive and kept him on the straight and narrow.
His professors told him he was wasting his time during undergrad by not applying his intelligence. They ended up becoming Dr. James’ mentors until graduate school.
[19:58] Qualitative vs. Quantitative Researchers in Criminology
Qualitative and quantitative studies are both important in criminology.
Quantitative researchers refer to large datasets.
Qualitative ethnographic researchers offer more accessibility to practitioners, as they can better translate gang members’ words into the gangs’ language.
It’s beneficial to publish your work in a journal and advance the field. But the work must be relevant to practitioners.
You should achieve the right balance between the types of research.
[21:57] What Dr. James Learned About Himself While Studying Street Gangs
The first thing that happens is you humble yourself. Dr. James learned what he now knows from the kids.
He had to challenge his preconceptions on violence in gangs and all the things he thought were real.
The gang world is very masculine and racialized. It’s critical to do a lot of deep work around inequality and racism.
What you learned in the textbook versus what you experience on the streets is different. You must remain open to learning from different perspectives.
Dr. James: “It’s easy now to be like, ‘Well, I’m the expert because I wrote the book.’ But actually, the experts were the kids on the street, and they’re the ones that taught me the things that I know.”
About Dr. James
Dr. James Densley is a Professor and the Department Chair of Criminal Justice at Metropolitan State University. He is also the co-founder and co-president of The Violence Project, a non-partisan and nonprofit violence research center. Through this project, they developed the most comprehensive Mass Shooter Database, funded by the National Institute of Justice. As an expert on street crimes, he has authored several highly acclaimed books on street crime and violence.
Dr. James has spoken in numerous speaking events, including TEDx. He is also a writer for several publications, such as CNN, The Guardian, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, LA Times, and USA Today. In 2017, the UK Prime Minister awarded Dr. James the Points of Light Award for his outstanding community volunteerism.
If you want to reach out to Dr. James, you can visit his website and LinkedIn. Don’t forget to visit The Violence Project to know more about his work.
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