NCJ Number
121836
Editor(s)
G J Bensinger
Date Published
1985
Length
43 pages
Annotation
A panel composed of youth workers and various experts on gangs, including a former gang member, discusses the scope and nature of the problem of juvenile gangs and how the problem can best be addressed.
Abstract
One panelist reviews the nature and causes of juvenile gangs. The Chicago gangs are noted to be primarily Hispanic and black. Factors contributing to the formation and perpetuation of violent gangs are advised to be the weakness of family ties; the fragmentation of community structure; and reduced community agency supports, controls, and social opportunities in the older black ghettos. The components of the CRISP Project (Crisis Intervention Services Project) are described. These include the use of street teams to intervene in gang conflicts, working in cooperation with the police; assistance for neighborhood groups in addressing the gang problem; and the creation of a project advisory committee composed of representatives of all key formal community agencies and organizations with some concern for the gang problem. Other issues discussed include the effectiveness of incarcerating hard core gang members, the creation of a citywide network for intervention, intensive probationary supervision for gang members, and the need to involve parents in efforts to counter gangs.