NCJ Number
192824
Date Published
2001
Length
240 pages
Annotation
This book examines the gang problem in the United States and whether the problem has been distorted and exaggerated.
Abstract
The public’s image and reaction to crime over the past years has been significantly shaped by the reports and opinions from those in the professional fields of media, social science, and criminal justice. Despite nearly a decade of declining crime rates, most Americans believe that crime actually increased during the 1990's. Most Americans also report feeling more threatened by crime today than they were five years ago. At the same time, 75 percent say they would feel safe walking alone in their neighborhood at night. In the minds of most Americans, it is the world beyond their neighborhood that has grown increasingly dangerous. What they read, hear, and see in the mass media influences most of their perception of the criminal justice system. A sharp rise in street gang activity began in the 1980's in many parts of the country. Federal, State and local funds were allocated to create antigang units in law enforcement and prosecution agencies. Tough antigang legislation was passed which created new criminal codes and/or harsher penalties for gang-related offenses. It is suggested that the current threat posed by gangs may be less real than imagined. Law enforcement officials have promoted the stereotyped image of highly organized gangs to protect and advance the interests of their police organizations. The media has sensationalized the problem in order to attract customers and advertisers. And some criminologists have given undue focus to gangs as a result of a rigid adherence to theoretical perspectives on the onset and progression of criminal behavior. Section 1 covers conditions, social problems, and moral panics; history; police and crime control; the news media; and the sociological perspective of gangs. Section 2 describes the gang panic in Las Vegas, Reno, and the Legislature, and prosecution of gangs. Section 3 looks at the Nation’s gang problem and threats imposed by gangs. Index