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Date: April 29, 2024 Mon
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Results for gang-related violence
70 results foundAuthor: North Carolina. Governor's Crime Commission Title: Gangs in North Carolina: A 2009 Report to the General Assembly Summary: Beginning with the 2006-2007 legislative session, the General Assembly has appropriated funds on an annual basis to the Governor's Crime Commission for the purpose of funding state and local gang intervention, prevention and suppression programs. Pursuant to Session Law 2008- 187 this study reports on the progress and accomplishments of those grant programs that were funded through the 2006-2007 and 2007-2008 state appropriations. Emphasis will be placed on assessing these grant programs based on their individual and unique goals and objectives as defined and originally written in the grant application. Significant highlights or success stories will also be included in an effort to document the impact and efficacy of these programs on reducing gang activities in the local communities. Performance measurement data is included and analyzed where applicable in an effort to provide quantitative support for program impact. This report also includes an update on the nature and extent of gang activity across North Carolina drawing upon data as extracted from the state's new GangNET information database. Aggregate state data as well as some county level information is provided on the number of agencies using the system and on the total number of gangs and gang members which have been validated and entered into the database. Limitations of this data and its uses are discussed in order to provide the reader with a better understanding of this new system and to clarify the interpretation of the numbers being reported as a snapshot of gangs and gang activity and not as a definitive count on the exact number of gangs in the state. Details: Raleigh, NC: Governor's Crime Commission, 2009. 94p. Source: Accessed April 17, 2018 at: https://files.nc.gov/ncdps/documents/files/Gang%20Grant%20Rpt%20to%20Gen%20Assembly.pdf Year: 2009 Country: United States URL: https://files.nc.gov/ncdps/documents/files/Gang%20Grant%20Rpt%20to%20Gen%20Assembly.pdf Shelf Number: 117103 Keywords: Gang SuppressionGang-Related ViolenceGangsJuvenile OffendersYouth Gangs |
Author: Seelke, Clare Ribando Title: Gangs in Central America Summary: Congress has maintained an interest in the effects of gang violence in Central America, and on the expanding activities of transnational gangs with ties to that region operating in the United States. Since FY2008, Congress has appropriated significant amounts of funding for anti-gang efforts in Central America, as well as domestic anti-gang programs. This report focuses primarily on U.S.-funded international anti-gang efforts. The Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) and its main rival, the "18th Street" gang (also known as M-18), continue to threaten citizen security and challenge government authority in Central America. Gang-related violence has been particularly acute in Honduras, El Salvador, and Guatemala, which have had among the highest homicide rates in the world. Recently, some governments have moved away from repressive anti-gang strategies, with the government of El Salvador having facilitated a historic-and risky-truce involving the country's largest gangs in 2012. The truce contributed to a large reduction in homicides, before beginning to unravel in recent months. The truce carries risks for the Salvadoran government that will take office on June 1, 2014, such as what might happen if the gangs were to walk away from the truce stronger than before and/or if the truce were to end abruptly and prompt an escalation in intra-gang violence. U.S. agencies have engaged on both the law enforcement and preventive sides of dealing with Central American gangs; an inter-agency committee developed a U.S. Strategy to Combat Criminal Gangs from Central America and Mexico that was announced in July 2007. The strategy focuses on diplomacy, repatriation, law enforcement, capacity enhancement, and prevention. An April 2010 study by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) recommended that U.S. agencies consider strengthening the anti-gang strategy by developing better oversight and measurement tools to guide its implementation. U.S. law enforcement efforts may be bolstered by the Treasury Department's October 2012 designation of the MS-13 as a major Transnational Criminal Organization (TCO) subject to sanctions pursuant to Executive Order (E.O.) 13581. In recent years, Congress has dedicated funding to support anti-gang efforts in Central America. Between FY2008 and FY2013, Congress appropriated roughly $38 million in International Narcotics Control and Law Enforcement (INCLE) funds for anti-gang efforts in Central America. Congress provided additional support in FY2008 and FY2009 for anti-gang efforts in the region through the Merida Initiative, a counterdrug and anticrime program for Mexico and Central America, and, more recently, through the Central American Regional Security Initiative (CARSI). Congressional oversight may focus on the efficacy of anti-gang efforts in Central America; the interaction between U.S. domestic and international anti-gang policies, and the impact of the Treasury Department's TCO designation on law enforcement efforts against MS-13. This report describes the gang problem in Central America, discusses country approaches to deal with the gangs, and analyzes U.S. policy with respect to gangs in Central America. Details: Washington, DC: Congressional Research Service, 2014. 24p. Source: Internet Resource: RL34112: Accessed March 18, 2014 at: https://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/row/RL34112.pdf Year: 2014 Country: Central America URL: https://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/row/RL34112.pdf Shelf Number: 131956 Keywords: 18th Street GangGang-Related ViolenceGangsM-18Mara SalvatruchaMS-13Violence |
Author: Tanasichuk, Carrie Title: Process and Outcome Evaluation of the Saskatoon Gang Strategy: Evaluation Report Summary: This report contains the results of a process and outcome evaluation of the Gang Strategy of Saskatoon. The purpose of the current project was to describe the implementation and activities of the Strategy in the City of Saskatoon and to assess the effectiveness of the Strategy with respect to the goals and objectives set out by the Strategy. The evaluation was designed to identify strengths and weaknesses of the Strategy as implemented, to identify challenges to implementation, to suggest improvements, and to provide information to guide the Strategy in its further development. Strategy Overview The Saskatoon Gang Strategy uses an interagency approach designed to reduce gang-related crime within the City of Saskatoon. The Strategy is not a program per se but focuses on building upon existing community and government resources including employment programs, education, recreation, substance abuse programs, corrections-based interventions and law enforcement. The Saskatoon Gang Strategy uses an interagency approach designed to reduce gang-related crime within the City of Saskatoon. The Strategy is comprised of three pillars: - Prevention of gang formation and gang involvement, - Intervention with individuals associated with gangs, and - Suppression of gangs. Details: Saskatoon: University of Saskatchewan, Department of Psychology, 2010. 199p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed June 26, 2014 at: Process and Outcome Evaluation of the Saskatoon Gang Strategy: Evaluation Report Year: 2010 Country: Canada URL: Process and Outcome Evaluation of the Shelf Number: 132544 Keywords: Gang-Related ViolenceGangsYouth Gangs |
Author: Bumpus, John Title: Best Practices in Reducing Violent Homicide Rates: Honduras, El Salvador, Mexico Summary: The 2011 World Development Report aptly points out that the nature of violent conflict has changed, warning that the 20th century tools developed to prevent, mitigate, and manage traditional forms of violence may no longer be up to the task. The report's evidence shows that while interstate and civil wars are on the decline, 1.5 billion people worldwide continue to live in areas severely affected-and even debilitated- by persistent gang violence and organized crime. In Central America alone, homicides related to organized crime have increased every year since 1999. This worrying trend is evident even in states that have simultaneously made progress addressing traditional forms of political violence. This disconnect raises the question: what new policy tools are needed to prevent, mitigate, and manage contemporary forms of violence? One way that victims and states are grappling with this dilemma is by leveraging the power of local actors to forge local solutions. Some subnational authorities have taken on the responsibility of reducing gang violence in their own communities. Experiments led by innovative coalitions of mayors, private sector leaders and associations, churches, and other community groups seem to have had some positive effects in Latin American countries. Also of note, some of the best police practices and judicial approaches have occurred at the municipal level. This study identifies and assesses some of these local and innovative efforts in El Salvador, Honduras, and Mexico. Despite differences in the composition of violent actors and the nature of violence across these three countries, researchers set out to identify how local communities and nontraditional actors are addressing gang violence in their particular contexts. Findings indicate that non-traditional approaches must carefully consider the specific realities of their contexts, thus having implications for external donors and influential state actors like the United States. Summaries of country assessments, findings, and recommendations follow. Full treatment of these topics is available in each country report. Details: Princeton, NJ: Woodrow Wilson School, Princeton University, 2014(?). 49p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed August 6, 2014 at: https://wws.princeton.edu/sites/default/files/content/591g%20Homicide%20Reduction%20in%20Honduras_1.pdf Year: 2014 Country: Central America URL: https://wws.princeton.edu/sites/default/files/content/591g%20Homicide%20Reduction%20in%20Honduras_1.pdf Shelf Number: 132911 Keywords: Gang-Related ViolenceGangsHomicidesOrganized CrimeViolenceViolent Crime |
Author: National Gang Intelligence Center Title: 2013 National Gang Report Summary: The 2013 NGR highlights current and emergent trends of violent criminal gangs in the United States. Consistent with the 2011 report, the 2013 installment illustrates that gangs continue to commit violent and surreptitious crimes - both on the street and in prison - that pose a significant threat to public safety in most US jurisdictions across the nation. A comprehensive overview of gang activity in the United States, the 2013 NGR examines gangs from a national standpoint and explains how they function as sophisticated criminal networks that engage in all levels of crime in order to further their objectives to gain control of the territories they inhabit and generate revenue. As the 2013 NGR demonstrates, gangs expand their reach through migration into communities across the nation; collaboration with other illicit networks like drug trafficking organizations (DTOs) and rival gangs; active recruitment of membership; and through the absorption of smaller, less visible neighborhood-based gangs (NBGs), which continue to negatively impact US communities at a greater rate than national level gangs. Intelligence herein also reviews how gangs perpetuate their criminal enterprises through their ability to adapt to changing social and economic environments; exploit new technology; target law enforcement; evade law enforcement detection; and enroll or employ within educational facilities, law enforcement agencies, government bodies, and through all branches of the US military. Details: Washington, DC: National Gang Intelligence Center, 2013. 45p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed November 20, 2014 at: http://www.fbi.gov/stats-services/publications/national-gang-report-2013 Year: 2013 Country: United States URL: http://www.fbi.gov/stats-services/publications/national-gang-report-2013 Shelf Number: 134179 Keywords: Criminal NetworksGang ViolenceGang-Related ViolenceGangs (U.S.) |
Author: Santacruz-Giralt, Maria Title: Summary: The lives and situation of the women in the maras or gangs is a dimension that has been, to date, explored little by empirical research and, in general, little is known about it in civil society. Stereotypes and social images that have been built up around them are, in essence, masculine. The socio-cultural identities prevalent in the social imaginaries are those of young men that are covered in tattoos, are extremely violent and are linked to delinquent activities. Actually, although El Salvador has advanced in its understanding of the phenomenon, from the perspective of academic research, most of the studies have focused their sights on the analysis of its characteristics, the group logic, and the violent social dynamics that are built up within these organizations. The emphasis on these aspects has given rise to great voids in terms of the factors that pressure girls and adolescents to join these groups, the conditions they are inserted in, and the ruptures and contradictions they face once they have joined. The IUDOP, based on a line of investigation about juvenile violence developed since 1996, has sought in most of its research to reveal the gender differences that exist inside these groups, considering the limitations imposed by the study of groups where there are enormous disparities between men and women. In this sense, this approach to the lives of a group of women gang-members who have been deprived of liberty, from the perspective of qualitative research, has made it possible to penetrate the subjective aspects of their lives, and firmly denude the circles of violence, exclusion, oppression, and abandon that they are exposed to from early childhood. The analysis of these personal stories and their life experiences offer clues to the complex processes of group socialization experienced by the girls and adolescents who comprise the gangs, and the breakages with their families and the rest of society following their membership in these groups. Likewise, this paper shows the gains and profit that these groups offer them, in a context of multiple shortages and weaknesses, but above all, the multiple vulnerabilities and risks the adolescents and youth are subjected to once they have entered the gangs. With this as a background, the paper that is being shared presently offers a first approximation to the life and role of the women in these groups, based on their own life experiences and personal stories, in order to contribute to formulating policy that addresses differentially the needs and risks faced by the girls and youth that are inserted in these aggregations. Details: San Salvador: The University Institute of Public Opinion (Instituto Universitario de Opinion Publica-IUDOP), 2010. 400p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed February 25, 2015 at: http://www.uca.edu.sv/publica/iudop/libros/SegIN.pdf Year: 2010 Country: El Salvador URL: http://www.uca.edu.sv/publica/iudop/libros/SegIN.pdf Shelf Number: 134670 Keywords: Female Gang MembersGang-Related ViolenceGangs (El Salvador)HomicidesYouth Gangs |
