Spergel, Irving A. Papers, 1937-1997

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Chicago and Illinois

Sociology and Social Welfare

Series IV: Restricted, contains a draft of a dissertation, restricted until 2069.

The remainder of the collection is open for research.

When quoting material from this collection, the preferred citation is: Spergel, Irving A. Papers, [Box #, Folder #], Special Collections Research Center, University of Chicago Library

Irving A. Spergel (A.B. Social Sciences, City College of New York, 1946; A.M. Social Work, University of Illinois, 1952; Ph.D. Social Work, Columbia University, 1960), is a groundbreaking researcher of youth gangs and juvenile delinquency.

Through his work with communities and gang youths, Spergel developed a national model for the suppression of gangs and prevention of youth gang violence. Bringing together communities, law enforcement, social agencies, and government organizations, the "Spergel Model" emphasizes community organization, social and legal intervention, and organizational development. Spergel has also written over 100 books and articles, including Racketville, Slumtown, Haulburg: An Exploratory Study of Delinquent Subcultures (1964); Community Problem Solving: The Delinquency Example (1969); and the seminal The Youth Gang Problem: A Community Approach (1995).

Spergel joined the faculty of the University of Chicago's School of Social Service Administration in 1960. He has also held appointments in the Department of Sociology. He is now the George Herbert Jones Professor Emeritus of the University of Chicago's School of Social Service Administration. In 2006, he was honored with the SSA symposium "What Works: Addressing the Community Youth Gang Problem in the United States."

The Irving A. Spergel Papers span the years 1937-1997, but are concentrated in the 1960s-1980s. The collection is organized into four series:

Series I: Research, contains reports, dissertations, conference proceedings, policy papers, offprints and photocopies of articles. This series includes writings by Spergel, as well as by others in the field of social service and sociology. Much of Spergel's work in this series reports on research funded by the Illinois Law Enforcement Commission in the 1970s. This series is organized alphabetically by principal author; when none is given, the work is alphabetized by title.

Series II: Teaching, contains lecture notes and case books for sociology and social service administration courses taught by Spergel and others. Also included are additional sample case reports, and procedural notes.

Series III: Organizations, contains pamphlets and newsletters from the Chicago Area Project, materials used by the National Research Council's Committee on Law and Justice for planning a workshop on youth gangs, and a directory of social service organizations in the Little Village neighborhood of Chicago.

Chicago Area Project, pamphlets and newsletters, 1993-1994

Series IV: Restricted, contains a draft of a dissertation reviewed by Spergel and others in the School of Social Service Administration.

The following related resources are located in the Department of Special Collections:

• Names
  • Spergel, Irving A.
  • University of Chicago. School of Social Service Administration
• Subject
  • Community organization
  • Gangs -- United States
  • Juvenile delinquency -- United States
  • Juvenile delinquents -- United States
  • Social work with juvenile delinquents -- United States
  • Social work with youth -- United States