NCJ Number
186281
Date Published
2000
Length
9 pages
Annotation
This is a condensed version of a study that surveyed members of the North Carolina criminal justice system about their perceptions of today's youth crime and about youth gangs in the schools and neighborhoods.
Abstract
A 73-item questionnaire was developed based on the existing gang literature. The first part of the questionnaire focused on basic demographic information about the survey respondent. The second section dealt with youth crime in general, with attention to a comparison with youth crime over the past 5 years. The issue of gangs and their absence or presence and influence within the community was initially addressed in the second section. The final section of the survey dealt specifically with the attributes of gangs and gang members. A total of 1,137 surveys were mailed to various criminal justice professionals throughout the State. The respondents identified a total of 332 distinct gangs in North Carolina with at least 5,143 total members or an average of at least 15.5 members per gang. Respondents indicated that North Carolina's youth gangs are not more violent today than in the past. Similarly, the majority of respondents reported seeing little change in the extent to which youth gangs have become involved with drug sales. Over half (51.9 percent) of respondents noted an increase in the extent to which youth gangs have become more involved with handgun possession. One third of the gangs identified were composed of strictly African-Americans, and all-white gangs constituted 23 percent of the gangs. Asian gangs accounted for 10.8 percent, followed by Latino and Hispanic gangs, with 6.5 percent each. A total of 791 females were reported as being active gang members in at least 37 different gangs across the State. The most common types of offenses attributed to gangs and their members were violent crimes. Eight recommendations are based in a rigorous proactive approach that involves cooperative efforts of State and local policymakers, criminal justice professionals, and the community. 4 references and 3 figures