The sharp escalation in youthful crime, particularly gun violence, during the 1980s and 1990s has been well documented (Cook and Laub, 1998). General consensus exists in both the public policy and the research com- munities that the dramatic growth in serious violence is largely attributa- ble to the availability of weapons, the recruitment of young people into illicit drug markets (Blumstein, 1995), and gangs (Esbensen and Huizinga, 1993). Because of this research, an inextricable nexus exists among young adults, drugs,…