Transcription of ADDRESSING COMMUNITY GANG PROBLEMS
1 Department of JusticeOffice of Justice ProgramsBureau of Justice AssistanceMonographADDRESSINGCOMMUNITYGA NG PROBLEMS :A practical GuideThis document was prepared by the Police Executive Research Forum, supported by coop-erative agreement number 91 DD CX K058, awarded by the Bureau of Justice Assistance,Office of Justice Programs, Department of Justice. The opinions, findings, and conclu-sions or recommendations expressed in this document are those of the authors and do notnecessarily represent the official position or policies of the Department of Department of JusticeOffice of Justice Programs810 Seventh Street , DC 20531 Janet RenoAttorney GeneralRaymond C.
2 FisherAssociate Attorney GeneralLaurie RobinsonAssistant Attorney GeneralNo l BrennanDeputy Assistant Attorney GeneralNancy E. GistDirector, Bureau of Justice AssistanceOffice of Justice ProgramsWorld Wide Web Home of Justice AssistanceWorld Wide Web Home grant and funding information Department of Justice Response Center1 800 421 6770 The Bureau of Justice Assistance is a component of the Office of Justice Programs, which alsoincludes the Bureau of Justice Statistics, the National Institute of Justice, the Office of JuvenileJustice and Delinquency Prevention, and the Office for Victims of of Justice AssistanceAddressing CommunityGang PROBLEMS .
3 A practical GuideMonographMay 1998 Reprinted August 1999 NCJ 164273iiiAddressing COMMUNITY Gang PROBLEMS : A practical GuideForewordUrban street-gang involvement in drug trafficking and violent crime is be-coming increasingly widespread not just in large cities, but in suburbanareas and small towns as Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) recognizes that programs aimed atcombating gang-related activity must incorporate both crime preventionand crime control initiatives to be effective over long periods of time. Ac-cordingly, in October 1991, BJA initiated the development of a prototypemodel of the Comprehensive Gang is pleased to present this monograph, ADDRESSING COMMUNITY GangProblems: A practical Guide, as a product of that initiative.
4 It is a useful toolthat provides guidelines for agencies and COMMUNITY groups to developindividualized responses to local gang PROBLEMS . This practical manualprovides a foundation for understanding the diverse nature of gangs, theproblems they pose and the harm they cause, and the two analytical mod-els for ADDRESSING gang-related companion monographs complement this one. ADDRESSING CommunityGang PROBLEMS : A Model for Problem Solving provides a prototype to assistcommunities in identifying, analyzing, and responding to gang-relatedproblems as well as assessing the effectiveness of their responses.
5 UrbanStreet Gang Enforcement focuses exclusively on enforcement and prosecu-tion strategies to protect against urban street gangs and presents strategiesto enhance the prosecution of gang-related E. GistDirectorvAddressing COMMUNITY Gang PROBLEMS : A practical GuideAcknowledgmentsThe Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) wishes to thank the Police Execu-tive Research Forum (PERF) and, in particular, John Stedman and DeborahLamm Weisel, for their help and guidance in compiling this also thanks the following individuals for their contributions:Deborah Lamm Weisel, Chapter P.
6 McNamara, Chapters 2 and Nugent, Chapters 4 and Spelman, Chapter B. Ayres, Chapter E. Capowich, Chapter COMMUNITY Gang PROBLEMS : A practical GuideContentsExecutive Summary .. xiiiI. Understanding Gangs and Gang ProblemsChapter 1 Introduction .. 3 Analytical Models .. 4 Organization of the Monograph .. 6 Chapter 2 Defining the COMMUNITY s Gang(s) .. 9 Which Definition To Use? .. 9 Gang Diversity .. 11 COMMUNITY Concerns: What To Do? .. 14 Chapter 3 Gang Involvement in Drugs and Violence .. 17 The Media s Social Distortion of Gangs .. 18 Historical Overview of Gangs.
7 19 Types of Gangs .. 21 Gangs and Drugs .. 21 Drug Use .. 21 Drug Selling .. 22 Drugs and Violence .. 22 Gangs and Violence .. 23 The Relationships Among Gangs, Drugs, and Violence .. 26 COMMUNITY Responses to the Problem .. 27 Chapter 4 Gang Graffiti .. 29 What Are Graffiti? .. 29 Are Graffiti a Problem? .. 30 Graffiti as Street Art .. 31 Gang Graffiti .. 34 Reading Graffiti .. 37 Alphabets .. 37 Signs and Symbols .. 41 Ethnic Graffiti .. 43 Attacking a Graffiti Problem .. 49 Controllers .. 49 Guardians .. 50viiiBureau of Justice AssistanceContents (continued)Manager.
8 50 Offenders .. 51 Tools .. 53 Problem Places .. 55 Responses .. 59 Establishing a Graffiti Policy .. 59 Reducing Availability of Graffiti Tools .. 59 Graffiti Removal Campaigns .. 60 Target Hardening .. 60 Discouraging Graffiti .. 61 Providing Alternatives to Taggers .. 61 Encouraging Public Responsibility .. 62 Assessment .. 64II. Learning About Local GangsChapter 5 Needs Assessments for Gang PROBLEMS .. 67 What Is a Needs Assessment? .. 67 Aren't Communities Already Doing This? .. 69 What Is the Needs Assessment Looking For? .. 70 Step 1: Laying the Groundwork.
9 72 First Steps .. 73 Scope and Focus .. 75 Getting the Advisory Board To Buy In .. 77 Dealing With Conflict .. 77 Step 2: Identifying Current Activities .. 79 Defining What Information To Collect .. 80 Identifying Service Providers .. 83 Collecting Information .. 83 Displaying Results .. 84 Reaping the Benefits of Surveying .. 87 Step 3: Identifying and Setting Priorities Among 87 Surveying Clients and Their Advocates .. 87 Tracking and Comparing Social Indicators .. 96 Step 4: Developing a Consensus .. 103 Presenting Results to the Advisory Board .. 104 Going Public.
10 105 Developing Solutions .. 106 Conclusion .. 107ixAddressing COMMUNITY Gang PROBLEMS : A practical GuideChapter 6 ADDRESSING Gang PROBLEMS ThroughStrategic Planning .. 109 Using the Definition of Gang To FrameCommunity Responses .. 109 Factors in Gang Formation and Membership .. 110 Centrality of a ComprehensiveProblem-Solving Approach .. 111 Building and Sustaining Coalitions .. 112 Functions of Coalitions .. 113 Initiating the Coalition-Building Process .. 114 Making Coalitions Work .. 115 Avoiding Pitfalls .. 116 Strategic Planning .. 117 Element 1: Mission Formulation.
