"Out on the Street it’s Like a Brotherhood of Sorts': Violent Scottish and Australian Troublesome Youth Groups

Current global concern about troublesome youth groups is indicative of wider societal
concern around the issue of youth violence. This study utilizes qualitative interview data
to examine the perceptions of two geographically disparate groups of young people
involved in street-orientated youth subcultures (i.e., street gangs and crews). In this
regard, the paper compares the daily lived experiences of youth gang members in
Glasgow, Scotland, and graffiti crew members in Perth, Western Australia. The findings
reveal a commonality of violent and criminal offending among these two groups. The
paper concludes by positing that this commonality could be a facet of the ability of streetoriented
youth groups to provide their membership with the kinds of compensatory stocks
of social capital that are missing from their everyday marginalized lives.