Highlights of the 2009 National Youth Gang Survey

• NCJ Number: 233581
• Author(s): Arlen Egley Jr.; James C. Howell
• Date Published: June 2011
• Length: 4 pages
• Publication Series: OJJDP Youth Gang Series
• Grant Number(s): 2007– JV– FX– 0008
• Agencies: OJJDP
• Publication Type: Report (Annual/Periodic)

Annotation

This fact sheet from the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention presents results from the 2009 National Youth Gang Survey.

Abstract

Major findings from the 2009 National Youth Gang Survey include: from 2008 to 2009, the prevalence of gang activity increased from 32.4 percent to 34.5 percent; from 2005 to 2009, larger cities exhibited a large and stable prevalence rate of gang activity, while smaller, less populated areas showed a more fluctuating pattern of gang activity; in 2009, law enforcement reports estimate there were 28,100 gangs with 731,000 gang members throughout 3,500 jurisdictions in the United States; larger cities and suburban counties accounted for more than 96 percent of all gang-related homicides; 66 percent of the 167 cities with populations greater than 100,000 reported a total of 1,017 gang homicides; and most respondents reported no substantial change from 2008 to 2009 in the number of offenses committed that are considered gang-related offenses (robbery, aggravated assault, drug sales, and firearms use). Additional findings are included on factors influencing local gang violence. Data for this report came from the 2009 National Youth Gang Survey. The data is collected annually from a large, representative sample of local law enforcement agencies to track the size and scope of the national gang problem. Tables, figures, and references