NCJ Number
159936
Date Published
1996
Length
6 pages
Annotation
Street gangs must be considered and targeted as organized criminal enterprises since they use violence and commit crimes for profit to preserve their organizations and are structured similarly to organized crime families.
Abstract
Statistics indicate street gangs are involved in such crimes as drug trafficking, fraud, robbery, assault, larceny, and murder. Gang activities are not only localized but also span cities, towns, and States, and the jurisdictional lines of law enforcement create obstacles that hinder the investigation of continuing criminal activities. Objectives in the investigation of street gang criminal activities are to identify, arrest, and successfully prosecute gang members and ultimately to dismantle the gang itself. In many cases, however, the arrest of one gang member is treated as an isolated incident and little attention is paid to the organization's overall activities. The author cites the broad scope of racketeering and forfeiture laws as an effective way of convicting gang members and seizing their criminal assets. The Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act deals with criminal activities of organizations, while asset forfeiture laws deal with assets obtained from criminal activities.