Author: International Crisis Group Title: Back from the Brink: Saving Ciudad Juarez Summary: Just four years ago, Ciudad Juarez was under siege from criminal gang members and being sabotaged by crooked cops. Killings and kidnappings spiralled out of control despite the deployment of thousands of soldiers and federal police. Today Juarez is on the path to recovery: public investments in social programs and institutional reform plus a unique model of citizen engagement have helped bring what was once dubbed the world's "murder capital" back from the brink. Daunting problems persist. Juarez remains an unruly frontier city of great inequalities, where traffickers and other criminals can too easily find recruits among a largely young population, many of whom still lack good jobs or education. To sustain progress, citizens and local policymakers need to assess achievements and obstacles, relaunching their partnership and upgrading efforts to strengthen local institutions and address social inequities. Though Juarez remains fragile, there are reasons for guarded optimism: civil society leaders - including business and professional groups, non-profit organisations and academics - hold the government accountable for any increase in crime, meeting regularly with municipal, state and federal officials in a unique Mesa de Seguridad y Justicia (Security and Justice Working Group), an independent body including citizens and authorities. All three levels of government remain committed in principle to addressing the causes of violence through social programs aimed at the poor communities that have borne the brunt of the killings. President Felipe Calderon's administration invested more than $380 million in 2010-2011 under its Todos Somos Juarez (TSJ, We are all Juarez) initiative to finance social programs designed to make communities, especially their young people, more resistant to violent crime. Much of the money went to expanding existing programs for the urban poor and building or renovating community centres, schools and hospitals. But the impact of these efforts was never evaluated, largely wasting the opportunity to create innovative, sustainable programs, subject to outside review and evaluation. When he took office in December 2012, President Enrique Pena Nieto promised to make crime and violence prevention central to his security strategy, adopting and adapting some of the strategies initiated by his predecessor. Among his first acts was to order nine ministries to join forces on a national program. Its objectives are sweepingly ambitious: promote citizen participation and a culture of peace and respect for the law; address the risk factors that render children, adolescents, women and other groups vulnerable to violence; create and reclaim public spaces to foster peaceful coexistence; and strengthen institutional capacity at the federal, state and municipal level. The National Program for the Social Prevention of Violence and Delinquency channels funding into high-risk zones chosen to serve as laboratories for social change, including three within Ciudad Juarez. This "socio-urban acupuncture" approach holds promise. Officials say crime rates have already fallen within many of the target zones and promise that detailed surveys will measure impact going forward. But the effort in Juarez itself has been plagued by delays and controversy. The lack of transparency in project selection and monitoring has given rise to accusations of mismanagement and political favouritism. Local authorities are justifiably proud of progress in reducing homicide and other high-impact crimes, such as kidnapping, but more is needed to keep Juárez from again falling victim to a surge of violence. The model of citizen participation embodied in the Mesa de Seguridad y Justicia should be extended to the neighbourhood level, so that working class and poor communities are empowered to monitor violence- prevention projects and work with law enforcement to combat crime. Local police must play a more important role. Authorities on the municipal, state and federal levels should open their efforts to greater scrutiny, crafting long-term strategies that can be continued past the next electoral cycle. The achievements of Juarez and the surrounding state of Chihuahua offer hope for other Mexican cities and regions still suffering epidemic rates of violent crimes, including murder, often at the hands of criminals in league with local authorities. The focus of federal action has shifted to the north east, where the state of Tamaulipas now leads the country in kidnappings, and the south west, where the state of Guerrero and the city of Acapulco have the highest rates of homicides per capita. National authorities have poured soldiers and police into these regions while promising funding for social programs, much as they did a few years ago in Chihuahua. But they have not been able to stem the crisis of confidence in government at all levels: municipal, state and federal. The kidnapping and apparent killing of 43 students from the rural teaching college of Ayotzinapa by a criminal gang allegedly backed by corrupt police has sparked violent protests in Guerrero and mass marches in Mexico City. Perhaps the most important lesson of Juarez is that crime must be tackled through the combined effort of authorities and citizens. Opaque, top-down solutions that fail to address the concerns of local communities - eliciting their ideas and soliciting their support - are unlikely to produce sustainable progress against the scourge of violent crime. Details: Brussels, Belgium: International Crisis Group, 2015. 37p. Source: Internet Resource: Latin America Report No. 54: Accessed February 26, 2015 at: http://www.crisisgroup.org/~/media/Files/latin-america/mexico/054-back-from-the-brink-saving-ciudad-juarez.pdf Year: 2015 Country: Mexico URL: http://www.crisisgroup.org/~/media/Files/latin-america/mexico/054-back-from-the-brink-saving-ciudad-juarez.pdf Shelf Number: 134679 Keywords: Gang-Related ViolenceGangs (Mexico)HomicidesKidnappingsSocioeconomic Conditions and CrimeViolent Crime |
Author: Foley, Conor Title: Pelo telefone: Rumors, truths and myths in the 'pacification' of the favelas of Rio de Janeiro Summary: The phenomenon of humanitarian engagement with situations of urban violence has attracted growing interest from academics, and practitioners in recent years. Yet the subject remains shrouded with myths and misconceptions. Much violence in the world today takes place outside formal conflict zones, in what are sometimes referred to as 'fragile settings'. The purpose of the paper is to provide a detailed, factual assessment of one such operation, the so-called 'pacification' of the favelas of Rio de Janeiro, written from a humanitarian and human rights perspective. Since the terrorist attacks in the United States on 11th September 2001 and the subsequent US-led interventions in Afghanistan and Iraq, some have argued that fragile states represent a threat to international peace and security. This has triggered a range of responses by both national governments and the UN Security Council, which are increasingly referred to under the common rubric of stabilization. The UN missions to Haiti and the Democratic Republic of Congo both feature 'stabilization' as a central goal and there is a growing literature describing the interrelationship between 'stabilization', counter-terrorism, counter-insurgency, peacebuilding, state-building, early recovery and development. In some cases these operations have been led by international armed forces, often mandated by the Security Council under its Chapter VII powers, while in others they have been carried out by national governments themselves. In both cases there has sometimes been doubt about the legal framework governing such operations, particularly where they have involved soldiers as well as the police. Rhetoric about a global 'war on terror', which was preceded by the so-called 'war on drugs', has been used by some to argue that international human rights law could be suspended, or displaced by the more permissive laws of armed conflict, which, by turning criminals into combatants, gives the security forces a license to kill. At the same time, the supposed benefits of bringing to bear military planning, strategy and coordination has excited policy-makers frustrated by the failures of traditional policing in some settings. Operations such as the one described in this paper have attracted international attention because they appear to offer lessons both to those involved in formal counter-insurgency situations and to those struggling to uphold law and order in the face of extreme crime and violence. For humanitarians, accustomed to working in complex emergencies, this places the old dilemmas of host-state consent and civil-military cooperation in a new, and sometimes unsettling context when delivering social services or stimulating economic activity in territories that have been 'pacified' or otherwise brought under state control. This paper does not seek to deny or diminish the achievements of the 'pacification' process. By driving organized armed gangs out of a significant number of Rio de Janeiro's favelas, the police have brought a relative degree of stability to places for the first time in a generation. At the same time, it will be argued, that the 'pacification' has not been the 'silver bullet' that is sometimes portrayed. The real lesson is that there is no short-cut from long-term reform of policing and the criminal justice system as well as tackling the corruption, poverty, inequality and social exclusion that give rise to states of fragility to begin with. Humanitarian action can also only ever be a palliative and agencies would be advised to continue with a gradual and incremental approach towards such engagement. Details: Rio de Janeiro: Humanitarian Actions in Situations other than War, 2014. 52p. Source: Internet Resource: Discussion Paper 8: Accessed February 26, 2015 at: http://www.hasow.org/uploads/trabalhos/117/doc/1760478317.pdf Year: 2014 Country: Brazil URL: http://www.hasow.org/uploads/trabalhos/117/doc/1760478317.pdf Shelf Number: 134709 Keywords: Criminal ViolenceFavelas (Brazil)Gang-Related ViolenceGangsUrban AreasViolent CrimeWar on Drugs |
Author: Rodgers, Dennis Title: Broderes in Arms: Gangs and the Socialization of Violence in Post-conflict Nicaragua Summary: This paper explores various ways in which gang members in post-conflict Nicaragua have internalized and put into practice a range of violent behaviour patterns over the past two decades. It shows how different types of gang violence can be related to distinct forms of socialization, tracing how these particular articulations have changed over time, often for very contingent reasons. As such, the paper highlights the need to conceive the socialization of violence within gangs as a dynamic and contextualized process, and suggests drawing on the notion of "repertoire" as a means of meaningfully representing this. Details: Burnaby, BC: Simon Fraser University, 2013. 37qp. Source: Internet Resource: Simons Papers in Security and Development no. 31/2013: Accessed March 16, 2015 at: http://www.sfu.ca/content/dam/sfu/internationalstudies/documents/swp/SWP2013-31-Rodgers.pdf Year: 2013 Country: Nicaragua URL: http://www.sfu.ca/content/dam/sfu/internationalstudies/documents/swp/SWP2013-31-Rodgers.pdf Shelf Number: 134939 Keywords: Gang-Related ViolenceGangs (Nicaragua)Violent Crime |
Author: Comack, Elizabeth Title: Summary: There is growing concern about the level of violence in Winnipeg's North End. The media regularly feature headline reports about gun violence, and street gang activity has become a focus of attention in the effort to "get tough on crime." Against this backdrop, the authors met with six members of a North End street gang, who wanted to convey their experiences of living in the North End, their thoughts on the recent events that have occurred there, and their insights into what it will take to make meaningful change. Too often the voices of such men are not heard. Yet they have an intimate knowledge of, and are an integral part of, these pressing problems. If meaningful change is to occur their voices need to be made part of the public discussion. These men had important things to say about 'getting tough on crime.' They agree that if they commit crimes, they have to do the time. But they are adamant that this strategy will not solve the problem of violence in the North End and broader inner city. We discussed several other options. Policing in the North End has recently been intensified to the point where "it’s like the military in the North End now" and anyone who "fits the description" is being targeted. This strategy, they explained, is likely to aggravate the problem, not solve it. Similarly, they offered reasons why other quick-fix solutions - a gun amnesty, a truce or ceasefire agreed to by street gangs, the Winnipeg Auto Theft Suppression Strategy applied to street gangs - will not work. The central viewpoint, expressed repeatedly over our two days of meetings, is that street gangs and gun violence are a product of the poverty and systemic racism of the North End, and all their consequences - addictions, violence, family disintegration, neglect, abuse. These men grew up in the midst of these conditions, and were exposed to the associated gang life from a very early age. As one told us, "When you're young, and see that, it's all normal." This is the soil in which street gangs and gun violence have grown. What emerged most strongly during our meeting was that these men do not want youngsters in the North End - "the next me" - to go through what they have gone through. Meaningful change will therefore require long term solutions aimed at addressing the poverty and systemic racism that are the root causes of street gangs and violence. Building pride and self-esteem through the provision of the right kinds of jobs and investing in more community recreation and drop-in centres for kids and families in the North End would be important steps in that direction. We know that this strategy will work because there are successful, small-scale examples— such as OPK and BUILD - now operating in Winnipeg's North End. If we want to change the violence in the 'hood, we would do well to heed the wise advice of these hard-headed men who know the 'hood all too well. We have to change the 'hood. Details: Winnipeg, MB: Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, 2009. 16p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed April 7, 2015 at: https://mbresearchalliance.files.wordpress.com/2012/11/3-opkfinal.pdf Year: 2009 Country: Canada URL: https://mbresearchalliance.files.wordpress.com/2012/11/3-opkfinal.pdf Shelf Number: 135174 Keywords: Gang-Related ViolenceGangs (Canada)Gun ViolenceSocio-Economic Conditions and Crime |
