NCJ Number
249521
Date Published
November 2013
Length
9 pages
Annotation
This newsletter reports on events, research, training, and programs related to the work of the National Gang Center, which conducts research on street gangs and serves as a clearinghouse for individuals and agencies that seek information, technical assistance, and training in the areas of gang prevention, intervention, suppression, and reentry.
Abstract
"Building Credibility in Street Outreach" explains why and how street outreach workers - also known by other titles, such as gang outreach workers and gang interventionists - play a key role in initiatives to reduce gang violence. "Gang Graffiti Resources" features descriptions of a Web site that informs users about the consequences of graffiti in their communities, which includes a stimulus for gang violence, the defacing of property, and a sense of disorder in the public mind. Also described is a cell phone app that translates the meaning of graffiti perpetrated by gangs. "G.R.E.A.T. Officer Spotlight" describes the features and effects of the school-based program, "Gang Resistance Education and Training" (G.R.E.A.T.), which is taught by a uniformed school resource officer, who provides students the tools needed to help them stay or become free from involvement in gang violence. "Highlights of the 2011 National Youth Gang Survey" reports on the survey's findings on trends in gang activity, factors that influence local gang violence, and anti-gang measures. "OJJDP Comprehensive Gang Model Training" announces that the U.S. Justice Department's Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) will be offering team training on its Comprehensive Gang Model, whose core strategies include community mobilization, opportunities provision, social intervention, suppression, and organizational change and development. "Changing Course: Preventing Gang Membership" presents principles to assist practitioners and policymakers make decisions based on the best available evidence on what is effective in preventing youth from joining a gang.