Controlling Youth Gangs (From Metropolitan Areas and Serious Juvenile Crime, 1982, Tape M-6 - See NCJ-91384)

• NCJ Number: 91389
• Author(s): B Benson; V Stapleton; N A Cipriani; A N Hamilton
• Date Published: 1982
• Length: 0 pages
• Sale Source: National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges
• Publication Format: Audio Recording
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: *This document is currently unavailable from NCJRS. Running time: 1 hr. 15 mins.

Annotation

Presentations by criminal justice professionals familiar with juvenile gang-related problems in Flint, Mich.,; Los Angeles, Calif., and Philadelphia, Pa., discuss the extent of gang-related crime and offer suggestions for how to control gang criminal activities.

Abstract

The Flint Police Department (Michigan) has adopted an eight-step approach for addressing the problem of juvenile gangs: (1) identification of youth gangs and members, (2) obtaining information on gangs and gang activity, (3) information sharing on gangs among official agencies dealing with youth, (4) anticipation of gang activities holding the possibility of criminal behavior, (5) the operation of a juvenile gang task force to centralize the responses of all agencies to the gang problem, (6) swift and consistent law enforcement action against gang-related crime, (7) contact and work with gang members, and (8) followup with gang members. Based on the experience of working with gangs in Los Angeles, an area with a serious gang problem, the following format is suggested for addressing gang problems: (1) identification of gangs and their members, (2) the creation of a statistics file and patterns of statistical analysis related to gang activity and members, (3) the establishing of objectives and determining resources, (4) organizing to deal with the problem based on the seriousness of the gang problem, and (5) the coordination of all agencies working with youth. This presentation also reviews checklists that can help a police agency determine if its jursidication has a gang problem and whether or not the agency is effectively organized to meet gang problems. The juvenile justice judge from Philadelphia noted the ebb of flow of gang activity in that city over the years. Some of the dynamics promoting gang activity in minority inner city areas are described, and the recent increase in violent gang activity is noted to be due to neighborhood changes occurring in that city. All of the speakers emphasized not publicizing gang activity, since gangs thrive on status gained through publicity.