Author: Graves, Kelly N. Title: Guilford County Gang Assessment: OJJDP Comprehensive Gang Assessment Summary: Gang violence has been identified as a national priority among the federal justice system and communities alike. The nation's youth gang problem is tracked by the National Youth Gang Surveys (NYGS) across the United States (US). The NYGS has identified that all larger cities (population over 100,000) have experienced gang problems in some form or another. As the figure below published by the National Youth Gang Survey Analysis depicts, while gang problems decreased in the early part of the decade, we are beginning to see a resurgence of gangs toward the later part of the decade. However, a central question remains: What are the activities of those gangs in local areas? Understanding these activity dynamics at a local level is essential for strategic planning and local intervention to address the problem. To support the strategic development at a local level, the US Department of Justice, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) provided funding for hundreds of local communities nationwide to conduct an in-depth assessment on the local youth gang dynamics within their respective communities. Specifically, OJJDP recommends the implementation of a five-step model that ultimately leads to the understanding of the nature, dynamic, and intervention points to address youth gangs and related crime at a local level. These five strategies include: 1. Community mobilization: Involvement of local citizens, including former gang youth, community groups and agencies, and the coordination of programs and staff functions within and across agencies. 2. Opportunities provision: The development of a variety of specific education, training, and employment programs targeted at gang-involved youth. 3. Social intervention: Youth-serving agencies, schools, grassroots groups, faith-based organizations, police agencies, and other criminal justice organizations reaching out and acting as links to gang-involved youth, their families, and the conventional world and needed services. 4. Suppression: Formal and informal social control procedures, including close supervision or monitoring of gang youth by agencies of the criminal justice system and by community-based agencies, schools, and grassroots groups. 5. Organizational change and development: Development and implementation of policies and procedures that result in the most effective use of available and potential resources, within and across agencies, to better address the gang problem. The OJJDP Comprehensive Gang Model holds that "neither social disorganization, underclass, nor poverty theory alone explains the scope and nature of youth delinquency or criminal gang association and gang crime. Social disorganization or lack of integration of essential elements of a local community system provides the basic stimulus for the formation of youth gangs. Lack of legitimate opportunity and the presence of alternative criminal opportunities are more likely to explain the character and scope of gang behavior" (Spergel, 1995). While youth in this age group are most likely to be engaged in or at risk of committing serious or violent gang crimes, the OJJDP Comprehensive Gang Model focuses primarily on youth gang members under 22 years of age, based on OJJDP's authorizing legislation. Motorcycle gangs, prison gangs, ideological gangs, and hate groups comprising primarily adults are excluded from the definition. In Guilford County, North Carolina, the OJJDP Gang Assessment is part of a larger community wide initiative to reduce youth gang activity. Three central programmatic partners (Youth Focus, Inc., One Step Further, and Guilford County Court Alternatives) comprised a steering committee and selected the University of North Carolina at Greensboro’s (UNCG) Center for Youth, Family, and Community Partnerships (CYFCP) to lead the OJJDP Comprehensive Gang Assessment efforts. UNCG/CYFCP worked closely with the steering committee as well as with the local Juvenile Crime Prevention Council (JCPC) in developing the local strategy. Additional key partners included Guilford County law enforcement offices, Guilford County School students and staff, community leaders and members, parents and youth, current and ex-gang members, as well as an array of youth-serving community organizations and agencies currently addressing gang prevention. Assessment activities were based on the (OJJDP) Comprehensive Gang Model and Assessment Guide available at http://www.nationalgangcenter.gov/Comprehensive-Gang- Model/Assessment-Guide. A summary of each of the completed assessment activities is provided below: Understanding the Community Composition: UNCG staff collected county-wide demographic information based on race, gender, age, income, poverty rates, employment status, educational attainment, teen birth rates, child abuse and neglect reports, and other categories of interest as suggested by the OJJDP model. Understanding Law Enforcement Data Collection: UNCG partnered with local law enforcement jurisdictions to understand active gangs in their jurisdictions as well as gang-related crime across a one-year period. Crime data were compiled in an electronic database for analysis and gang-related incidents were be mapped using Geographical Information Systems (GIS) mapping software. School Data Collection: UNCG gathered publically available Guilford County School data and worked with school representatives to ensure its accuracy. Community Perceptions Data: UNCG developed a series of surveys using OJJDP templates, including 1) Youth Perception Survey; 2) Community Resident Survey; and 3) School Resource Officer Survey. Surveys were available in both English and Spanish. In addition, Gang Member Interviews were provided by one of our partner agencies (One Step Further). Community Resources Data Collection: UNCG created and distributed a Community Program Profile survey, based on the OJJDP template, which was disseminated by the Project Team to neighborhood associations, community-service organizations, faith-based organizations, and service providers who are youth-serving throughout Guilford County. UNCG compiled the surveys and will enter them into OJJDP Web-based Community Resource Inventory database (https://www.iir.com/nygc/tool/default.htm) on behalf of Guilford County. The results of each element of the Guilford County Comprehensive Gang Assessment are described throughout this report. The report is broken up into Chapters that can be used either separately as individual documents, or combined for use as a comprehensive report for Guilford County. Details: Greensboro, NC: Center for Youth, Family, and Community Partnerships, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, 2010. 327p. Source: Internet Resource: accessed May 23, 2015 at: http://cyfcp.uncg.edu/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/OJJDPGuilfordCountyGangAssessment_Final_Version3_with_appendices.pdf Year: 2010 Country: United States URL: http://cyfcp.uncg.edu/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/OJJDPGuilfordCountyGangAssessment_Final_Version3_with_appendices.pdf Shelf Number: 135760 Keywords: Community ParticipationCommunity-Based ProgramsGang-Related ViolenceGangsYouth Gangs |
Author: Steele, Paul D. Title: The Strategic Approaches to Community Safety Initiative in Albuquerque: Project Activities and Research Results Summary: The Strategic Alternatives to Community Safety Initiative (SACSI) was established by the U.S. Department of Justice in 1998. Implemented in ten cities, SACSI was a coordinated effort to reduce and prevent firearm and firearm-related violent crime. The initiative was notable for its innovative organization and approach. First, SACSI relied upon the participation of a core group of decision makers in each SACSI service area. These decision makers included local, state and federal law enforcement, prosecutorial, and corrections personnel as well as service providers and representatives from the community. Together, they constituted a working group that was charged with the responsibility of implementing new and potentially effective approaches to dealing with crime in the area served by the initiative. Second, the working group was supported by the U.S. Attorney's Office, which was charged with the responsibility of facilitating and coordinating the working group's efforts. The U.S. Attorney's Office also had the opportunity to provide resources to local violence reduction strategies, and served as a member agency in the working group. Third, a research partner also supported the working group. The research partner's role included providing information concerning general crime patterns in the community, more focused analysis in support of strategic and tactical planning, knowledge concerning best practices for reducing gun violence, and assessment of local efforts to deal with violent crime. Ten cities were selected as SACSI sites; the first five (Indianapolis, Memphis, New Haven, Portland, and Winston-Salem) were funded in 1998, and the second five (Albuquerque, Atlanta, Detroit, Rochester, and St. Louis) were funded in 2000. From the perspective of the research partner, this report describes SACSI in the Albuquerque service area, which consists of Bernalillo County, New Mexico. Of particular note is the evolution of the local SACSI effort, including the development of the working group and various project initiatives in the community. Also highlighted are findings of research about criminal activities in the community, criminal justice responses to crime, and assessment of SACSI initiatives. To address these topics, the report is organized into four sections. The current section is comprised of three chapters. The current chapter concludes with a review of relevant literature concerning firearm, firearm-related, and other violent crime that was useful in orienting the project. Chapter II describes the development and implementation of the SACSI working group and initiatives in the Albuquerque service area, and Chapter III discusses research activities in the service area. The next section of the report describes crime offender, victim and crime episode patterns within the service area, highlighting trends and spatial distribution of serious violent crimes. It also covers the movement of homicide and aggravated assault cases in the service area reported to or detected by the police through the criminal justice system. Section three describes and assesses the various SACSI initiatives implemented in the community to respond to violent crime. The report concludes with a final section summarizing the findings and making recommendations for future activities. Details: Albuquerque, NM: New Mexico Criminal Justice Analysis Center, Institute for Social Research, University of New Mexico, 2005. 333p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 23, 2015 at: http://isr.unm.edu/reports/2005/sacsi.pdf Year: 2005 Country: United States URL: http://isr.unm.edu/reports/2005/sacsi.pdf Shelf Number: 135762 Keywords: Community ParticipationFirearms and CrimeGang-Related ViolenceGangsGun-Related ViolenceGunsHomicidesViolent Crime |
Author: University of Washington. Jackson School of International Studies Title: 2013 Task Force Report: Violent Crime Reduction in Rio de Janeiro Summary: Rio de Janeiro is infamous for violence. In many of the city's large, informal settlements known as favelas, violent drug gangs have ruled with impunity while corrupt police officers contribute to distrust of formal government. The introduction of new Pacifying Police Units (UPP) in 2008 has resulted in impressive progress, but much still remains to be done. The focus of this Task Force is to provide recommendations to ensure that the UPP program continues to be successful. Our recommendations are geared toward furthering UPP integration into communities in a way that 1) preserves the progress that has already been made and 2) ensures permanent change, both within Rio's troubled police force and in "pacified" communities. While much has been accomplished already, the task is far from complete. Each of the policy recommendations presented in the following chapters was prepared for the Public Security Secretary of Rio de Janeiro Jose Beltrame, and is tailored to his position and responsibilities. However, we recognize that a systemic problem cannot be solved by one actor, and real change must come from a combination of efforts on the part of government, NGOs, and community members themselves. The project is loosely divided into two broad sections. The first five chapters address ways internal police policies can be improved to strengthen the ability of UPPs to carry out their community policing mission. Topics include strengthening respect for community policing objectives within the police force, improving working conditions for officers, enhancing community control and involvement with local UPP units, coordinating with other governmental institutions to break the cycle of violence for convicted criminals, and including NGOs and community members in devising training curriculum for officers. The second half involves improving the means by which community upgrading projects and the provision of public services takes place after the UPPs are installed in communities. Topics include instituting a new system for coordinating public service works with ground-level community interests, improving access to healthcare within favelas by involving UPP officers in first-response systems, easing the process of land title formalization, and instituting programs to dissipate tensions between police and youth. Details: Seattle: Henry M. Jackson School of International Studies, 2013. 270p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 26, 2015 at: https://digital.lib.washington.edu/researchworks/bitstream/handle/1773/22749/TF%20I%202013%20text.pdf?sequence=2 Year: 2013 Country: Brazil URL: https://digital.lib.washington.edu/researchworks/bitstream/handle/1773/22749/TF%20I%202013%20text.pdf?sequence=2 Shelf Number: 129789 Keywords: Community PolicingDrug TraffickingDrug-Related CrimeFavelasGang-Related ViolenceGangsViolenceViolent Crime |
Author: Southgate, Jessica Title: Seeing differently: Working with girls affected by gangs Summary: While concern has grown in recent years about the extent of gang activity in Britain, the ways in which girls and young women are affected tends to be overlooked, simplified or distorted. Where attention is given to girls' involvement they tend to be depicted either as violent, out of control perpetrators or as vulnerable victims; reflective of a wider tendency to cast girls who offend in a 'false dichotomy' between the extremes of 'autonomous actors' or 'passive subjects' (Batchelor, 2009a). Through experience of working in organisations delivering gender-specific services to young women, I know these representations to be simplistic and rarely reflective of the complexity or reality of girls' lives. One pertinent example of the representation of gang-associated girls is the case of Samantha Joseph, dubbed the "honeytrap killer" for her involvement in the murder of Shakilus Townsend in 2008. Media coverage of the trial fixated primarily on her involvement and responsibility for "luring" Townsend to the place of his death at the hands of seven gang-associated boys. As has been noted in other media representations of women involved in murder cases (Jones & Wardle, 2008), Joseph's picture was shown more regularly and prominently than those of her male co-defendants, suggesting her ultimate responsibility. Despite some coverage which reported Joseph's boyfriend Danny McLean (for whom she had agreed to 'get Shak set' (Clements, 2009)) to have been neglectful and abusive towards her (Bird, 2009), little critical analysis was given to her role, motivation or potentially constrained choices. Both the current and previous Governments have taken a range of actions in an attempt to reduce gang activity and serious youth violence, including the "Tackling Knives and Serious Youth Violence Action Programme" (TKAP), the introduction of gang injunctions, specific funding to tackle "knife, gun and gang" related violence, and a cross-sector Ending Gang Violence team. These measures tended to have been developed without consideration of girls' and women's experiences, however, resulting in a context where they 'fall straight through the gaps at best, and at worst have their situations exacerbated, or their risk increased, due to a lack of consideration for their experiences' (ROTA, 2010:17). The recently published "Ending Gang and Youth Violence" report (HM Government, 2011b) makes a number of references to girls, and when published the Home Secretary was keen to stress that the strategy would have a "new focus" on girls and young women "caught up in gang-related rape and abuse" (Hansard, 2011). The strategy committed money to specialist sexual abuse services for gang-affected young women, and referenced positive outcomes specific to girls and young women, including increased self-esteem, early referral to support services, and reduced sexual assault, exploitation and forced miscarriage. Alongside other indications that policy-makers are considering girls' needs more, this is a step to be welcomed, however, the degree to which this translates to a shift in public discourse or enhanced local service provision remains to be seen. In comparison to the priorities outlined by practitioners I spoke to for this research, gaps in delivering appropriate support to girls and young women remain unaddressed, including having sufficient staff support or expertise, an appropriate balance between prevention, intervention and support services, and addressing attitudes that enable a culture in which violence against girls and women is permissible. Details: London: The Griffins Society, 2011. 57p. Source: Internet Resource: Research Paper 2011/02: Accessed May 27, 2015 at: http://www.thegriffinssociety.org/Research_Paper_2011_02_(updated_May_2012).pdf Year: 2011 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://www.thegriffinssociety.org/Research_Paper_2011_02_(updated_May_2012).pdf Shelf Number: 129824 Keywords: Female Gang MembersGang ViolenceGang-Related ViolenceGangsGender-Specific ProgramsYouth Violence |
