Ready, Fire, AimAn American Solution to Problems

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Ready, Fire, AimAn American Solution to Problems
Or, why NOT to look to America for Solutions
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Average Homicide Rate Per 100,000 (1995-2000)
U.S. Pop 1.2 Hom 20 (3531)
St. Louis Pop 4.2 Hom 40 (55)
East St. Louis Pop 7.4 Hom 44 (10)
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Re-Entry The Crisis that has Arrived

• 650,000 prisoners return to the community
  annually
• 94 of all prisoners will return
• Corrections costs are skyrocketing
• State budgets are stretched thin
• There is not much federal help on the way

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The Drugs-Crime OverlapDrug induced crime
psychopharmacologicalEconomic Compulsive Drug
Crime money to buy drugsSystemic Drug Crime
resulting from competition for markets or
distribution
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The Overlap Between Gangs, Drugs and Youth Crime
Drugs
X
Gangs
Youth Crime
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European/US Differences in Drug and Gang
Involvement
Cultural Differences Age Structure History of
Drug/Gang enterprises Role of Guns Role of
Immigration Organizational Structure Role of
Neighborhoods
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Evolution of Gangs in America
1890s Immigration, Concentrated Poverty,
Marginalized Ethnic Groups, Urbanization,
Industrialization. European Immigration. 1920s
Immigration, Concentrated Poverty, Marginalized
Ethnic Groups, Urbanization, Industrialization.
1960s Rapid Urban Change (Suburbanization),
Population Composition Change. 1980s and
beyond Concentration of Poverty, New Immigrant
Groups.
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Characteristics of Gang Definitions
Group characteristics. Symbols of
membership. Persistence of membership. Self-iden
tification. Criminal involvement.
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Recognizing Gangs
Sources of Gangs. Troubled Individuals? Young
Criminals? Disrupted or ineffective social
systems? The Social Process of Responding to
Gangs. Denial?Identification?Over-identification
Sources of Gang Knowledge Task Force and the
Media. Cultural Transmission Exportation to
Europe, Suburbs, and Mainstream Culture
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What do we need to know to create successful gang
Prevention, Intervention, Suppression and
Re-entry strategies?
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.
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Characteristics of Gang Members
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Gender of U.S. Gang Members
Survey Data
Law Enforcement Data
Female
Male
Data Sources NYGC 1996 Survey, Esbensen
Winfree (1998)
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Age of U.S. Gang Members
Survey Data
Law Enforcement Data
15 Over
Under 15
Data Sources NYGC 1996 Survey, Esbensen
Winfree (1998)
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Ethnicity of U.S. Gang Members
Survey Data
Law Enforcement Data
White
Other
Data Sources NYGC 1996 Survey, Esbensen
Winfree (1998)
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Characteristics of Gang Behavior
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Gang Status Self-Reported Delinquency St. Louis
STG Study
Used Violence
Carried Gun
Shot At
Gang Status
None
Involved
Member
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Organizational Structures of Gangs Corporate C
ells Episodic Groups Super Gangs Purposive L
ocal Gangs National Presence Small Cafeteria
offending Older Members Focused Younger
members Long life of the Gang Specialists Non
purposive Prison involvement Isolated Hanging
out Profit 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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Six Risk Factors for Gang Membership1. Poor
parental supervision2. Early childhood
aggression3. Delinquent belief systems4.
Significant negative life events5. Peers that
are gang members6. Commitment to street oriented
peersNumber, Intensity, Duration, Early onset
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Common Myths About Gangs
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Myths About American Gangs Street Gangs resemble
Organized Crime Groups Gang members specialize
in particular offenses Status as a Gang Member
is permanent Gangs Control Drug Retail and
Wholesale Drugs Sales Gangs Are Effective
Business Organizations You can never leave the
Gang
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Responding to Gangs
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• Gangbuster?

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Five Strategies for Responding to Gangs
Community Organization
Opportunity Provision
Organizational Change/Development
Suppression
Social Intervention
Source Spergel Curry 1990, 1993 Spergel 1995
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Five Strategies for Responding to Gangs Levels of
Application as Primary Strategy 1988 National
Youth Gang Survey
Computed from ICPSR Data Base
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Five Strategies for Responding to Gangs Perceived
Effectiveness Ratings 1988 National Youth Gang
Survey
Computed from ICPSR Data Base
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Who is involved?
Serious Chronic Offenders Gang Leaders
?
?
Share of Illegal Activity
Other Active Gang Members and Associates
?
Children and Adolescents at High Risk for Gang
Involvement
?
General Population of Youth and Families Living
in High Risk Areas
Relative Share of Population
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Focusing Anti-Gang Strategies

• Targeted Enforcement

Serious Chronic Offenders
Gang Involved Youth
Gang Intervention
Secondary Prevention
High Risk Youth
Other Community Members
Primary Prevention
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The Basics of a Response to Gangs1. Diagnose
the problem Gangs? 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?
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Prevention

• Community Organization
• Improving Conditions
• Creating Opportunities
• Early Childhood Programs School Readiness
• School-Based Programs (GREAT)
• After School Activities
• Operation Nightlight
• Consent to Search Programs
• 9. Weed and Seed (link to existing resources)

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Intervention
Pulling Levers, Pro-Social Involvement and
Alternatives

• Outreach Workers
• Crisis Intervention
• Boys and Girls Clubs
• Emergency Room Interventions
• Victim Programs
• Evening Reporting Centers
• Notification Meetings
• http//www.ojp.usdoj.gov/BJA/pdf/Offender
  Notification Meetings.pdf

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Suppression

• Prosecution
• Vertical Prosecution
• PSN and Case Review
• http//www.ojp.usdoj.gov/BJA/pdf/Gun_Prosection_Ca
  se_Screening.pdf
• Police
• Directed Patrol Intelligence Led Policing
• Gun Focused Policing
• Surveillance of Gang Members
• Worst of the Worst
• . http//www.ojp.usdoj.gov/BJA/pdf/Most Violent
  Offender Lists.pdf
• Intelligence, Mapping and Tracking Systems
• Data bases (CALGANG)
• Real time incident maps

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A Community Guide to Helping Americas Youth
www.helpingamericasyouth.govStrategies to
Address Gang Crime A Guidebook for Local Law
Enforcementwww.cops.usdoj.gov/RIC/ResourceDetail
.aspx?RID459
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The Perils of Misunderstanding Gangs
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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.
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Yo, mon ami.
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Is this the face of the gang problem in
Liverpool?
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