NCJ Number
199002
Date Published
September 2000
Length
30 pages
Annotation
This report on the Illinois Summit on Gangs, Guns, and Drugs, held September 19, 2000, assesses the State's efforts to address these problems and offers recommendations in the areas of policy, programs, and legislation.
Abstract
The Summit involved more than 400 State and local officials, neighborhood and community leaders, and others, who participated in plenary sessions, panel presentations, and intensive workgroup discussions. An overview of crime trends in Illinois notes that reported crime is down, and drug use, firearm injuries, and deaths, along with street gang activity have undergone recent declines. Still, probation and jail and prison caseloads are increasing. Offenders and victims need more services from the criminal justice system and its allied partners. Greater demands are being placed on all of the subsystems and networks that are involved in offender rehabilitation. The panel discussion on gangs noted that although the number of youth involved in gangs is relatively small, gang members are responsible for a disproportionate amount of serious crime. The panel advised that comprehensive approaches to gangs that include law enforcement, the schools, service providers, and community groups have been effective in reducing gang activity at the community level. Participants in the gang prevention workgroup discussed programs throughout the State that focus on youth services. Elements of successful programs include mentoring, skill-building, fostering a sense of responsibility, and dedicated program staff. Recommendations for gang prevention are to create a policy on youth and youth services to be disseminated to every community. Further, when the State considers legislation or policies, the impact on children should be considered. The workgroup also assessed and developed recommendations on gang intervention and gang suppression. The panel on guns advised that the risk of gun injury is high, but it can be prevented if individuals, families, and communities take responsibility for storing guns properly, improving gun laws and their enforcement, treating guns as any other consumer product, and collecting more comprehensive data on gun violence and injuries to aid prevention planning and evaluation. The workgroup on guns focused on prevention and intervention, as well as suppression. The panel on drugs noted that Illinois is a major staging area for the drug trafficking business, requiring a focused, integrated, interdiction strategy that attacks all facets of the drug criminal enterprise. Prevention must address community beliefs and attitudes toward drug use and develop treatment programs based on outcome evaluations. The workgroup discussed and offered recommendations on drug prevention, intervention, and suppression. Appended remarks by Governor Ryan and a list of State agency contacts