NCJ Number
93883
Date Published
1983
Length
17 pages
Annotation
This report indicates police are attempting to prevent and control youth gang problems in a system characterized by substantial fragmentation.
Abstract
In 1981, 27 of 60 surveyed police departments reported youth gang problems. According to this survey, youth gangs and law-violating youth groups are a major problem to many police departments. Consideration of youth gang activity, as well as juvenile crime, should be within the context of total law enforcement resource management. Three specialized organizational forms characterize the 27 departments reporting youth gang problems: the youth service program, in which traditional police are assigned responsbility in addition to other duties; the gang detail, in which officers are assigned exclusively to deal with gang control exclusively; and the gang unit, in which a police unit is established solely to deal with gang problems. A department's organizational form appears related to the size of the gang population, the seriousness of the problem, and police department size. Primary strategies for controlling the gangs center on prevention or diversion of gang members and incapacitation of those who do commit crimes. Other programs include gang-breaking, which aims to lessen the groups cohesiveness, and comprehensive community gang control. The latter program aims to direct all concerned organizations toward common goals without threatening their autonomy. It allows for cooperation, elimination of overlapping or competing efforts, and analysis as to which strategies actually have the greatest positive effect. One table, 3 figures, and 14 references are included.