January 22, 2011

Inside a Street Gang

Whats it like to be a member of an inner-city street gang, selling drugs to crackheads? Well talk to a man who was there for a decade, and studied a gang from the inside out. Then, nearly 20% of young adults are battling personality disorder. Yet few are treated for it. We have the disturbing facts.

Episode Segments:

InfoTrak: Explaining Gang Life Sudhir Venkatesh is Professor of Sociology and African American Studies at Columbia University, and author of Gang Leader for a Day. Prof. Venkatesh spent seven years studying a crack-dealing gang in one of the nations most notorious housing projects. He explains the reasons why gangs often thrive in poor urban neighborhoods
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InfoTrak: Personality Disorder Dr. Mark Olfson, Professor of Clinical Psychiatry in the Center for Community Health Partnerships at Columbia University shared the results of his study that discovered that nearly 20% of college-age Americans suffer from some form of personality disorder that interferes with everyday life. An even higher percentage of young people abuse alcohol or drugs, and most do not get treatment.
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InfoTrak: Inspiring Greatness in our Students Stephen Covey author of The Leader in Me and The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People believes that Americas educational system is in crisis, because many business leaders are unable to hire workers with the necessary education and skill to get the job done. Many charter and magnet schools across the nation have added a version Mr. Coveys 7 Habits program to their curriculum, and have reported improved academic scores and reduced discipline problems.
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Guest(s) Appearing on this Episode

Steven Covey Recognized as one of Time magazine's 25 most influential Americans, Stephen R. Covey has dedicated his life to demonstrating how every person can truly control their destiny with profound, yet straightforward guidance. As an an internationally respected leadership authority, family expert, teacher, organizational consultant, and author, his advice has given insight to millions. Steven's Website

Sudhir Venkatesh Sudhir Venkatesh is William B. Ransford Professor of Sociology at Columbia University in the City of New York. He is a researcher and writer on urban neighborhoods in the United States (New York, Chicago) and Paris, France. He is also a documentary film-maker. His most recent book is Gang Leader for a Day (Penguin Press). He has also published Off the Books: The Underground Economy of the Urban Poor (Harvard University Press, 2006) about illegal economies in Chicago. Off the Books received a Best Book Award from Slate.Com (2006) as well as the C. Wright Mills Award (2007). His first book, American Project: The Rise and Fall of a Modern Ghetto (2000) explored life in Chicago public housing. His other writings and stories have appeared in The American Prospect, This American Life, and The Chicago Tribune, and he is a frequent commentator on National Public Radio. Venkatesh received his Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of Chicago. He was a Junior Fellow at the Society of Fellows, Harvard University from 1996-1999. He is currently Director of the Center for Urban Research and Policy, and Director of the Charles H. Revson Fellowship Program, both at Columbia University. Learn More about Sudhir