Author: Myrttinen, Henri Title: Up in Smoke. Impoverishment and Instability in Post-Independence Timor Leste Summary: The scenes in Dili in late May 2006 were reminiscent of a previous wave of violence that had gripped the East Timorese capital. As in September 1999, the town was burning, armed gangs roamed the streets and a large part of the population was huddled together in the squalor of makeshift camps, where shops remained locked up, shots rang out across town and Australian Defence Force (ADF) troops secured the airport perimeter for evacuations. Apart from a sense of deja vu and these superficial similarities, however, the situation in 2006 was very different from 1999. On the one hand, it was much simpler: it was not a campaign of orchestrated, all-out violence committed by a heavily armed occupation force with its paramilitary proxies in defiance of the international community that needed to be brought to a halt. The violence in 2006 was on a much smaller scale. But the problem was also much more complicated this time around, as the perpetrators were members of Timorese society and finding workable solutions to the crisis was far harder. At the end of May 2006, the humanitarian situation in Dili was dire and the security situation precarious. Of the city's approximately 150,000 inhabitants, almost half were in 'internally displaced persons' (IDP) camps. The fighting of the previous few weeks had left at least 37 dead. In addition to perhaps hundreds of houses, much else had gone up in smoke - trust in the central institutions of the state, trust in key political figures, trust in the international community, trust in the power of the intervening peacekeepers to provide security and, perhaps most seriously, trust in one another's neighbours, in the neighbouring communities and even in the unity of the nation. Much had gone up in smoke. Almost a year and a half on, the violence has subsided to a level where it is almost a kind of 'background noise.' There are gang fights, occasional killings, random cases of arson and cars are still stoned on a regular basis, but the violence is usually restricted to certain areas - which then tend to be avoided by all who do not live in them. Few people move around after dark any more. Tens of thousands of Timorese remain in IDP camps, most of them in and around Dili. A new government has been elected, numerous peace and reconciliation efforts have been launched but a long-term solution still seems elusive. Details: Helsinki: Kehitysyhteistyön palvelukeskus, 2007. 16p. Source: Internet Resource: Kepa's Working Paper 11: Accessed May 28, 2015 at: https://www.kepa.fi/tiedostot/julkaisut/up-in-smoke.pdf Year: 2007 Country: Indonesia URL: https://www.kepa.fi/tiedostot/julkaisut/up-in-smoke.pdf Shelf Number: 129961 Keywords: Gang-Related ViolenceViolenceViolent Crime |
Author: Keaton, Sandy Title: City of San Diego CALGRIP Project: Evaluation Report Summary: In 2007, California launched a statewide initiative to support a comprehensive approach to reduce gang violence. The California Gang Reduction Intervention and Prevention (CalGRIP) program pooled together state and federal dollars to fund prevention, intervention, and suppression activities through the state. In 2008, the San Diego Police Department in partnership with the San Diego Commission on Gang Prevention and Intervention was successful in their submission of a CalGRIP grant application. The purpose of the project was to implement a continuum of services from prevention to suppression in communities with high rates of gang violence. As one of the partners in this endeavor, the Criminal Justice Research Division of SANDAG was tasked with documenting the outcomes of the project. Details: San Diego: SANDAG, 2011. 15p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed June 3, 2015 at: http://www.sandag.org/uploads/publicationid/publicationid_1577_12940.pdf Year: 2011 Country: United States URL: http://www.sandag.org/uploads/publicationid/publicationid_1577_12940.pdf Shelf Number: 135861 Keywords: Gang PreventionGang ReductionGang-Related ViolenceGangsYouth Gangs |
Author: Leinfelt, Fredrik Title: The Stockholm Gang Model: PANTHER: Stockholm Gang Intervention & Prevention Project, 2009-2012 Summary: In 2009, the Stockholm County Police and the Section against Gang Crime (SGI) was awarded a substantial three-year EU grant (1,1 million Euro) to study and develop new methods in the fight against gangs and gang crime. This grant resulted in the creation of the Stockholm Gang Intervention and Prevention Project (SGIP), a project that would bridge science with pragmatism and advance the current knowledge on Swedish street gangs. Specifically, SGIP would develop and introduce a new philosophy, concept, or framework on how law enforcement and social agencies can work against gangs; a philosophy based on "holistic-oriented policing" - a concept that fully incorporate the fundamentals of problem-oriented policing and applied theory. Consequently, this book is the written product of the Stockholm Gang Intervention and Prevention Project - a collection of theory and practice. This book is intended primarily for researchers and scholars interested in gang research, although it may have some appeal to police administrators interested in implementing a holistic program of gang intervention and prevention. This book will introduce the foundation for a new philosophy, a model we named after the acronym PANTHER. However, we also wanted to offer the reader a contemporary and international view on gangs and gang enforcement. Details: Stockholm: Polismyndigheten i Stockholms län (Stockholm County Police), 2012. 350 p Source: Internet Resource: Accessed July 13, 2015 at: http://su.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:787602/FULLTEXT01.pdf Year: 2012 Country: Sweden URL: http://su.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:787602/FULLTEXT01.pdf Shelf Number: 135999 Keywords: Gang EnforcementGang-Related ViolenceGangsInterventions Youth Gangs |
Author: Great Britain. Home Office Title: Injunctions to Prevent Gang-Related Violence and Gang-Related Drug Dealing: Statutory Guidance Summary: This revised statutory guidance on injunctions to prevent gang-related violence and gang-related drug dealing draws on the experience and knowledge of the police service, local authorities and a wide range of local partners involved in dealing with violent gangs. It has been developed and approved by partners across the Criminal Justice System, as well as local practitioners. It has been produced after consultation with the Lord Chief Justice, and has been laid before Parliament by the Home Secretary. The Policing and Crime Act 2009 ('the 2009 Act') contains provisions for injunctions to prevent gang-related violence and gang-related drug dealing activity to be sought against an individual; these were commenced in January 2011. The Crime and Security Act 2010 contains provisions for breach of an injunction to be enforced against 14 to 17 year olds; the Crime and Courts Act 2013 moved jurisdiction for these proceedings from the County Court to the Youth Court. The Serious Crime Act 2015 contains provisions that amend the statutory definition of what comprises a "gang", as defined in section 34(5) of Part IV of the Policing and Crime Act 2009, and expands the scope of the activity a person must have engaged in, encouraged or assisted, or needs to be protected from, before a gang injunction can be imposed to include drug dealing activity. This statutory guidance is a practical tool intended to help local partners apply for and manage gang injunctions effectively and appropriately in accordance with the statutory framework. It is for: - local authorities and police forces who are seeking to apply for an injunction to prevent gang-related violence or gang-related drug dealing activity; and - local partners who may be consulted by the applicant as part of the process. These may include, but are not limited to, registered social landlords, housing associations, transport agencies, probation and youth offending teams (where the respondent is aged 14 to 17 or has recently turned 18). Details: London: Home Office, 2015. 83p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed July 15, 2015 at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/432805/Injunctions_to_Prevent_Gang-Related_Violence_web.pdf Year: 2015 Country: United Kingdom URL: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/432805/Injunctions_to_Prevent_Gang-Related_Violence_web.pdf Shelf Number: 136060 Keywords: Civil InjunctionsDrug OffencesDrug OffendersDrug-Related ViolenceGang-Related Violence |
Author: Factor, Fiona Title: Gang-Involved Young People: Custody and Beyond Summary: While there is an extensive literature on the rehabilitation of young people in general and a smaller, but substantial, literature on the onset of, and involvement in, gangs, gang crime, and serious youth violence, there remains a paucity of material on desistance from gang crime, the rehabilitation of gang-involved young people and, in particular, how their period of incarceration and return from custody might best be managed. This report synthesises what is known and draws inferences from both the literature and key 'informants' working in these fields to fill out this picture and tease out the implications for resettlement policy and practice. Details: London: Beyond Youth Custody, 2015. 80p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed August 3, 2015 at: http://www.beyondyouthcustody.net/wp-content/uploads/Gang-involved-young-people-custody-and-beyond-a-research-report.pdf Year: 2015 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://www.beyondyouthcustody.net/wp-content/uploads/Gang-involved-young-people-custody-and-beyond-a-research-report.pdf Shelf Number: 136299 Keywords: Gang-Related ViolenceGangsYouth Gangs |
Author: Turner, Duilia Mora Title: Violent crime in post-civil war Guatemala: causes and policy implications Summary: Guatemala is one of the most violent countries in Latin America, and thus the world. The primary purpose of this thesis is to answer the following question: what factors explain the rise of violent crime in post-civil war Guatemala? The secondary focus of this thesis is to identify the transnational implications of Guatemala's violence for U.S. policy. Guatemala's critical security environment requires the identification of causal relationships and potential corrective actions. This thesis hypothesizes that the causes of violent crime in post-conflict Guatemala are the combination of weak institutional performance and social factors. Determining that Guatemala is not a consolidated democracy, this thesis concludes that a flawed judicial system, inadequate police reform, and weak civil control over the armed forces have a direct causal effect on violent crime in Guatemala. Furthermore, an analysis of social factors demonstrates that these are not causal in nature but rather influential elements in the occurrence of violence. Details: Monterey, CA: Naval Postgraduate School, 2015. 131p. Source: Internet Resource: Thesis: Accessed September 9, 2015 at: https://calhoun.nps.edu/bitstream/handle/10945/45266/15Mar_Turner_Duilia.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y Year: 2015 Country: Guatemala URL: https://calhoun.nps.edu/bitstream/handle/10945/45266/15Mar_Turner_Duilia.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y Shelf Number: 136711 Keywords: CorruptionDrug TraffickingGang-Related ViolenceViolenceViolent Crime |
Author: National Crime Research Centre (Kenya) Title: A Study of Organized Criminal Gangs in Kenya Summary: The aim of the study was to identify the nature of organized criminal gangs that operate in Kenya, the types of crimes they commit, their modus operandi including the command structure and networks, and to provide a rapid assessment of the public perception of organized criminal gangs and the effect of their activities on Kenyans. The study further sought to establish the extent to which organized criminal gangs have infiltrated the public/security sector. The scope of the work included; a review of literature on theories of crime and organized criminal gangs in Kenya and based on the study findings purpose practical solutions on how to address the problem of organized crime in Kenya. UNODC (2002) adopted the Transnational Organized Crime (TOC) Convention, Article 2(a) definition which states an organized criminal group as a structured group of three or more persons existing for a period of time and acting in concert with the aim of committing one or more serious crimes or offences in order to obtain directly or indirectly a financial or other material benefit. The UNODC (2002) further provided a useful framework for understanding organized criminal groups as comprising of: structure, size, activities, identity, level of violence, use of corruption, political influence, penetration into the legitimate economy and so on. In the context of methodology, the study had three major components; a survey of community perceptions of organized criminal gangs, key informant interviews development of case studies and secondary statistics. A total of 1343 respondents proportionately sampled across the eight regions of the country were interviewed using a survey questionnaire. Focus Group Discussions involving members of the public and key informant interviews involving senior officers from the provincial administration, police, CID, prisons, judiciary, business and civil society were interviewed. Other respondents were active, inactive and convicted members of organized criminal gangs, their relatives, friends and victims. The following case studies of organized criminal gangs were selected for in-depth analysis; The 42 Brothers, Mombasa Republican Council, Angola-Musumbiji, Sungu Sungu, Mungiki and Al Shaabab. However, two challenges became apparent in the conduct of the study: the sensitivity of the topic made many members of the public decline interviews or otherwise provide information for fear of reprisals and the lack of cooperation by some government officers especially in Western, Eastern and Coast regions. Literature on crime and deviance presents a consensus that there does not exist one vision about them but many. Each theory has its own history and supported by a distinct body of knowledge. Wilson (1975) was most pessimistic of all theories that made no manifest contribution on how to control crime yet crime is distressing and disruptive to the social order, it inflicts pain, subverts trust and community. Durkheim (1965) in anomic theory argues that, the source of high crime rate in organic societies lay in normlessness, modernization and urbanization. Neo-classical explanations of crime emphasize the free-will and rationalistic hedonism and it emerged as a protest against spiritual explanation of crime as initially formulated by the theologist St. Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274). Social contract theorist's position constructed ideas that included a purposive approach, natural and rational basis for explaining crime and the state's response (Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, Montesquieu, Voltaire and Rousseau). Beccarias contributions to the study of criminology and punishment is largely summarised in the following prescriptions; seriousness of crime in terms of harm it inflicts on society; proportionate punishment in terms of crime committed, severity of punishment vis a vis the crime committed, promptness of punishment following commission of crime and the certainty of punishment. Biological theories of crime causation focus on the genetic make up of criminals (Goring, 1913). However Sharh and Roth (1974) favoured environmental factors in crime causation. Merton (1968) in strain theory showed that social conditions in which individuals find themselves force them to commit crime as it limits the appetites of those individuals to satisfy them using legitimate means. Crime then becomes a rational response to overcome the limitations. It is closely associated with anomic theory which explains urban, lower class and male gang delinquency behaviour. Learning theories imply that habits and knowledge develop as a result of the experiences of the individual learning (Bower and Hilgard, 1981). Learnt behaviour can be reinforced or not through punishment as in operant conditioning. Tarde (1943-1904) in the law of imitation showed that crime is a normal learnt behaviour (Vine, 1972). Sutherland (1924) in differential association theory posits that associative interaction generates criminality. In October 2010 the Prevention of Organized Crime Act was enacted and subsequently a Gazette Notice banning 33 organized criminal groups on October 18, 2010 issued. The selected case studies are part of the 33 criminal gangs banned by the Kenya government. The main findings of the study are: most Kenyans (55.2%) were aware of the existence of an organized criminal gang in the area where they live or elsewhere. Again 38.9% knew the organized criminal gangs by name. However 59.0% were too afraid to mention the organized criminal gang by name for fear of reprisals. Countrywide, a total 46 organized criminal gangs were identified by the public. In terms of government commitment to fight organized crime 58.0% were of the view that the government was not doing enough because many members of such gangs are known to the public but they are not arrested. There is also alleged collusion by some government officers with members of organized criminal gangs and that police frequently release them even when there is overwhelming evidence. There is a clear gender division of labour in organized criminal gangs between male and female members. While men undertake execution of tasks, women provide support services including sex, identification of clients/victims, food, spying and storing stolen property. Children play an active spying role as well as opening doors while the elderly specialize in oathing, recruitment, resolution of disputes, spying, and so on. In order to survive 39.7% respondents indicated that organized criminal gangs obtain support of its ethnic group and that ethnic support is crucial for their survival. The support of the ethnic group is either voluntary (23.3%) or involuntary (21.1%), according to the public. Ethnic members conceal the identity of the members. The intra-gang support exists in form of financial, advisory, protection and shelter, bailing out of court, payment of cash court fines, hiring of lawyers and so on. In terms of law enforcement, 49.1% of the respondents were not aware of any arrests of members of organized criminal gangs in the previous three years even when serious crimes had been committed by them. Corruption of the police, judiciary, political influence, lack of police cooperation, difficulties in identifying the members, delayed arrival of police, fear of reporting were identified as factors that energize organized criminal gangs. The use of violence by members of organized criminal gangs against their targets was confirmed by 68.3% of the respondents but intra-group violence does occur against its members too. A total of 30.7% reported that there is inter-group conflict usually over control or sharing of booty or lucrative business. Organized criminal gangs have infiltrated legitimate formal and informal business and scrap metal. Extortion from the public (34.3%) and theft (19.4%) and politicians especially public transport, car wash, motorcycle, rental houses, exhibition shops were the main sources of funds for their operations. Illicit drug trafficking, counterfeiting, armed robbery, vehicle theft, kidnap for ransom, extortion, livestock theft, firearms smuggling were identified as the other sources of funds for organized criminal gangs. According to 29.6% of the respondent's business people support and benefit from organized criminal gangs in terms of protection. A total of 25.8% strongly agreed, 21.7% agreed and 36.1% disagreed to the allegation that politicians channel funds to members of organized criminal gangs for support and campaign. In this regard 14.3% strongly agreed, 20.8% agreed and 48.3% disagreed to the claim that supporters of organized criminal gangs had been elected to parliament during the 2007 parliamentary elections. Organized criminal gangs in Kenya are more focused on crimes that do not require technological applications. In terms of effect of organized crime in society, (75.1%) respondents expressed more fear than before, (76.1%) do not feel secure, (66.9%) are more restless and 18.2% reported a close relative or another close person known to them had been murdered by members of organized criminal gangs and up to 16.8% indicated they had been forced to change residence and 36.0% now carry a weapon for self-defence at all times than before. There is also observed change in behaviour patterns for example, consumers of alcohol stop drinking much earlier than before, for business people they close much earlier. A total of 43.9% respondents were forced to change or review their travel patterns and 49.1% no longer go to certain places they frequented before. To business people the cost of doing business has increased and ordinary people have been forced to install security apparatus/services that were not necessary before. All the organized criminal gangs in this study had a clear organizational/command structure across the areas they operate including specialization of tasks. Idleness occasioned by lack of employment after school was a principal factor in the ease with which recruitment of new members is done. The study recommended the following: the policy makers in public and private sector need to devise ways that create employment to the youth to lower their vulnerability to join organized criminal gangs; the government at national and county levels need to channel enough resources to the police to be effective in crime prevention; since there is alleged or suspected collusion between some police and members of organized criminal gangs there is need for verification of such claims and those found punished; the media needs to play an active role by highlighting arrests and convictions of members of organized criminal gangs and the public needs to play a more active role by providing information to relevant government authorities for action. At community level there is need for institutions including educational and religious to educate the youth to live positively. In conclusion the increase in number of organized criminal gangs has serious implications for national security. Details: Nairobi, Kenya: National Crime Research Centre, 2012. 152p., ex. summary Source: Internet Resource: Accessed October 1, 2015 at: http://ncia.or.ke/ncrc/phocadownload/ncrc%20-%20organized%20criminal%20gangs%20in%20kenya.pdf Year: 2012 Country: Kenya URL: http://ncia.or.ke/ncrc/phocadownload/ncrc%20-%20organized%20criminal%20gangs%20in%20kenya.pdf Shelf Number: 136931 Keywords: Gang-Related ViolenceGangsOrganized CrimeViolent Crime |
Author: Fontes, Anthony Wayne, IV Title: Of Maras and Mortal Doubt: Violence, Order, and Uncertainty in Guatemala City Summary: Everyday brutality in Guatemala City shocks and numbs a society that has suffered generations of war and bloodshed. Much of this violence is blamed on maras, gangs bearing transnational signs and symbols, that operate in prisons an poor urban communities. I will explore how the maras' evolution in post-war Guatemala has made them what they are today: victim-perpetrators of massive and horrifying violence, useful targets of societal rage, pivotal figures in a politics of death reigning over post-war society. However, while maras and mareros play starring roles in this account of extreme peacetime violence, they are not the problem. They are a hyper-visible expression of a problem no one can name, a deafening scream, a smokescreen obscuring innumerable and diffuse sources of everyday brutality. The maras will be my entry-point into a world defined by mortal doubt, and my guides as I navigate the rumors, fantasies, fears, and trauma swirling about criminal violence in post-war Guatemala City. The specter of violence has become so utterly entwined with the making of lived and symbolic landscapes that it cannot be extricated from the very fibers of everyday life. I will illuminate the myriad of spaces this violence infiltrates and reorders to expose the existential uncertainty haunting efforts to confront, contain, and overcome violence. In the process, I provide an alternative, intimate understanding of the violence and suffering for which maras speak, or are made to speak, and the ways this violence and suffering affects individual consciousness and communal life, orders urban space, and circulates in public discourse. Thus, I have arranged my arguments and stories in such a way as to capture the destabilizing psychological, affective, and visceral impact the conditions of extreme violation at work in post-war Guatemala City have on knowledge- and meaning-making. The veins of uncertainty fracturing this account are meant to rupture the pretense of knowing, and so break through into the treacherous and largely unmapped territory that is life lived in the shadow of constant violence. Details: Berkeley, CA: University of California, Berkeley, 2015. 223p. Source: Internet Resource: Dissertation: Accessed December, 2015 at: http://escholarship.org/uc/item/16c477pk Year: 2015 Country: Guatemala URL: http://escholarship.org/uc/item/16c477pk Shelf Number: 137426 Keywords: Gang-Related ViolenceGangsMarasViolenceViolent Crime |
Author: InSight Crime Title: Gangs in Honduras Summary: In the last two decades, Honduras has seen a significant increase in gang membership, gang criminal activity, and gang-related violence. The uptick in violence has been particularly troubling. In 2014, Honduras was considered the most violent nation in the world that was not at war. Although high impunity rates and lack of reliable data make it difficult to assess how many of these murders are gang-related, it's clear that the gangs' use of violence -- against rivals, civilians, security forces and perceived transgressors within their own ranks -- has greatly contributed to these numbers. Among the areas hardest hit are the country's urban centers. Honduras' economic capital, San Pedro Sula, is, according to some, the world's most violent city, with a homicide rate of 142 for every 100,000 people. The political capital Tegucigalpa has a homicide rate of 81 per 100,000. The third largest city, La Ceiba, has a murder rate of 95 per 100,000. These are also the areas where the gangs, in particular the two most prominent, the Mara Salvatrucha (MS13) and Barrio 18, have the greatest presence and influence. The emergence of hyper-violent street gangs happened relatively quickly in Honduras. In the late 1990s, following legislation in the United States that led to increased deportation of ex-convicts, numerous MS13 and Barrio 18 members arrived in the country. By the early 2000s, these two gangs, along with several local groups, had begun a bloody battle for territory -- and the extortion revenue and drug markets that goes with it -- that continues to this day. The government responded by passing so-called "iron fist" legislation and arresting thousands of suspected gang members. Instead of slowing the growth of gangs, however, the policy allowed them to consolidate their leadership within the prison system, expand their economic portfolios and make contact with other criminal organizations. This report covers the current state of gangs in Honduras. Specifically, it examines the history, geographic presence, structure and modus operandi of Barrio 18 and MS13 in the country. It also analyzes how the gangs may be developing into more sophisticated criminal organizations. It looks closely at examples that illustrate how some parts of these two gangs are winning the support of the local communities in which they operate. Finally, it gives an overview of some of the other street gangs operating in Honduras. Details: Washington, DC: United States Agency for International Development, 2015. 43p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed February 1, 2016 at: http://www.insightcrime.org/images/PDFs/2015/HondurasGangs.pdf Year: 2016 Country: Honduras URL: http://www.insightcrime.org/images/PDFs/2015/HondurasGangs.pdf Shelf Number: 137713 Keywords: Gang ViolenceGang-Related ViolenceGangsHomicidesStreet Gangs |
Author: Disley, Emma Title: Local perspectives in Ending Gang and Youth Violence Areas. Perceptions of the Nature of Urban Street Gangs Summary: The aim of this study was to understand perceptions of the nature of urban street gangs and whether these gangs have changed in recent years in the 33 areas1 that make up the Government's Ending Gang and Youth Violence (EGYV) programme (HM Government, 2011a). The EGYV programme aims to improve the way that gangs are tackled locally through providing peer support to local areas to help prevent young people becoming involved in violence; providing exit routes for those already involved in gangs; and ensuring that appropriate enforcement responses are put in place to address challenges associated with gangs. The study was based on the perceptions of practitioners working on gang-related issues as well as individuals who were current or ex-gang members, or associated with, or affiliated to gangs (referred to throughout as gang associates). It investigated the extent to which there were perceived similarities or differences in the nature of street gangs in EGYV areas and whether or not gangs were thought to have changed in the last two years. It also explored the extent to which there were common or divergent trends in perceptions at national or local levels. It was not the purpose of this study to evaluate the effectiveness of the EGYV programme or local measures to address gang and youth violence. The findings, based largely on practitioners' perceptions, highlight issues and possible trends that could be more fully explored and investigated locally or nationally, using a wider range of evidence and information. Details: London: Home Office, 2016. 106p. Source: Internet Resource: Research Report 88: Accessed February 1, 2016 at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/491802/horr88.pdf Year: 2016 Country: United Kingdom URL: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/491802/horr88.pdf Shelf Number: 137716 Keywords: Gang ViolenceGang-Related ViolenceStreet GangsUrban Areas |
Author: Relf, Aubrey Title: The nature of gang spawning communities: African American gangs in Compton, CA: 1960-2013 Summary: African American gangs have existed in Compton since the late 1960s, policy makers, scholars, and residents have sought to understand why certain communities remain vulnerable to gang persistence. This study investigated factors that have possibly contributed to this persistence in Compton, CA during 1960 to 2013. The study used a qualitative research design and facilitated semi-structured interviews with twelve people, age twenty to seventy, who lived in Compton for at least 20 years. The analysis revealed that gangs persisted because several youth adopted an identity that glorified the gangster culture, the influx of drugs which: fractured family structures, enflamed gang warfare, and provided illegal means of economic growth. Moreover, as gang wars evolved from fistfights to drive-by shootings, they enhanced community exposure to violence and elicited retaliation that has contributed to gang persistence. Overall, from a community structural vantage point, marginalization, poverty, crack cocaine, and a lack of jobs facilitated a place where gangs and crime may thrive. Details: Los Angeles: University of Southern California, 2014. 147p. Source: Internet Resource: Dissertation: Accessed February 2, 2016 at: http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/cdm/ref/collection/p15799coll3/id/404817 Year: 2014 Country: United States URL: http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/cdm/ref/collection/p15799coll3/id/404817 Shelf Number: 137734 Keywords: African AmericansDrive-By ShootingsGang ViolenceGang-Related ViolenceGangsYouth Gangs |
