NCJ Number
146054
Date Published
1992
Length
0 pages
Annotation
Intended for youths at risk for joining gangs and using drugs, this video portrays and discusses the consequences of gang and drug involvement to persuade viewers to make positive alternative choices for their lives.
Abstract
The video is narrated by Dave Duerson, a former Chicago Bears football player. Video shots of youths bleeding in the street from gunshot wounds, wounded and dead youths being loaded into ambulances, youths being treated for gunshot wounds in emergency rooms, and youths being wheeled into the city morgue impress on the viewer the realities of gang- related violence. The narrator, former gang members, and prison inmates repeat the theme of the video: gang and drug involvement are most likely to result in either death or imprisonment. The actor Edward James Olmos describes his childhood and adolescent years growing up in a gang-infested neighborhood with few opportunities for a better life. He makes clear that youths choose their futures and the choice for gangs and drugs is a deadend. Young kids talk about the pressure from peers to join gangs at an early age under the enticements of protection and belonging. Former gang members, prison inmates, and criminal justice professionals warn viewers that gangs and drugs will destroy their lives. Alternatives to gang and drug involvement are suggested.