Understand and Responding to Gangs

United States Conference of Mayors

March 22, 2007

Scott Decker, Ph.D.

School of Criminal Justice and Criminology Arizona State University

(602) 543-8067

Scott.Decker@asu.edu

0

5,000

10,000

15,000

20,000

25,000

30,000

35,000

1975 1988 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004

Estimated Number of Gangs Based on Reports by City and County Law Enforcement, 1975-2004

0

100,000

200,000

300,000

400,000

500,000

600,000

700,000

800,000

900,000

1975 1988 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004

Estimated Number of Gang Members Based on Reports by City and County Law Enforcement, 1975-2004

Yes No

Gang and Nongang Cities Year 2000 National Youth Gang Survey

Characteristics of Gang Definitions

Group characteristics.

Symbols of membership.

Persistence of membership.

Self-identification.

Criminal involvement.

Characteristics of Gang Members

62%

38%

Gender of U.S. Gang Members

Data Sources: NYGC 1996 Survey, Esbensen & Winfree (1998)

90%

10%

Survey DataLaw Enforcement Data

FemaleMale

77%

23%15%

85%

15 & OverUnder 15

Age of U.S. Gang Members

Survey DataLaw Enforcement Data

Data Sources: NYGC 1996 Survey, Esbensen & Winfree (1998)

26%

74%

14%

86%

WhiteOther

Ethnicity of U.S. Gang Members

Survey DataLaw Enforcement Data

Data Sources: NYGC 1996 Survey, Esbensen & Winfree (1998)

Characteristics of Gang Behavior

Community characteristics, assets, and deficits.

Gang member characteristics – race/ethnicity, age, gender, siblings,family structure, neighborhood, education.

Gang Characteristics – turf, age of the gang, initiation rites, exit rites, link to prison gangs, hanging out.

Gang Organizational Characteristics – rules, roles, leaders, meetings, handling of money.

Gang Activities – crime and non-crime.

Gang Crime – involvement in gang versus non-gang crime, drugs, guns,violent crime, property crime, rivalries.

What do we need to know to create successful gang Prevention, Intervention, Suppression and Re-entry strategies?

Organizational Structures of Gangs

Corporate Cells Episodic Groups

Super Gangs Purposive Local GangsNational Presence Small Cafeteria offendingOlder Members Focused Younger membersLong life of the Gang Specialists Non purposivePrison involvement Isolated Hanging outProfit motives dominate Criminal events Cafeteria style crime

How are gang members organized in your community? What is your source of information about their organizational structure?

What are the implications for understanding gangs? Human Smuggling?Terrorism? Drug Smuggling?

What are the implications for responding to gangs by law enforcement, the community, social services and NGOs for each type?

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

01020304050607080

70%34%

05

10152025303540

Why are we interested in gangs rather than just delinquency?Gang Status & Self-Reported Delinquency St. Louis STG Study

% Used Violence

None Involved Member

% Carried Gun

5% 40%

% Shot At

7% 34%

Gang Status

Responding to Gangs

Community Guide to Helping America’s Youth

at www.helpingamericasyouth.gov

Five Strategies for Responding to Gangs

Suppression

CommunityOrganization

OrganizationalChange/Development

OpportunityProvision

SocialIntervention

Five Strategies for Responding to GangsLevels of Application as Primary Strategy

1988 National Youth Gang Survey

Computed from ICPSR Data Base

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

Supp

ress

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Soci

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rgan

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Opp

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ovis

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Five Strategies for Responding to GangsPerceived Effectiveness Ratings

1988 National Youth Gang Survey

Computed from ICPSR Data Base

0%

10%

20%

30%

Supp

ress

ion

Soci

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entio

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Org

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iatin

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sPr

ovis

ion

Who is “involved”?Serious & Chronic Offenders

Gang Leaders

Other Active Gang Members and Associates

Children and Adolescents atHigh Risk for Gang Involvement

General Population of Youth and FamiliesLiving in High Risk Areas

Share of IllegalActivity

Relative Share of Population

Focusing Anti-Gang Strategies

Targeted Enforcement

Serious & Chronic

Offenders

Other Community Members

High Risk Youth

Gang Involved Youth Gang Intervention

Secondary Prevention

Primary Prevention

Prevention1. Neighborhood Development (Weed and Seed)

2. Improving Conditions (Concentrated Poverty, Physical Decline)

3. Creating Opportunities (Jobs, Job Training, School Supports)

4. Early Childhood Programs/Parent Training/Family Support

5. School-Based Prevention Programs like Gang Resistance Education and Training (GREAT)

6. After School Activities

7. Mentoring (Big Brothers/Big Sisters)

Intervention1. Outreach Workers (Boys and Girls Clubs)2. Crisis Intervention (Emergency Rooms)3. Consent to Search Programs4. Operation Nightlight/Nightwatch (Boston, St. Louis)5. Evening Reporting Centers (Chicago, Orange County, CA)6. Violence-Free Zones7. Victim Programs8. Dealing with Gang Members in Custody and Returning to the

Community from Prison, Jail, or Detention9. Offender Notification

Suppression1. Prosecution

Vertical ProsecutionProject Safe Neighborhoods Case ReviewGang Prosecution Units

2. PoliceDirected PatrolGun Focused PolicingGang Task Forces & Surveillance of Gang MembersInformation SystemsMost Violent Offender Lists

3. Re-entry

Why is it important to understand gangs?What errors does it lead us to make for policy, practice and programming if we misunderstand gangs? Who suffers from such a misunderstanding?

Police.Youth.Youth Workers.Society.Gang members.Family members.Community.Civic culture.

The St. Louis Safe Futures Experience.