NCJ Number
205457
Date Published
February 2004
Length
20 pages
Annotation
This report analyzes overall patterns and characteristics of gang homicide in Los Angeles between 1981 and 2001.
Abstract
Los Angeles suffers from a long-term problem of youth gang violence and homicide. According to researchers, nearly 75 percent of youth gang homicide in California occurred in Los Angeles. The first section of the report compares the period 1989 through 1993 to the period 1994 through 2001 in terms of demographics and characteristics of youth gang homicide and concludes that the similarities between the two time periods suggests that the most recent increase in youth gang homicide may be short-lived. The second section focuses on analyzing overall homicide trends over the period 1981 through 2001 and compares them to trends in youth gang homicide over the same time period. The analysis reveals that changes in levels and patterns of homicide in Los Angeles County serve as an indicator of change for the rest of the State. Additionally, this analysis indicates that homicide trends that are not gang-related have been steadily declining in the State over the past 20 years. The report also analyzes patterns of the demographic composition of victims and perpetrators of homicide within one particularly violent area of Los Angeles. Finally, the fifth section offers conclusions and policy recommendations that highlight the decline in many types of homicide in the State and cautions State officials to “do no harm.” Specific interventions should be employed to target specific problems in specific places, as a broad homicide reduction strategy is unlikely to be effective. The implementation of a homicide surveillance system is suggested to provide an early warning of homicide increases.