What Is a Gang? Definitions - National Institute of Justice Defining "gang member" and "gang crime" Localities interested in pursuing anti-gang policies, strategies and programs face the challenge of developing operational definitions for the terms "gang," "gang member" and "gang crime" (or "gang-related offense")
Changing Course: Preventing Gang Membership - National Institute of Justice The gang problem in the United States has remained stubbornly persistent over the past decade Here are the facts: One in three local law enforcement agencies in 2010 reported youth gang problems in their jurisdiction [1] In a 2010 national survey, 45 percent of high school students and 35 percent of middle-schoolers said that there were gangs — or students who considered themselves part of
Overview of Gangs and Gang Crime - National Institute of Justice Gang members engage in a higher level of serious and violent crime than their non-gang-involved peers Research about gangs is often intertwined with research about gun violence and drug crime It is clear that gangs, guns, drugs and violence are interconnected [1]
Gangs vs. Extremists: Solutions for Gangs May Not Work Against . . . Much is known about the workings of criminal gangs and traits of gang members, and much of that knowledge has informed community-focused anti-gang programs It was long hoped that what works against gangs could also help build community resilience to the emergence of homegrown violent extremists, but recent research suggests that gang members and domestic extremists have too few traits in
Youth Gangs and Definitional Issues: When is a Gang a Gang, and Why . . . The analysis compared gang and nongang youths with respect to demographic characteristics, theoretical factors, and levels of self-reported crime and considered the theoretical and policy implications of shifting definitions of gang membership Data collection took place in the spring of 1995
The Prison and the Gang - National Institute of Justice A prison gang is a durable group that shares a collective identity, maintains a locus of custodial influence, exhibits collective behavior, and engages in a pattern of illegal activity Emerging evidence suggests that prisoners enter and exit gangs while incarcerated Prison officials have constructed intelligence apparatuses to document and manage gang populations There is no consensus
Helping At-Risk Youth Say No to Gangs - National Institute of Justice The Gang Resistance Education and Training (G R E A T ) program is teaching kids to avoid gang membership and helping them develop positive relationships with law enforcement, according to a recent national evaluation The program is designed to give at-risk youth the skills they need to resist pressure from gangs and avoid joining them