Author: Hill, Christopher M. Title: Evaluation of the Oklahoma City Gang and Violent Crime Program Summary: In January 2008, the City of Oklahoma City received a grant award from the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) for a project called the Oklahoma City Gang and Violent Crime Program. The project, funded under the BJA FY 07 Targeting Violent Crime Initiative, recognized the growing problem of gang violence in Oklahoma City. The project proposed specific activities to combat gang violence; it contained a plan to fund those activities; and it provided for an evaluation to determine the effectiveness of those activities at increasing prosecutions and reducing gang violence. The City of Oklahoma City authorized the Oklahoma City Police Department to enter into a Memorandum of Understanding with the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation for the purpose of conducting the evaluation. The evaluation was supported by Grant No. 2007-DD-BX-0631 awarded by BJA. The evaluation period ranged from March 9, 2010 to June 11, 2010. Utilizing an evaluation management process, evaluators at the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation conducted multiple assessments that addressed the program's need, theory, process, and impact. Overall, the evaluators make the following five conclusions. 1. Oklahoma City reported a documented gang problem, and additional resources were necessary to implement suppression, intervention, and prevention activities at a level that would reduce and minimize the extent of the problem. The grant award for the Oklahoma City Gang and Violent Crime Program provided funding for those additional resources. 2. The program theory as described in the application for funding contained a satisfactory level of logic and plausibility. In general, the program's functions, activities, and components were well-defined, feasible, and appropriate for the overall goals and objectives. 3. The Oklahoma City Police Department demonstrated a high level of fidelity to the program theory. In general, the department implemented and administered the program's functions, activities, and components as they were designed. 4. Substantial activity took place during the program, which yielded several indicators of the program's ability to improve public safety. Seventy cases worked as part of the program were accepted for prosecution. It is reasonable to believe that many of these cases would have gone undetected without the resources the program made available. Effects of the program on long-term changes in gang-related crime and violence were more difficult to assess. The program will require more data, collected over a longer period, in order to determine its impact on gang-related crime in Oklahoma City. 5. The Oklahoma City Gang and Violent Crime Program contributed to both structural and cultural changes in the Oklahoma City Police Department. Structurally, the department now has systems and standardized processes in place to address the gang problem. Culturally, the program changed the mindset of officers, and intelligence-led policing (ILP) is now widely practiced. The Oklahoma City Police Department would like to build on the successes it achieved through the program. Therefore, the evaluation concludes with recommendations for sustaining the program. Recommendations pertain to training, intelligence-led policing, and information sharing. Details: Oklahoma City, OK: Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation, 2010. 66p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed April 6, 2016 at: https://www.ok.gov/osbi/documents/Evaluation%20Report%20for%20OCPD%20June%202010.pdf Year: 2010 Country: United States URL: https://www.ok.gov/osbi/documents/Evaluation%20Report%20for%20OCPD%20June%202010.pdf Shelf Number: 138572 Keywords: Drive-by ShootingsGang-Related ViolenceGangsHomicidesYouth Gangs |
Author: Smithson, Hannah Title: Young People's Involvement in Gangs and Guns in Liverpool Summary: There has been growing concern among policy makers and the wider public regarding high profile murders involving firearms, along with a perception that these events are a result of youth gang violence. These incidents have been taking place in major cities across the UK, including Liverpool. This perception of escalating violence among young people, frequently involving weapons, has prompted the government to make confronting what it has termed 'gun, knife and gang crime' a priority. However, relatively little information exists on 'gang involvement and 'gun crime', who is committing it, for what reasons and what might be the best ways of reducing it. Other commentators have connected gun crime to criminal gangs and a growing 'gang culture.', nevertheless, important gaps remain in our knowledge about violent crime fuelled by gangs and weapons. This research study draws upon an extensive literature review of the national and international research examining gangs and gun crime, coupled with a series of in-depth interviews with senior practitioners, senior specialist police officers, front line youth workers, and gang and gun involved young people from across Liverpool. Research Questions The research aimed to answer the following research questions: 1. What is the extent and nature of young people's involvement with gangs and guns in Liverpool? 2. What are the likely causal processes generating and sustaining the problem? a. What factors contribute increased risk of gang and gun involvement? b. What motivates young people to become involved with gangs and guns? 3. Which interventions look promising? a. What factors influence implementation? Details: Huddersfield, UK: University of Huddersfield, Applied Criminology Centre, 2009. 122p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed April 16, 2016 at: http://eprints.hud.ac.uk/24788/1/acc-guns-and-gangs-report.pdf Year: 2009 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://eprints.hud.ac.uk/24788/1/acc-guns-and-gangs-report.pdf Shelf Number: 131483 Keywords: Gang-Related ViolenceGangsGun ViolenceGun-Related ViolenceHomicidesYouth Gangs |
Author: U.S. Department of State. Bureau of Conflict and Stabilization Operations Title: Belize Engagement: Evaluation Report Summary: CSO's evaluation of its engagement in Belize was the first formal evaluation conducted by CSO, and was conducted as an independent internal evaluation by CSO's Office of Learning and Training. The Belize engagement was a small innovative program to reduce gang activity and violence in Southside Belize City by developing mediation and community dialogue capacity. The evaluation found that mediation was very effective and showed promise for expansion, while community dialogue was resonating but making slower progress and institutional issues hampered sustainability. Recommendations of the evaluation inspired a second wave of programming to plug gaps in community dialogue training, train mediators more grounded in gang neighborhoods, and improve program management capacity of the local partner, as well as a grant from the U.S. Embassy to the local partner allowing it to hire dedicated staff. Community dialogues consequently grew eight-fold and mediators and trainers doubled. The Prime Minister praised the program for establishing "a sustainable, Belizean community-based approach to reduce violence." While other programs and factors likely contributed, the homicide rate in Belize City decreased by roughly 50% in 2013, though increasing in several other locations. Details: Washington, DC: U.S. Department of State, 2012. 30p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 3, 2016 at: http://www.state.gov/documents/organization/223248.pdf Year: 2012 Country: Belize URL: http://www.state.gov/documents/organization/223248.pdf Shelf Number: 138906 Keywords: Community MediationGang ViolenceGang-Related ViolenceGangsHomicideViolence |
Author: Roguski, Michael Title: Youth Gangs in Counties Manukau Summary: Growing concern about escalating youth gang activity and an increase in violent assaults in Counties Manukau led government and community representatives to call for significant government intervention. As part of a co-ordinated, cross-sectoral response, the Ministry of Social Development's (MSD) Centre for Social Research and Evaluation (CSRE) was asked to research the issue of youth gangs. This report details the research finding which provides an evidence-base for policy development applicable to other regions throughout New Zealand. Aims and methodology The aims of the project were to: - understand the historical, social, economic and demographic features of Counties Manukau - understand the nature of youth gangs in Counties Manukau - assess possible factors contributing to the emergence of youth gangs - ascertain the extent and impact of youth gangs - identify the factors that support or hinder optimal service provision - identify elements and features of intervention models that could be developed in Counties Manukau with a specific focus on Mangere and Otara. This research was based around a multi-method ethnographic approach that included observation, participation, document analysis, data analysis, focus groups, community meetings and interviews. The research process involved extensive engagement with stakeholders from central and local governments, community-based agencies, families or whânau, and youth participants. The fieldwork began in early November 2005 and was completed at the end of March 2006. Details: Wellington, NZ: Ministry of Social Development, 2008. 61p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 26, 2016 at: http://thehub.superu.govt.nz/publication/wannabes-youth-offenders-youth-gangs-counties-manukau-research-report Year: 2008 Country: New Zealand URL: http://thehub.superu.govt.nz/publication/wannabes-youth-offenders-youth-gangs-counties-manukau-research-report Shelf Number: 139228 Keywords: Gang ViolenceGang-Related ViolenceGangsYouth Gangs |
Author: Boogert, Laura van den Title: The securitization of street gangs in El Salvador: An analysis of anti-gang policies and the gang truce of 2012 Summary: Twenty-three years have passed since the peace accords were signed in El Salvador in 1992. Ever since, its authoritarian rule and bloody civil war has ended. However, the country is far from being peaceful nowadays. On the contrary, El Salvador is among the most violent countries in the world today (SICA 2014, UNODC 2014). In the last decade, crime and homicide rates have been skyrocketing and amongst the highest in the world. Levels of violence in the region are as high as, or even higher than during the state terror, insurgency and war of the 1970's and 1980's (Oettler 2011: 262). Much of the crime in El Salvador and its neighboring countries has been ascribed to youth gangs, also known as Maras or Pandillas (Rodgers and Muggah 2009; Savenije and Van der Borgh 2009; Cruz 2010; Wolf 2011; Aguilar 2012). In the first decade of the 21st century these gangs have been portrayed as a major security threat by the media, the public, and their respective governments (Hume 2007; Savenije and Van der Borgh 2009; Bruneau 2011; Peetz 2011). Security grew into the number one priority issue in the region and became the rationale for all of the policies formulated by political leaders in Central America (Bruneau 2011: 3). The Salvadoran administration started a 'war on gangs' and carried out severe and repressive anti-gang policies, also known as Mano Dura. The idea was that security could only be safeguarded if gangs were to be repressed and more penalties and tougher sanctions would dissuade criminals and reduce criminality (Apel & Nagin 2011). However, it soon became apparent that these security policies failed shortly after they were introduced and seemed counterproductive, with gang related activity and violence rates higher than ever (Hume 2007; Savenije and Van der Borgh 2009; Rodgers 2009; Cruz 2011, Gutierrez Rivera 2011). Note that in the last few years several authors do see a trend towards a more integrated gang policy (Jutersjonke et al. 2009) and there have been several experiments with prevention and rehabilitation programs. Nonetheless, these softer approaches were never fully implemented and remained underfunded (ibid). Despite some initiatives and changes of different governmental regimes, Mano Dura continued to be the preferred choice in gang policy in the last decade. However, March 2012 heralded an important event: a unique gang truce took place in El Salvador. The two biggest and most powerful rival gangs; the Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) and the Barrio Dieciocho (M-18) signed a truce with each other, 'facilitated' by the government and brokered by the catholic church and a former guerrilla commander. Essentially, the truce entailed an agreement between the gangs, in which they pledged to stop killing each other and end attacks on police, military and prison staff (Cruz 2013). The Salvadoran Mara truce appeared to have a dramatic effect on violence levels. Especially in the months following the truce the murder rate dropped with a 50 percent; from an average of roughly 14 murders per day to 5.5 per day (Seelke 2014a: 11). The truce process however, is surrounded with ambiguity. Not only its level of success and its sustainability, but above all, the role the government played in it and its attitude towards it. Initially, authorities denied any involvement in the truce. Even when a Salvadoran newspaper broke the news that the truce was secretly facilitated by the Salvadoran government, the authorities kept on announcing different and contradictory stories of their role in the whole process. This generated strong criticism and enormous distrust among civil society, influential academic writers and political opponents, even within the government itself. The truce suggests that 'negotiated' solutions to counter a security problem are indeed possible (see also Farah 2013; Figueroa et al 2013; Peeters et al 2013; Seelke 2013; Van der Borgh et al 2015). The facilitation of the truce may be seen as a new 'dialogue centred' policy approach, and a step away from the government's repressive anti-gang strategies of the last decade. But the ambiguous attitude and contrasting stories of the Salvadoran government with regards to the cease-fire process, does not indicate an equivocal clear-cut and well-defined government plan, nor policy. The main aim of the thesis is to understand and explain the attitude of the Salvadoran government towards gangs and the recent gang truce. To achieve this, the thesis has a dual approach. Firstly, it seeks to investigate the development and framing of the anti-gang policies in the years preceding the gang truce (2003-2012), while uncovering the incentives and consequences behind the anti-gang policies. Secondly, this paper places a big emphasis on the gang truce of 2012 itself and the role and attitude of the government in this process. It analyzes the build-up to and implementation of the truce process, and tries to understand and explain the contradictory role of different governmental actors (proponents and opponents). In the years leading up to the truce the government had an equivocal anti-gang approach, advocated a Mano Dura gang policy and successfully 'securitized' the gang issue (Van der Borgh et al 2015). The truce could be seen as a different approach. Both government proponents and opponents of the truce framed the process and legitimized their actions in different ways. How and why did these 'securitizing actors' try to convince the public? The main question of the thesis is: "How and why did (different key actors within) the Salvadoran government frame gangs and relate to the gang truce of 2012?". To answer this question, one has to take a broader look at the government's anti-gang approach in the years preceding the truce in which the gangs were framed as a security threat. To explain and understand these policies, the research is built on the advancements of the securitization theory (Buzan, Waever 1998; Balzacq 2009). Details: Utrecht, NETH: Utrecht University, 2015. 56p. Source: Internet Resource: Thesis: Accessed June 10. 2016 at: http://dspace.library.uu.nl/bitstream/handle/1874/327446/Thesis_LvdBoogert_Gangs_v2.def.pdf?sequence=2 Year: 2015 Country: El Salvador URL: http://dspace.library.uu.nl/bitstream/handle/1874/327446/Thesis_LvdBoogert_Gangs_v2.def.pdf?sequence=2 Shelf Number: 139365 Keywords: Gang ViolenceGang-Related ViolenceGangsStreet Gangs |
