Ready, Fire, Aim……

Understand and Responding to Gangs in the New Millenium

Scott Decker, Ph.D.

School of Criminal Justice and Criminology Arizona State University

(602) 543-8067

[email protected]

Ready, Fire, Aim……

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

Y e s N o

G a n g a n d N o n g a n g C itie s Y e a r 2 0 0 0 N a tio n a l Y o u th G a n g S u rv e y

Characteristics of Gang Definitions

Group characteristics.

Symbols of membership.

Persistence of membership.

Self-identification.

Criminal involvement.

Characteristics of Gang Members

Is this the face of the gang problem in Coral Gables?

Is this the Port St. Lucie gang problem?

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)

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?

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35

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70%34%

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40

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

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

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

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Five Strategies for Responding to GangsPerceived Effectiveness Ratings

1988 National Youth Gang Survey

Computed from ICPSR Data Base

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20%

30%

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The Basics of a Response to Gangs

1. Diagnose the problemGangs? Delinquency?

Violence? Drugs?

2. Does the response match the problem?

3. Is the dose big enough? Can it be delivered? (implementation )

4. Can the response be sustained?

PreventionHelping America’s Youth website

1. Community Organization

2. Improving Conditions

3. Creating Opportunities

4. Early Childhood Programs “School Readiness”

5. School-Based Programs (GREAT)

6. After School Activities

7. Operation Nightlight

8. Consent to Search Programs

9. Weed and Seed (link to existing resources)

Intervention:

1. Outreach Workers2. Crisis Intervention3. Boys and Girls Clubs4. Improving Conditions5. Violence-Free Zones6. Gang Summits and Truces7. Emergency Room Interventions8. Victim Programs9. Evening Reporting Centers10. Notification Meetingshttp://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/BJA/pdf/Offender Notification Meetings.pdf 1. Gang Members in Custody

PrisonJailDetention

Levers, Pro-Social Involvement and Alternatives

Suppression1. Prosecution

Vertical ProsecutionPSN and Case Review

http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/BJA/pdf/Gun_Prosection_Case_Screening.pdf 2. Police

Directed Patrol – Intelligence Led PolicingGun Focused PolicingSurveillance of Gang MembersWorst of the Worst

. http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/BJA/pdf/Most Violent Offender Lists.pdf “Supportive Roles”

3. Intelligence, Mapping and Tracking SystemsCALGANGReal time incident maps

T

The Really Hard Stuff

Implementation

Timing

Coordination

Sustaining Success

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.

Gangbuster?