Written Assignment #5 CRJ 571

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Saint Leo University *

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Sociology

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Apr 3, 2024

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Youth Gangs and Law Enforcement 1 Youth Gangs and Law Enforcement Kellye Diaz Saint Leo University CRJ-571: Cause and Control Juvenile Delinquency Professor Butch Newkirk

Youth Gangs and Law Enforcement 2 Abstract Youth gang involvement is a prevalent issue in the United States. Research has shown that youth that join gangs are primarily male, black, latino, come from single-parent households, and families that lived below the poverty line however, females, whites, and children from two- parent and middle- and high-income households also become gang affiliated. At some point in a law enforcement officers career it is likely they will come across a juvenile gang member so it is important to have the proper training on how to identify them and the best methods of how to work with them. This paper is going to address some training methods for law enforcement to work with youth that are gang affiliated or at risk of joining a gang. Keywords: juvenile delinquency, law enforcement, juvenile justice system, youth gangs

Youth Gangs and Law Enforcement 3 Introduction Youth gang activity occurs across all 50 states in the United States. It is more prevalent in big cities and urban areas but it can occur in small towns too. There was an increase in gangs from the 1970s to the mid 1990s then experienced a decline from the mid 1990s to the early 2000s. Then once again in the early 2000s gang activity started to increase (Agnew & Brezina, 2022, p. 317-318). In 2016, research showed that there was slightly over one million juvenile gang members in the United States which equates to roughly 2% of the juvenile population. This indicates that youth joining gangs is a rare occurrence however it does occur. Finding from this research also showed that most youth who do join gangs only spend 1-2 years involved in the gang before leaving. Youth that join gangs are primarily male, black, latino, come from single- parent households, and families that lived below the poverty line however, females, whites, and children from two-parent and middle- and high-income households also become gang affiliated. This study also indicated that law enforcement under recognizes youth gang activity and is not completely accurate when it comes to gender, race, and ethnicity of those involved in gangs (Py- rooz, 2016). Gang members commit a variety of different offenses ranging from minor offenses to more serious ones. Though a majority of crimes committed by gang members are minor offenses, there is also a disproportionate amount of serious and violent crimes including murder being committed by gang members. This is in part due to the higher likelihood that a juvenile gang member will have access to and carry a firearm then a juvenile non-gang member would be. Some of the other crimes committed by juvenile gang members include property crimes, drug use, and underage drinking. Most of the time, gang members spend their time just hanging out and waiting (Agnew & Brezina, 2022, p. 318). In order to accurately recognize youth gang ac-

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Youth Gangs and Law Enforcement 4 tivity it is important that law enforcement have the proper training to identify when a juvenile is gang affiliated. Training for Law Enforcement The State of Georgia’s Gang Investigators Association (GGIA) offers several different trainings for law enforcement. The includes a gang awareness/identification training course which helps law enforcement be able to recognize gangs and their common activities as well as to understand the origins and structure of the different gangs. GGIA also offers basic, intermedi- ate, and advanced gang investigator training courses that teach the techniques used for investigat- ing and prosecuting gangs using the Georgia Street Gang Terrorism and Prevention Act. In addi- tion to these training courses, GGIA also hosts an annual training conference that spans over 4 days to provide the most up to date information in regards to the best practices for investigating and prosecuting gangs in Georgia (GGIA, 2021). Training Improvements for Law Enforcement Although youth being involved in gangs is considered rare it is likely that law enforce- ment will come across juveniles that are gang affiliated at some point in their career, especially for those that work in bigger cities and metropolitan areas. One method to improve law enforce- ments interactions with youth involved in gangs or with those at risk of joining a gang is to ex- pand law enforcement and youth mentorship programs. Mentorship programs like Bigs and Blue that is apart of the Big Brothers and Big Sisters of America (BBBSA) program matches police officers in the communities that they work in with at risk youth who mostly come from poor or single-parent homes, or who have an incarcerated parent. Programs that can provide a positive role model in a childs life can improve their relationships with family and friends, improve their performance in school, and make it less likely that they will drop out of school, abuse drugs, or

