NCJ Number
156724
Journal
Journal of Gang Research Volume: 2 Issue: 4 Dated: (Summer 1995) Pages: 59-71
Date Published
1995
Length
13 pages
Annotation
Theses findings reported from the preliminary results of the 1995 National Prosecutor's Survey focus on prosecutors' attitudes toward and strategies in the prosecution of gang members.
Abstract
The data analyzed were obtained from a survey of 101 prosecutors from 38 States; the typical respondent was the State's attorney for the county. The agencies represented varied from the very small to the larger size with over 150 full-time attorneys on staff. Survey findings show that prosecutorial staff received little gang training nationwide. Most believed tougher juvenile laws would help combat the gang problem. Specialized gang prosecution units were rare (5 percent), even though two- thirds of respondents reported some level of a gang problem in their jurisdictions. Violence and drug dealing were the most frequent gang problems reported. Most (70.5 percent) reported gang activity has become more violent in recent years. Few prosecutors (14 percent) had a strategic plan for dealing with youth gangs. Many had State RICO statutes, but few had undertaken RICO prosecutions against gang members. Even fewer (5.3 percent) had used forfeiture statutes against gang assets, even though 62.2 percent believed this is an effective prosecution strategy. Two-thirds believed curfew laws are effective against gang crimes. Plea bargaining was viewed as somewhat less likely for gang members compared to other suspects. Approximately half of the prosecutors wanted more laws that address youth gangs. There was not strong support for gun controls as a means of reducing gang-related crime. There was strong support for trying juveniles as adults as a deterrent to gang crime. Two-thirds perceived the gang problems as having increased over the last 5 years; half were optimistic about the ability of their jurisdictions to combat the gang-crime problem. Nearly all respondents supported holding parents more accountable for the criminal behavior of their children. The number of juvenile and adult gang members in the responding jurisdictions ranged from a low of zero to a high of 25,000. The authors conclude that one of the most useful findings from the survey is the need for training and organizational management for prosecuting attorneys.