Gangs

"The purpose of the 2015 NGR [National Gang Report] is to provide a national overview of the current gang threat in the United States by collecting, analyzing, and synthesizing data obtained from law enforcement agencies across the nation. The assessments contained herein were derived from data provided by law enforcement through the '2014 FBI Safe Streets and Gang Task Force Survey', the NAGIA [National Alliance of Gang Investigators' Association] '2015 National Gang Report Survey', law enforcement reporting, and open source information. One hundred and nine respondents completed the '2014 FBI Safe Streets and Gang Task Force Survey' to create a representative sample of the five Safe Streets and Gang Task Force geographic regions. Combining data from the Safe Streets and Gang Task Forces allowed the NGIC to incorporate data from our partner agencies who participate on task forces, but did not complete the NAGIA '2015 National Gang Report Survey'. Thus, data from the '2014 FBI Safe Streets and Gang Task Force Survey' was combined with 569 responses from the four components of the NAGIA '2015 National Gang Report Survey', law enforcement reporting, and open source information to develop a holistic picture of current gang activity across the country."

From the Overview: "NIJ [National Institute of Justice] held a virtual meeting with researchers and practitioners to ensure that NIJ's investments in research on gangs and gang violence continue to close gaps in our knowledge on this topic. The goal of this meeting was twofold: first, to inform the development of evidence-based programs, policies, and practices to address problems associated with gangs and gang violence; and second, to advise NIJ on the use of robust research and evaluation methods to address problems associated with gangs and gang violence. The researchers and practitioners invited to the meeting had expertise in several areas, including gangs, program development and implementation, program evaluation and research design, firearms, violent crime, justice policy, juvenile justice, law enforcement, and corrections. [...] This report shares participants' perspectives on the topics discussed. The report may inform the priorities of researchers, practitioners, and policymakers as they make investments in studying or developing programs to address gangs and gang violence."

"Can counter insurgency strategies be used to fight urban gangs? This question was discussed in a conversation between the Mayor of Salinas, the Provost of the Naval Postgraduate School and Representative Sam Farr. It became apparent during that discussion that there were many similarities between insurgent behavior and gang behavior--similarities that would make a more rigorous analysis worthwhile. These similarities are readily apparent when reading General Petraeus's counterinsurgency guidance for U.S. and NATO [North Atlantic Treaty Organization] forces in Afghanistan.... In his list of twenty-four 'rules,' many of them resonate, but especially the following: secure and serve the population; live among the people; help confront the culture of impunity; hold what we secure; foster lasting solutions; consult and build relationships, but not just with those who seek us out; walk; act as one team; be first with the truth; fight the information war aggressively; manage expectations; and live our values. Ultimately, these guidelines intend to reach the same end state as urban policing does: a safe and secure population. With this theme in mind, the faculty of the Defense Analysis Department at the Naval Postgraduate School, experts in counterinsurgency operations, were enlisted to address these similarities and to share their theories, models, and ideas from their own disciplines of political science, sociology, anthropology, international relations, and more."

"The Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) and its main rival, the "18th Street" gang, continue to undermine citizen security and subvert government authority in parts of Central America. Gang-related violence has been particularly acute in El Salvador, Honduras, and urban areas in Guatemala, contributing to some of the highest homicide rates in the world. Congress has maintained an interest in the effects of gang-related crime and violence on governance, citizen security, and investment in Central America. Congress has examined the role that gang-related violence has played in fueling mixed migration flows, which have included asylum seekers, by families and unaccompanied alien children (UAC) to the United States. Since FY2008, Congress has appropriated funding for anti-gang efforts in Central America. Central American governments have struggled to address the gang problem. […]This report describes the gang problem in Central America, discusses country approaches to deal with the gangs, and analyzes U.S. policy with respect to gangs in Central America. Congressional oversight may focus on the efficacy of anti-gang efforts in Central America; the interaction between U.S. domestic and international anti-gang policies, and the potential impact of U.S. sanctions on law-enforcement efforts."