Youth Gangs and Law Enforcement 5 commit crimes. This can also help to strengthen law enforcements relationship with the youth in their communities and help to prevent youth victimization and violence (Enhancing Law En- forcement Efforts and Engagement With Youth | Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Pre- vention, n.d.). Research has shown that the most effective methods for dealing with youth in gangs and reducing gang violence is prevention, intervention, and suppression. The most effective of these for law enforcement is prevention while working with community organizations such as Chicago’s Project Safe Neighborhoods (CPSN). The goal of CPSN is to reduce gun violence in high crime neighborhoods throughout Chicago with community outreach and re-entry programs that specifically target known gun offenders. This program was effective in reducing homicides and gun violence as well as reducing recidivism. Expanding programs like this to neighborhoods and cities where gang violence is prevalent increases law enforcement’s presence in the commu- nity and is a successful form of community policing. It can also act as a deterrent from crimes being committed (Trinkner, 2019). Mentorship programs like the Bigs and Blue can help to prevent youth for becoming gang affiliated as it provides them a positive role model in their life. This program specifically targets youth that would be considered at risk and who come from poor or single-parent homes, or who have an incarcerated parent. The Bigs and Blue program can help to change youths perception of law enforcement while also helping law enforcement become more involved in the community that they work in to help at risk youth. The CPSN program is also a beneficial way for law en- forcement to work with at risk youth since it increases police presence in high crime neighbor- hoods and has been proven effective in reducing homicides and gun violence as well as reducing

Youth Gangs and Law Enforcement 6 recidivism. Both of these programs are an effective method for community policing and are specifically targeted for youth that may already be gang affiliated or are at risk of joining a gang. Saint Leo Core Value of Respect Respect means valuing someone for all of their differences, uniqueness and the value that they bring to society (Mission, Values, and Identity | Saint Leo University, n.d.-b). Some youth join gangs for the desire to have a positive identity and in search of feeling respected by their peers (Agnew & Brezina, 2022, p. 324). Instead of searching for that respect in the wrong places, youth should be taught that respect is something that they deserve based on their talents, diversity, and value that they can add to society rather than who they associate themselves with. There is also a stigma that youth in gangs are primarily male, black, latino, come from single- parent households, and families that lived below the poverty line when in fact gang member are diverse and also include females, whites, and children from two-parent and middle- and high- income households. Those that are apart of the stigma deserve the respect to not be labeled as a gang member just based on what they look like or where they come from and should be respected instead for their diversity and the talents that they possess. Conclusion Youth gang activity is considered rare but it is something that does happen. The United States experienced an increase from the 1970s to the mid 1990s and then briefly decreased until the early 2000s before increasing again. In 2016, research showed there was around one million youth gang members, equating to only about 2% of the youth population. Though there is a stigma that youth in gangs are primarily male, black, latino, come from single-parent households, and families that lived below the poverty line, research has shown that females, whites, and chil- dren from two-parent and middle- and high-income households also become gang affiliated. It is

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Youth Gangs and Law Enforcement 7 important that law enforcement can correctly identify those that are gang affiliated and have the proper training of how to handle these youth. The Georgia Gang Investigators Association (GGIA) offers several different trainings for law enforcement that help to identify gang mem- bers, and their common activities as well as to understand the origins and structure of the differ- ent gangs. There is also training available for how to investigate and prosecute gang crimes as well as an annual 4 day conference that provides the most up to date information for the investi- gation and prosecution of gangs. Research has shown the most effective methods to use for youth in gangs is prevention, intervention, and suppression. The most effective of these for law en- forcement officers is the prevention method. Programs like the Bigs and Blue, which is a part of the Big Brothers and Big Sisters of America, and the Chicago’s Project Safe Neighborhoods (CPSN) are both effective methods in preventing gang violence among our youth. The Bigs and Blue program pairs officers with at risk youth in the communities that they work in to provide a positive role model and mentor for those at risk. The CPSN program targets high crime areas in the city of Chicago by increasing the amount of officers in the area to reduce homicides and gun violence as well as reducing recidivism. Programs like this can help law enforcement to identify gang activity and act as an effective method of community policing. References Agnew, R., & Brezina, T. (2017). Juvenile Delinquency: Causes and Control. Oxford University Press, USA Enhancing Law Enforcement Efforts and Engagement with Youth | Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention . (n.d.). Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.

Youth Gangs and Law Enforcement 8 https://ojjdp.ojp.gov/programs/enhancing-law-enforcement-efforts-and-engagement- youth#:~:text=Through%20youth%20mentoring%20programs%2C%20law,esteem %20and%20reducing%20delinquent%20acts. GGIA. (2021, January 8). Training - the Georgia Gang Investigators Association . The Georgia Gang Investigators Association. https://ggia.net/training/ Mission, values, and identity | Saint Leo University . (n.d.-b). https://www.saintleo.edu/about/mission-values Pyrooz, D. (2016, June 16). Dispelling myths about juvenile gang members in the United States . Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research. https://www.obssr.od.nih.gov/news-and-events/news/dispelling-myths-about-juvenile- gang-members-united-states Trinkner, R. (2019). Addressing the “black box” of focused deterrence: an examination of the mechanisms of change in Chicago’s Project Safe Neighborhoods. Journal of Experimental Criminology , 15 (4), 673–683. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11292-019- 09364-3

Written Assignment #5 CRJ 571

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