NCJ Number
142570
Editor(s)
I A Spergel,
L Bobrowski
Date Published
1990
Length
138 pages
Annotation
This volume presents the transcript of a conference that brought academicians and law enforcement professionals together at the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority to produce a uniformly applicable set of definitions to aid local and national assessment of the street gang problem. the definitions of terms such as youth gang, gang member, and gang-related incident.
Abstract
Introductory comments noted that terms such as youth gang, gang member, and gang-related incident are used differently across cities and jurisdictions and even within the same city. As a result, it is not known whether gang problems are similar or different in nature and scope in different cities. Definitional problems also hamper the accountability of law enforcement agencies, the ability to mobilize communities, and research and evaluation regarding activities to address youth gangs. The conference participants came from different parts of the country. They concluded that if youth street gangs and organized crime are part of the same long-term social and economic process affecting low-income youth, we may expect a growth and spread of both the gang problem and organized crime in the years ahead, unless drastic shifts occur in the economy and national social and economic policy. However, such shifts are unlikely in the short term. Nevertheless, society should focus more attention on the issues of gang prevention, social intervention, and suppression to minimize a long-term threat to social order in the country.