Author: Garrett, Linda Title: The First Year: A Chronology of the Gang Truce and Peace Process in El Salvador: March 2012 - March 2013 Summary: Since March of 2012, El Salvador has experienced an unprecedented drop in violence due to a truce between the countrys two largest street gangs, the Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) and Barrio 18. Exceeding many early expectations, the truce has lasted over a year, and evolved to encompass a broader peace process within Salvadoran society. The extent to which the Salvadoran government has been involved in the process, even the nature of its involvement, remains uncertain and is a source of contention. But, the ongoing truce and peace process presents real lessons and serious public policy implications and now, with many communities signing on to the "violence-free municipality" initiative and thousands of lives saved by an over 50% reduction in homicides, much is at stake. Even before news of the truce was broadly known, the Center for Democracy in the Americas (CDA) had been monitoring the unfolding process in El Salvador, when a Salvadoran government official hinted to us in February 2012 that a dialogue between the gangs might be underway. In the pages below, we present our chronology of the process compiled over the last year, which details this historic series of events. The chronology provides a more complete picture of the process as it developed day-by-day during the first year: from the original confusing, contradictory versions of its creation, to the various commitments and good-will gestures offered by gang leaders. The truce’s advances and setbacks are chronicled, alongside the suspicions and distrust expressed by many Salvadorans. It also records the critical support provided by the Organization of American States (OAS). Finally, the chronology helps us understand the motivations of the facilitators and gang leaders. It gives us a glimpse into the lives and thoughts of young people who are struggling to find a way out of tumultuous lives of poverty, crime and often unspeakable violence. This chronology, focused on the gang truce and peace process, complements CDA's extensive coverage of developments in El Salvador. It is CDA's hope that the full telling of this story will encourage the debate and reflection, already underway in El Salvador, about the issues of exclusion and poverty, so closely connected to the causes of and solutions for the violence. The human dimensions highlighted here are crucial when considering policy choices; choices that heavily impact the lives of so many Salvadorans, not only in El Salvador but also in the diaspora. The Salvadoran government faces the challenges of developing a coherent public policy, that recognizes the possibility of human transformation from criminal to productive lives, and providing resources to implement that policy. If successful, the peace process could perhaps be the most significant legacy of the current government. It should be emphasized that the truce in itself is not the solution, but it has transformed the conversation from repression to prevention and rehabilitation. As President Funes said, the only options for youth have been to emigrate or join a gang for survival. To change that dynamic, the peace process must be institutionalized and funded as part of a long-term strategy to provide educational and job opportunities to all at-risk youth in the historically impoverished barrios and municipalities of the country. Advocacy of the peace process does not signify impunity for crimes committed. Nor does it reflect ignorance of the horrific violence inflicted on the Salvadoran people and their communities in recent decades: the murders of thousands of youths; the savagery of sexual violence; dismembered bodies; clandestine cemeteries; the uprooting of fearful families, and the scourge of extortion. Advocacy does mean a belief in the possibility of redemption. It reflects aspirations for an inclusive, nonviolent, democratic future for the country. "If it doesn't work," Bishop Colindres said, "we will have lost a little effort and illusions, but if it works the country will have found peace." Details: Washington, DC: Center for Democracy in the Americas, 2013. 72p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed June 11, 2016 at: http://democracyinamericas.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/First-Year-Chronology-of-El-Salvadors-Gang-Truce.pdf Year: 2013 Country: El Salvador URL: http://democracyinamericas.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/First-Year-Chronology-of-El-Salvadors-Gang-Truce.pdf Shelf Number: 139373 Keywords: Barrio 18Gang ViolenceGang-Related ViolenceGangsMara SalvatruchaViolence Prevention |
Author: Carballo, Willian Title: The truce and everyday life in a violence-free municipality: The case of Santa Tecla in El Salvador Summary: Youth gangs are the main source of violence in El Salvador. After repressive measures to defeat the gangs failed, the government decided in 2012 to support a process called the "truce." Under its terms, El Salvador's two most important gangs pledged to reduce violence in exchange for an end to state repression against gang members and the establishment of reintegration programs. On the local level, the process led to the creation of violence-free municipalities - areas in which local authorities promote and support the truce through reintegration and violence prevention measures. Lately, in violence-free municipalities the gangs have boosted their role as agents of control through the "administration" of the crime rate. In this study I investigate the impact of the truce at the local level and in the everyday lives of the inhabitants of the municipality of Santa Tecla, and in particular the communities of San Rafael and San Jose El Pino. I look into the community members' perceptions of the truce, the actual impact of the truce at the local level, as well as the role that gangs now play in these municipalities. Details: Bielefeld, Universitat Bielefeld, 2015. 31p. Source: Internet Resource: Violence Research and Development Project - Papers - No. 11: Accessed June 11, 2016 at: http://www.uni-bielefeld.de/icvr/docs/carballo.pdf Year: 2015 Country: El Salvador URL: http://www.uni-bielefeld.de/icvr/docs/carballo.pdf Shelf Number: 139379 Keywords: Gang ViolenceGang-Related ViolenceGangsViolence PreventionYouth Gangs |
Author: Hernandez Anzora, Marion Title: Salvadoran Gangs: Political Actors in the Making? Summary: The debate on Salvadoran gangs is dominated by security issues, with little regard to gangs' interactions with political actors and their growing influence in Salvadoran society. In this paper I examine these gangs as violent entrepreneurs at the gates of politics, arguing that more than twenty years after the end of the civil war, they are using violence as a means of exerting pressure to get access to the political system. They are, therefore, political actors in the making, although their use of violence is still not entirely politically motivated. Details: Bielefeld, Germany: Universitat Bielefeld, 2015. 30p. Source: Internet Resource: Violence Research and Development Project - Papers - No. 6: Accessed June 11, 2016 at: http://www.uni-bielefeld.de/icvr/docs/hernandez.pdf Year: 2015 Country: El Salvador URL: http://www.uni-bielefeld.de/icvr/docs/hernandez.pdf Shelf Number: 139381 Keywords: Gang Violence Gang-Related ViolenceGangs Youth Gangs |
Author: Beckett, Helen Title: "It's Wrong...but you get used to it": A qualitative study of gang-associated sexual violence towards, and exploitation of, young people in England Summary: 1. The research was commissioned by the Office of the Children's Commissioner for England as part of its Inquiry into Child Sexual Exploitation in Gangs and Groups. The research aimed to consider: the scale and nature of gang-associated sexual violence and exploitation in six areas of England; the main pathways into gang-related sexual violence and exploitation for young people living in these neighbourhoods; and potential models for an effective multi-agency response to the issue. Details: Bedfordshire, UK: University of Bedfordshire, 2013. 56p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed July 29, 2016 at: http://uobrep.openrepository.com/uobrep/bitstream/10547/305795/1/Gangs-Report-final.pdf Year: 2013 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://uobrep.openrepository.com/uobrep/bitstream/10547/305795/1/Gangs-Report-final.pdf Shelf Number: 131719 Keywords: Child Sexual ExploitationGang-Related ViolenceSexual ExploitationSexual Violence |
Author: National Gang Intelligence Center Title: 2015 National Gang Report Summary: The purpose of the 2015 NGR [National Gang Report] is to provide a national overview of the current gang threat in the United States by collecting, analyzing, and synthesizing data obtained from law enforcement agencies across the nation. The assessments contained herein were derived from data provided by law enforcement through the '2014 FBI Safe Streets and Gang Task Force Survey', the NAGIA [National Alliance of Gang Investigators' Association] '2015 National Gang Report Survey', law enforcement reporting, and open source information. One hundred and nine respondents completed the '2014 FBI Safe Streets and Gang Task Force Survey' to create a representative sample of the five Safe Streets and Gang Task Force geographic regions. Combining data from the Safe Streets and Gang Task Forces allowed the NGIC to incorporate data from our partner agencies who participate on task forces, but did not complete the NAGIA '2015 National Gang Report Survey'. Thus, data from the '2014 FBI Safe Streets and Gang Task Force Survey' was combined with 569 responses from the four components of the NAGIA '2015 National Gang Report Survey', law enforcement reporting, and open source information to develop a holistic picture of current gang activity across the country. Details: Washington, DC: National Gang Intelligence Center, 2016. 68p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed September 27, 2016 at: https://www.hsdl.org/?abstract&did=792574 Year: 2016 Country: United States URL: https://www.hsdl.org/?abstract&did=792574 Shelf Number: 146148 Keywords: Criminal NetworksGang Violence Gang-Related Violence Gangs (U.S.) |
Author: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada. Research Directorate Title: Gangs in El Salvador and the Situation of Witnesses of Crime and Corruption Summary: The Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada (IRB) is involved in an ongoing capacity's building initiative carried out jointly by the United States, Mexico, Canada and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. Under this initiative, which seeks to enhance asylum systems in the Americas, the IRB, in conjunction with its partners, conducted an information-gathering mission to El Salvador. During the mission, IRB officials held meetings with experts and representatives from relevant governmental, non-governmental, academic and research-focused organizations, as well as with journalists. The purpose of the mission to El Salvador was to gather information related to state efforts to combat crime; the structure of criminal gangs, their areas of operation, activities and recruitment practices; the situation of gender-based and domestic violence against women; the situation of LGBTI (lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, and/or intersex) people; and the efficacy of the police and judiciary to provide recourse to victims of crime, to investigate and to prosecute crimes. Details: Ottawa: The Board, 2016. 29p. Source: Internet Resource: El Salvador: Information Gathering Mission Report - Part 1: Accessed November 8, 2016 at: http://www.irb-cisr.gc.ca/Eng/ResRec/NdpCnd/Pages/Salvador-2016P1.aspx Year: 2016 Country: El Salvador URL: http://www.irb-cisr.gc.ca/Eng/ResRec/NdpCnd/Pages/Salvador-2016P1.aspx Shelf Number: 146285 Keywords: CorruptionGang-Related ViolenceGangsHomicidesYouth Gangs |
Author: Aldred, Joe Title: ' Who is my neighbour?' A Church Response to Social Disorder linked to Gangs, Drugs, Guns and Knives Summary: This report is an expression of our churches' deep concern about negative gang-related social disorder and violent crimes; their effects upon society at large, particularly the young; and the perspectives of the churches on and contributions to finding solutions. The main tools of negative gang activity are drugs, guns, and knives; the use of which has resulted in the maiming and tragic loss of many young lives, long jail sentences for the convicted perpetrators and the destabilisation of urban communities. But this phenomenon does not occur in a vacuum, its causes are complex and are linked to wider social issues.Therefore, this report is interested in the social, economic, political and environmental issues that provide the context within which gang-related social disorder and violent crimes occur. Addressing such complex context requires a holistic approach that considers both causes and effects if we are to uncover a message of faith, hope, and love of neighbour. The report aims to quantify and value the contribution of the churches in addressing gang-related social disorder, reveal gaps in thinking and provision and provide churches with guidelines of good practice. It also aims to identify partnership opportunities to better address the issue. It was commissioned by the Enabling Group of Churches Together in England (CTE)3 and prepared by the Secretary of Minority Ethnic Christian Affairs.4 As a national ecumenical instrument, CTE has a role in helping the Church make an effective contribution to the search for solutions to gang-related social disorder. In commissioning this report CTE recognises that although this issue is sometimes presented as a 'Black problem', gang-related disorder is a challenge of national proportions impacting all communities, particularly urban communities. One contributor to our discussions pointed out that "this need for information and for strategic intervention represents a massive opportunity for CTE in the context of national programs." Churches and Christian-led initiatives are already playing crucial roles in addressing these difficult issues; however, to date, there has been no national scoping of what is currently being done. During the preparation of this report Premier Radio published 'Church Consultation on Violent Crime' in association with the Metropolitan Black Police Association. Gang-related crime is of growing national concern. Last year street violence claimed the lives of 26 teenagers in London. Recent research published by NCH, the children's charity, shows that as many as 29% of young people are affected by gun and knife crime and 36% are worried about gangs in their area. The paper calls for greater recognition of the extent to which young people are the victims of crime; improvements in their access to structured activities each week; young people to have a say in shaping their local communities; and the safeguarding of services that engage the most vulnerable young people and communities through ustainable funding.The publication of 'Who is my neighbour?' comes at a time of heightened awareness of the need to give young people a voice and greater prominence in planning and funding at both local and national levels. Details: London: Churches Together in England, 2008. 56p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed November 11, 2016 at: http://www.cte.org.uk/Groups/236211/Home/Resources/Pentecostal_and_Multicultural/Who_is_my/Who_is_my.aspx Year: 2008 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://www.cte.org.uk/Groups/236211/Home/Resources/Pentecostal_and_Multicultural/Who_is_my/Who_is_my.aspx Shelf Number: 147319 Keywords: ChurchesGang-Related ViolenceGangsGun-Related ViolenceKnife CrimeKnivesViolent CrimeYouth Gangs |
Author: Holston, James Title: Dangerous Spaces of Citizenship: Gang Talk, Rights Talk, and Rule of Law in Brazil Summary: This article considers an apparently perplexing aspect of democratization in Brazil: the use by notorious criminal gangs (comandos) from the poor urban peripheries and prisons of the discourses of democratic citizenship, justice, and rule of law to represent their own organizations and intentions. I situate this use within an unsettling development in Latin America generally during the last thirty years: the coincidence nearly everywhere of increasing political democracy and increasing everyday violence and injustice against citizens. My discussion considers these new territorializations of power and violence and their consequences for citizenship, democracy, and urbanization. To bring them to light, I focus on public pronouncements by Brazilian criminal gang that typically combine rationalities of crime with those of democracy, citizen rights, rule of law, and revolution. I also compare them with public declarations made by the police. I analyze both in relation to the historically dominant paradigm of Brazilian citizenship that democratization destabilizes. I then evaluate this destabilization with regard to the new kinds of violence and paradigms of insurgent citizenship that have emerged as characteristics of urbanization and democratization worldwide. Details: Berkeley, CA: University of California, 2008. 30p. Source: Internet Resource: Working Papers, no. 21: Accessed November 12, 2016 at: http://escholarship.org/uc/item/7mx836wh#page-1 Year: 2008 Country: Brazil URL: http://escholarship.org/uc/item/7mx836wh#page-1 Shelf Number: 130123 Keywords: Gang-Related ViolenceGangs Rule of Law |