This bibliography, compiled by Greta E. Marlatt at the Naval Postgraduate School, contains a list of resources related to Outlaw Motorcycle Gangs (OMG). Resources include books, reports, and articles. The list is organized alphabetically by resource type and links are provided when available. This list was created in May of 2015 and will be updated periodically. It was last updated in October 2021.

"Strategies to Address Gang Crime: A Guidebook for Local Law Enforcement provides information about developing and enhancing local law enforcement responses to gangs in their jurisdictions. The focus of the guidebook is on the use of problem-solving strategies to help agencies select the interventions most appropriate for their jurisdictions. In particular, the guidebook describes the SARA model (Scanning, Analysis, Response and Assessment), a strategic problem-solving process that local law enforcement can apply to its local gang problem. Growing evidence (Dalton, 2004) shows that applying the SARA model will greatly improve the law enforcement response to gangs and will lead to safer communities. National surveys of law enforcement agencies provide the most widely accepted assessment of the magnitude of the United States gang problem. Unfortunately, not many such surveys existed prior to 1970. The two states with the largest gang population in 1970 (California and Illinois) retained their position in 1998, and were joined by Texas, Florida, and Ohio. This finding of dispersion of gang problems among the states is an important theme in characterizing the changes in gangs over time. Such changes were reflected in the region of gang location, because gangs were located primarily in the West in the early 1970s, with very few gangs in the South. By 1998, the South ranked second among the four regions, and had recorded a 33 percent increase in the number of gangs. A concomitant change occurred in the presence of gangs by city size."

From the opening statement of Robert C. "Bobby" Scott, "I am concerned that policies, such as expanding the definition of 'gang' and expanding big gang databases, would only exacerbate this problem, with no impact on reducing crime. Without appropriate intervention, these children will be on what the Children's Defense Funds has described as a cradle-to-prison pipeline where many minority children are born on a trajectory to prison. When we realize that it is possible to get them on a cradle-to-college pipeline, it is tragic and much more costly to society in the long run, if we do not do so. Research and analysis as well as common sense tell us that no matter how tough the law on the people you prosecute today, unless you are addressing the underlying reasons for crime, nothing will change. The next crime wave will simply replace the ones you have taken out, and the crime continues. So the get-tough approach has little impact on crime." Statements, letters, and materials submitted for the record include those of the following: Robert C. "Bobby" Scott, Louie Gohmert, John Conyers, Jr., Lamar Smith, Charles Ogletree, Jr., Frank Straub, John Buckovich, Ely Flores, Kevin O'Connor, and Robert D. Macy.

From the opening statement of Mark L. Pryor: "Today, this Subcommittee on Disaster Recovery and Intergovernmental Affairs will discuss methods drug gangs are using to penetrate the Southwest border in an effort to traffic drugs and people into the United States. […] The fight to secure the United States borders is a constant concern for the people living in the border States as well as the government officials who represent them. There are few threats as deadly and menacing as those posed by drug gangs, particularly Mexican drug gangs, operating near the border. Many Americans, and likewise, many lawmakers, may be inclined to believe that this problem is for the border States only and for the border States to solve, yet there can be no doubt that this is a problem for all Americans, North to South, Coast to Coast. An estimated 230 American cities, including three cities in Arkansas, have a presence of the Mexican drug cartels in their communities. We must do everything we can to disrupt their networks and to prevent them from moving product onto American soil. […] The efforts of drug gangs to smuggle people and goods range from the truly bizarre to the truly extraordinary." Statements, letters, and materials submitted for the record include those of the following: Mark L. Pryor, John Ensign, Donna Bucella, James A. Dinkins, Thomas M. Harrigan, Frances Flener, and L. Kent Bitsko.

