Mara forever? Factors associated with gang disengagement in El Salvador

This study examines the factors associated with intentions to leave a gang in a context controlled by some of the most violent and structured street gangs in the Americas. It contends that group interactions better explain intentions to leave a gang in a place like El Salvador than life-course events. Based on a series of logistic regressions using a cross-sectional survey with nearly 1196 active and former gang members in El Salvador, we identify the factors associated with disengagement intentions. We complement the analysis with 24 in-depth interviews with former gang members. We find that group-related variables, such as the number of gang members in the clique, learning that a peer has successfully left the gang, incarceration, and affiliation with an Evangelical church are the most critical factors associated with attempts of disengagement. Intentions to leave the group are a direct function of the gang's ability to regulate the life and peer relationships of its members. Social environments controlled by gang rule constrain the potential effects of life-course events. They curb the chances of disengagement, even among those with maturational tools required to desist from gang life. •This study is based on interviews with more than 1,200 active and former gang members in El Salvador.•The article examines the intentions to leave a gang in a context controlled by MS-13 and the Barrio 18 gangs.•Gangs in El Salvador play a fundamental role in the social order in the communities where they roam.•Social environments controlled by gang rule constrain the potential effects of life-course events in gang disengagement.