Abstract
When trying to understand why youth join gangs, it is important to understand the risk factors that occur most often in youth who engage in gang membership. The purpose of this research was to explore the perceptions of youth service providers on the factors influencing gang membership. This quantitative survey research study investigated the perceptions of 33 youth service providers. The study was conducted by utilizing non-probability a snowball sampling method to obtain a sample population. The results from the study found that there were two risk factors which youth service providers reported influence gang membership. Chi square tests were significant in the association between the relationship of youth service provider level of education and the perceived influence of the risk factor statement that delinquent/gang-involved siblings’ influences gang membership and between the relationship of youth service provider age and perception that the risk factor low attachment to child/adolescent influences gang membership Implications for social work practice and policy are discussed.