From the opening statement of Robert C. ''Bobby'' Scott:: "This hearing is a continuation of a series of hearings we began in the 110th Congress on what we need to do to effectively reduce youth crime and violence and gang membership. What we have found, as you will hear from our distinguished panel of witnesses today, is that the evidence is overwhelming that properly targeted, evidence-based crime prevention and intervention programs for at risk youths will greatly reduce crime and save much more money than they cost and avoid criminal justice and social welfare expenditures that otherwise would be spent. One of the most comprehensive studies on the effectiveness of proper targeting of scientifically proven prevention and intervention programs for at-risk youths was conducted in the State of Pennsylvania. The State invested $60 million to conduct programs in 100 communities in urban, suburban, and rural areas and identified comparable areas without the programs in order to scientifically assess the results. The study revealed that crime and negative social incidents went down substantially in the test communities compared to the comparable communities and that the average costs and losses from crime and social welfare programs were reduced by an average of $5 for every dollar spent on prevention and intervention programs." Statements, letters, and materials submitted for the record include those of the following: Robert C. ''Bobby'' Scott, Louie Gohmert, Dorothy Johnson-Speight, Barry Krisberg, Steve Trubow, Irving Bradley, Jr., Robert L. Woodson, and Beverly Coleman-Miller.

"The influence of New York area (New York City and northern New Jersey) drug trafficking organizations (DTOs) and gangs reaches nearly every sizable drug market in eastern Pennsylvania. a Dominican DTOs and gangs are the most active of these groups, and their influence within the region is increasing except in select drug markets where Mexican DTOs are dominant and growing. [...] The National Drug Intelligence Center (NDIC) assesses with high confidence that the influence of Mexican DTOs will increase in eastern Pennsylvania drug markets, spurred by the ability of these groups to supply the markets with cocaine shipments directly from the Southwest Border area and supported by growing Mexican populations in the region, which they use as cover to mask their operations. Furthermore, NDIC assesses with moderate confidence that incidents of drug-related violence against law enforcement officers will increase, as evidenced by rising levels of aggression by some gang members. NDIC assesses with high confidence that heroin use will increase in the near term as high availability and low prices encourage an increasing prescription opioid abuser population to transition to heroin. Finally, NDIC assesses with high confidence that members affiliated with New York area gangs will move farther into Pennsylvania drug markets--including those in central and western Pennsylvania--where drug prices are higher and where smaller communities often lack the law enforcement strength to deter highly organized drug distribution groups."

This is the official site for the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention's National Gang Center. "This Web site features the latest research about gangs; descriptions of evidence-based, anti-gang programs; and links to tools, databases, and other resources to assist in developing and implementing effective community-based gang prevention, intervention, and suppression strategies. Here you will find an analysis of the findings from nearly 15 years of data collected by the annual National Youth Gang Survey of 2,500 U.S. law enforcement agencies. Visitors can read and download publications related to street gangs. An online form allows communities to request training and technical assistance as they plan and implement anti-gang strategies. Users can register for a variety of anti-gang training courses. The Web site also hosts a database of gang-related state legislation and municipal codes; a list of newspaper articles on nationwide gang activity that is updated daily; and GANGINFO, an electronic mailing list for professionals working with gangs." The site index may be found at: http://www.nationalgangcenter.gov/Site-Index

This is the official website of the United States Department of Justice's 'Project Safe Neighborhoods'. "Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) is a nationwide commitment to reduce gun and gang crime in America by networking existing local programs that target gun and gun crime and providing these programs with additional tools necessary to be successful. Since its inception in 2001, approximately $2 billion has been committed to this initiative. This funding is being used to hire new federal and state prosecutors, support investigators, provide training, distribute gun lock safety kits, deter juvenile gun crime, and develop and promote community outreach efforts as well as to support other gun and gang violence reduction strategies. The Project Safe Neighborhoods initiative was launched in 2001, and built upon the foundations of previously-existing gun crime reduction efforts such as the Clinton-era Strategic Approaches to Community Safety Initiative (SACSI), Richmond's Project Exile, and the Boston Ceasefire program. By studying these and other efforts, the Department determined that successful gun crime reduction initiatives had three common elements: they were comprehensive, coordinated and community-based."