Street Gangs and Interventions: Innovative Problem Solving with Network Analysis

• NCJ Number: 211993
• Author(s): Jean M. McGloin
• Date Published: November 2005
• Length: 34 pages
• Grant Number(s): 2003CKWX068
• Sponsoring Agency: Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS)
• Sale Source: National Institute of Justice/NCJRS; Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS)
• Publication Format: Document (Online)
• Publication Type: Case Study
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: COPS Innovations: A Closer Look; downloaded November 10, 2005.

Annotation

This paper reviews the range of prevention, intervention, suppression, and comprehensive strategies in countering street gangs and then offers a case study of problem analysis in responding to street gangs in Newark, NJ.

Abstract

Gang prevention programs typically target at-risk groups or the general population with the aim of reducing gang membership. Intervention strategies address individuals or locations that have already become involved in gang activity; they aim to persuade gang members or gang-affiliated youth to abandon their gang lifestyle and stop committing gang-related crime. Suppression programs also attempt to reduce gang activities, but they rely primarily on criminal justice tactics of specialized law enforcement units, vertical prosecution, and sentencing enhancements. Comprehensive gang programs include elements of prevention, intervention, and suppression and require the cooperation of multiple agencies. The case study presented in this paper is an example of the use of problem solving to address gang activity in Newark, NJ. The problem solving effort began with the forging of an alliance between the Newark Police Department and the School of Criminal Justice at Rutgers University for the purpose of reducing violence in Newark. The resulting project, known as the Greater Newark Safer Cities Initiative (GNSCI), eventually encompassed multiple agencies with roles to play in addressing violence in Newark. The cornerstone of GNSCI became biweekly meetings at Rutgers University that included various law enforcement and prosecution agencies; parole and probation agencies; social service providers; clergy; community groups; the public defender; and various mental health, substance abuse, and employment agencies. This case study describes how data collection and analysis guided the stakeholders of GNSCI in identifying the gang problem as a primary force in causing violence in Newark, followed by the development of a comprehensive strategy for countering the gang problem. 1 figure and 35 references