Politicians and the media may claim that youth gangs are an American export, but the truth, says youth-gang expert Michael C. Chettleburgh, is that Canada has been cultivating its own homegrown gang culture for years. And gang culture isn’t relegated to Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver—it’s also in Saskatoon, Winnipeg, Halifax and Hobbema, Alberta. It includes not only poor black kids but privileged white youth, First Nations and Southeast Asian teens in large and small communities across Canada.

In a powerful narrative driven by chilling real-life stories of gang members, victims, families and police—and anchored by rigorous research and thoughtful commentary—Chettleburgh creates a touchstone guide that acts as a wake-up call for Canadians.

Michael C. Chettleburgh is one of Canada's foremost authorities on youth gangs. Since 1991, he has run his own consultancy specializing in criminal justice issues; he researched and wrote the 2002 Canadian Police Survey on Youth Gangs for the federal government. He has also developed street-gang awareness training programs for law enforcement agencies and is a keynote speaker at many conferences on youth crime. He is a frequent media commentator on criminal justice matters. Chettleburgh lives north of Toronto.

Michael Chettleburgh's profile page

• Donner Prize