Understand and Responding to Gangs
United States Conference of Mayors
March 22, 2007
Scott Decker, Ph.D.
School of Criminal Justice and Criminology Arizona State University
(602) 543-8067
0
5,000
10,000
15,000
20,000
25,000
30,000
35,000
1975 1988 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004
Estimated Number of Gangs Based on Reports by City and County Law Enforcement, 1975-2004
0
100,000
200,000
300,000
400,000
500,000
600,000
700,000
800,000
900,000
1975 1988 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004
Estimated Number of Gang Members Based on Reports by City and County Law Enforcement, 1975-2004
Yes No
Gang and Nongang Cities Year 2000 National Youth Gang Survey
Characteristics of Gang Definitions
Group characteristics.
Symbols of membership.
Persistence of membership.
Self-identification.
Criminal involvement.
Characteristics of Gang Members
62%
38%
Gender of U.S. Gang Members
Data Sources: NYGC 1996 Survey, Esbensen & Winfree (1998)
90%
10%
Survey DataLaw Enforcement Data
FemaleMale
77%
23%15%
85%
15 & OverUnder 15
Age of U.S. Gang Members
Survey DataLaw Enforcement Data
Data Sources: NYGC 1996 Survey, Esbensen & Winfree (1998)
26%
74%
14%
86%
WhiteOther
Ethnicity of U.S. Gang Members
Survey DataLaw Enforcement Data
Data Sources: NYGC 1996 Survey, Esbensen & Winfree (1998)
Characteristics of Gang Behavior
Community characteristics, assets, and deficits.
Gang member characteristics – race/ethnicity, age, gender, siblings,family structure, neighborhood, education.
Gang Characteristics – turf, age of the gang, initiation rites, exit rites, link to prison gangs, hanging out.
Gang Organizational Characteristics – rules, roles, leaders, meetings, handling of money.
Gang Activities – crime and non-crime.
Gang Crime – involvement in gang versus non-gang crime, drugs, guns,violent crime, property crime, rivalries.
What do we need to know to create successful gang Prevention, Intervention, Suppression and Re-entry strategies?
Organizational Structures of Gangs
Corporate Cells Episodic Groups
Super Gangs Purposive Local GangsNational Presence Small Cafeteria offendingOlder Members Focused Younger membersLong life of the Gang Specialists Non purposivePrison involvement Isolated Hanging outProfit motives dominate Criminal events Cafeteria style crime
How are gang members organized in your community? What is your source of information about their organizational structure?
What are the implications for understanding gangs? Human Smuggling?Terrorism? Drug Smuggling?
What are the implications for responding to gangs by law enforcement, the community, social services and NGOs for each type?
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
01020304050607080
70%34%
05
10152025303540
Why are we interested in gangs rather than just delinquency?Gang Status & Self-Reported Delinquency St. Louis STG Study
% Used Violence
None Involved Member
% Carried Gun
5% 40%
% Shot At
7% 34%
Gang Status
Responding to Gangs
Community Guide to Helping America’s Youth
at www.helpingamericasyouth.gov
Five Strategies for Responding to Gangs
Suppression
CommunityOrganization
OrganizationalChange/Development
OpportunityProvision
SocialIntervention
Five Strategies for Responding to GangsLevels of Application as Primary Strategy
1988 National Youth Gang Survey
Computed from ICPSR Data Base
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
Supp
ress
ion
Soci
alIn
terv
entio
n
Org
aniz
atio
nal
Cha
nge
Com
mun
ityO
rgan
izat
ion
Opp
ortu
nitie
sPr
ovis
ion
Five Strategies for Responding to GangsPerceived Effectiveness Ratings
1988 National Youth Gang Survey
Computed from ICPSR Data Base
0%
10%
20%
30%
Supp
ress
ion
Soci
alIn
terv
entio
n
Org
aniz
atio
nal
Cha
nge
Com
mun
ityO
rgan
iatin
Opp
ortu
nitie
sPr
ovis
ion
Who is “involved”?Serious & Chronic Offenders
Gang Leaders
Other Active Gang Members and Associates
Children and Adolescents atHigh Risk for Gang Involvement
General Population of Youth and FamiliesLiving in High Risk Areas
Share of IllegalActivity
Relative Share of Population
Focusing Anti-Gang Strategies
Targeted Enforcement
Serious & Chronic
Offenders
Other Community Members
High Risk Youth
Gang Involved Youth Gang Intervention
Secondary Prevention
Primary Prevention
Prevention1. Neighborhood Development (Weed and Seed)
2. Improving Conditions (Concentrated Poverty, Physical Decline)
3. Creating Opportunities (Jobs, Job Training, School Supports)
4. Early Childhood Programs/Parent Training/Family Support
5. School-Based Prevention Programs like Gang Resistance Education and Training (GREAT)
6. After School Activities
7. Mentoring (Big Brothers/Big Sisters)
Intervention1. Outreach Workers (Boys and Girls Clubs)2. Crisis Intervention (Emergency Rooms)3. Consent to Search Programs4. Operation Nightlight/Nightwatch (Boston, St. Louis)5. Evening Reporting Centers (Chicago, Orange County, CA)6. Violence-Free Zones7. Victim Programs8. Dealing with Gang Members in Custody and Returning to the
Community from Prison, Jail, or Detention9. Offender Notification
Suppression1. Prosecution
Vertical ProsecutionProject Safe Neighborhoods Case ReviewGang Prosecution Units
2. PoliceDirected PatrolGun Focused PolicingGang Task Forces & Surveillance of Gang MembersInformation SystemsMost Violent Offender Lists
3. Re-entry
Why is it important to understand gangs?What errors does it lead us to make for policy, practice and programming if we misunderstand gangs? Who suffers from such a misunderstanding?
Police.Youth.Youth Workers.Society.Gang members.Family members.Community.Civic culture.
The St. Louis Safe Futures Experience.
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