Author: Way, Julian Title: Charting Out the Digital Ecosystem of Gangs in the U.S. and Mexico Summary: People, drugs and weapons are routinely smuggled across the U.S.-Mexican border. Drug trafficking cartels and organized criminal gangs are suppliers, brokers, retailers and regulators of the trade. Conventional assessments of the political economy of the illicit trafficking along known corridors such as San Diego-Tijuana or El Paso-Ciudad Juarez rely on painstaking qualitative assessments, including key informant interviews with those in and outside the business. In some cases, quantitative approaches are deployed, including modeling flows on the basis of extant data on sex trafficking or drugs and arms seizures. Due in part to the rapid digital penetration of the Internet and social media over the past decade, there are novel ways of tracking cartel and gang activity. Many of these approaches are still experimental and in early stages of development. This article considers the digital ecosystem linking gangs in San Diego, Tijuana and more widely across Mexico and other parts of Latin America. The focus is not restricted to mapping the online presence of gangs in social media and related public digital platforms, but also the dynamic interaction between members, affiliates and the wider public. The article draws on research conducted in partnership with the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) and University of San Diego in 2015. The article considers the digital activities of gangs – especially Latin American groups – at two levels. At the micro-level, the focus was on mapping online gang involvement in sex trafficking in San Diego in the U.S. and Tijuana in Mexico. At the macro-level, we considered the activities and dynamics of online gang networks in southern California, Mexico and wider Latin America. We then applied a combination of social media analytics, social network analysis, and digital forensics to understand the distribution and dynamics of cartels and gangs in cyberspace. While experimental in nature, the assessment generated descriptive and methodological findings. Details: Small Wars Journal, April 11, 2016. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed November 14, 2016 at: http://smallwarsjournal.com/jrnl/art/charting-out-the-digital-ecosystem-of-gangs-in-the-us-and-mexico Year: 2016 Country: United States URL: http://smallwarsjournal.com/jrnl/art/charting-out-the-digital-ecosystem-of-gangs-in-the-us-and-mexico Shelf Number: 146974 Keywords: Drug TraffickingGang-Related ViolenceGangsGun TraffickingSex TraffickingSocial Media |
Author: Dudley, Steven Title: Violence Against Migrants Summary: Mexico and Central America have emerged as one of the most dangerous areas on the planet outside of active war zones. The region is currently confronting unprecedented security challenges from street gangs, the growing presence of sophisticated criminal organizations and endemic corruption at all levels of law enforcement and government. These challenges are not new, but they are growing in intensity and visibility. As the risks to human security increase, so does the vulnerability of migrants who cross the region moving northward toward the United States. The dangers have become particularly vivid in Mexico, where unknown numbers of Mexican, Central American, and South American migrants have been killed or gone missing, presumably at the hands of criminal actors or corrupt public officials. Many more are victims of extortion, rape, and other crimes. The homicide rate in Central America stands at just over 40 per 100,000 residents — more than twice the homicide rate in Mexico (18 per 100,000 residents), a country that receives considerably more international media attention for high levels of crime and violence. Most of the homicides in Central America are concentrated in the Northern Triangle countries — Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras — where murder rates average 58 per 100,000 residents (See Figure 1). By comparison, in the United States the homicide rate peaked at 10 per 100,000 residents in 1980 and currently stands around 5 per 100,000. The aggregate national statistics, however, hide substantial variation within nations. In the District of Columbia (Washington, DC), the homicide rate peaked at 81 per 100,000 residents in 1991 and in 2010 stood around 22 per 100,000 — higher than in Mexico City, where the murder rate was about 14 per 100,000 in 2010. High levels of violence in certain areas — in Mexico's case, in the border regions — skew national statistics upward. In both Mexico and Central America, criminal groups seem to have overwhelmed the undermanned public security forces. Controlling illicit activity in rural and border areas, where migrants often cross, is particularly challenging. For instance, Olancho, a Honduran department (similar to a state or province), has about 250 police officers to cover an area roughly the size of El Salvador and larger than the country of Belgium or the US state of Maryland.1 In 2011, the Guatemalan government recently ordered 800 soldiers, including 300 members of the country's elite Kaibil forces that specialize in jungle warfare and counterinsurgency, to reinforce local police in the remote Peten province that borders Mexico. Corruption of public security forces —in some instances at high levels — further complicates these challenges. Details: s.l.: InSight Crime, 2010. 26p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed November 21, 2016 at: http://www.insightcrime.org/images/PDFs/2016/Violence_Against_Migrants.pdf Year: 2012 Country: Central America URL: http://www.insightcrime.org/images/PDFs/2016/Violence_Against_Migrants.pdf Shelf Number: 147902 Keywords: Gang-Related ViolenceHomicidesMigrantsViolent Crime |
Author: Grace, Anita Title: Organized Urban Violence: An Examination of the Threat of Organized Armed Groups to Urban Environments Summary: This research contributes to the assessment of urban violence by developing a category of urban violence, namely organized urban violence (OUV), defined as that which is generated by urban non-state organized armed groups (OAGs) who exert territorial and social control in urban areas. Through detailed examination of academic and policy literature, this thesis explores the types of non-state OAGs involved in urban violence – such as private security companies (PSCs), vigilantes, gangs, and organized crime groups – their characteristics and their impacts on urban environments. The category of OUV is further developed through two case studies: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and Cape Town, South Africa – cities which have a proliferation of urban non-state OAGs and high levels of urban violence. Details: Ottawa: Saint Paul University, 2011. 158p. Source: Internet Resource: Thesis: Accessed December 23, 2016 at: https://www.ruor.uottawa.ca/handle/10393/20009 Year: 2011 Country: International URL: https://www.ruor.uottawa.ca/handle/10393/20009 Shelf Number: 147787 Keywords: Gang-Related ViolenceNeighborhoods and CrimeOrganized CrimeUrban Areas and CrimeViolence |
Author: Carlock, Arna L. Title: Live Fast, Die Young: Anticipated Early Death and Adolescent Violence and Gang Involvement Summary: Strategies employed by criminal justice agencies to reduce offending often focus on deterrence, with policies relying on the threat of punishment to discourage individuals from crime. However, such strategies will fail if individuals do not fear these consequences, or when potential rewards of offending outweigh the risks. According to life history theory, adolescents with a dangerous or unpredictable childhood environment discount the future and engage in risky behaviors because they have little to lose. Many adolescents embody this "live fast, die young" mentality, particularly those already at risk of delinquency due to other factors. The scientific literature refers to this mindset as fatalism, future discounting, or anticipated early death (AED). Despite the indication that AED is a crucial correlate of delinquent activity, only recently have criminologists begun to directly examine the relationship. To address this gap in the literature, this dissertation analyzes two longitudinal datasets. One dataset, the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health), offers a nationally representative sample, while the Rochester Youth Development Study (RYDS) provides a sample of at-risk youth in Rochester, New York. Structural equation modeling quantifies adolescent AED in each dataset. The use of two data sources strengthens the reliability and validity of the latent variable's measurement. I study the effects of the latent AED measures on adolescent violence and gang activity, finding that higher levels of AED correspond to a greater likelihood of violence and gang activity, with the relationships often mediated by low self-control. In an attempt to determine the causal ordering of AED and risk-taking behaviors, I exploit the longitudinal nature of the RYDS data by estimating autoregressive cross-lagged panel models. Findings lend support to life history theory's assumption that AED predicts risk-taking behavior; I find little evidence that violence or gang activity cause AED. Details: Albany, NY: University at Albany, 2016. 184p. Source: Internet Resource: Dissertation: Accessed February 11, 2017 at: https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/grants/250425.pdf Year: 2016 Country: United States URL: https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/grants/250425.pdf Shelf Number: 144824 Keywords: At-Risk YouthGang-Related ViolenceGangsHomicidesYouth Violence |
Author: Mahamed, Mahamed Rage Title: Developing a Monitoring and Evaluation System for the Ceasefire Gang Violence programme in Hanover Park, Cape Town Summary: This study is a formative evaluation of the Ceasefire gang violence programme in Hanover Park, Cape Town, South Africa. The primary audience of this evaluation is the Ceasefire programme management. The Ceasefire programme is a project of the City of Cape Town's Violence Prevention through Urban Upgrading Unit (VPUU). The Ceasefire programme is run by the First Community Resource Centre (FCRC) in Hanover Park. The main aim of this evaluation is to develop a results-based monitoring and evaluation system for the Ceasefire programme. This evaluation has responded to the following four evaluation questions: 1. What is the programme theory of the Ceasefire gang violence programme? 2. Is the Ceasefire programme theory plausible? 3. How can the Ceasefire gang violence programme be tailor-made to the South African Cape Flats gang violence context? 4. What is a proper result-based monitoring and evaluation (M&E) system for the Ceasefire programme? To respond to the first evaluation question listed above, the Ceasefire programme documents and records were examined and interviews were held with the programme management. The information obtained through this research was used to develop an impact and process theory for the Ceasefire programme. The developed programme theory can be summarized in the following sentence: gang violence problem will be reduced in Hanover Park community if the Ceasefire Programme intervenes and interrupts gang violence at the street level, if the programme provides identified clients with behavioural modification training and refers them to social services and the programme educates the community to change their violent norms and values. To respond to the second evaluation question a literature review on approaches used to deal with gang violence problems in communities was conducted. In addition to this, evaluation findings of programmes that use gang violence approaches that are similar to the Ceasefire programme approach discussed. The reviewed literature has revealed that there are four common approaches that are used to solve the problem of gang violence in communities. These four approaches are prevention, intervention/disengagement, suppression/law enforcement, and multiple approach models. This dissertation has explained that the Ceasefire programme uses the multiple approach models to solve gang violence problems in Hanover Park. Furthermore, this dissertation has explained that programmes such as the Ceasefire programme that use the multiple approach models are plausible in reducing gang violence problems in communities. To respond to the third evaluation question listed above, a literature review was conducted to find out the causes of gang violence in the Cape Flats communities. The activities that the Ceasefire programme management have done to tailor the programme to the local context was also discussed. This information was used to make the following recommendations to further tailor the Ceasefire programme to the local context: ï‚· To prevent the youth in the community who are at risk to join gangs and or involve in gang violence, the Ceasefire programme needs to develop a gang violence prevention outreach programme for the schools in the community which targets the school going youths. ï‚· To help the individual gang members to exit their gang life and prevent them from involving in gang violence, the Ceasefire programme needs to establish a peer-to-peer outreach programme by employing rehabilitated programme participants who have graduated from the programme as peer educators for fellow gangs in the community. ï‚· To facilitate the gangs to exit their gang life, the Ceasefire programme needs to provide a Safe House facility outside of the Hanover Park community for the programme participants who would like to exit their gang life. ï‚· To further help the programme participants to abandon their gang life, the Ceasefire programme also needs to provide a tattoo removal service for the programme participants that would like the tattoos on their body to be removed. Details: Cape Town, South Africa: University of Cape Town, 2013. 88p. Source: Internet Resource: Master Dissertation: Accessed February 11, 2017 at: http://cureviolence.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/dissertation.pdf Year: 2013 Country: South Africa URL: http://cureviolence.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/dissertation.pdf Shelf Number: 145128 Keywords: Gang ViolenceGang-Related ViolenceHomicidesOperation CeasefireViolence Prevention |
Author: Yousuf, Sarah Title: CeaseFire: Breaking Through the Impenetrable Gang World to Eradicate Violence Summary: Gang violence is a pervasive issue that adversely affects urban populations such as Cape Town. Though such violence is rooted in poor inner-city slums, its effects are far-reaching, with violence spilling over into other realms of society. Gang violence tears apart families and leaves communities to live in constant fear and intimidation of gangs. Numerous violence prevention initiatives have been developed throughout the decades to combat gangsterism and gang violence, yet no long-lasting strategy has been achieved thus far. Various explanations have been put forth as to why these programs are ultimately unsustainable, yet the same types of programs continuously re-emerge, only to be shut down because they have no appreciable effect on gang violence. Over the decades, a pattern of violence and violence prevention has developed. Typically, a spate of killings related to gang warfare occurs, the community's outcry leads to a short-term solution and the problem is temporarily abated. Within months, however, violence erupts yet again. This failed pattern repeats itself because the response to gang violence revolves around two core principles -- the community must become more active and involved with curbing gang violence, and law enforcement must be tougher on policing and apprehending the offenders. Absent from these solutions is the very source of the problem itself, fully engaging gangsters in a long-term solution to end the violence. Short-term solutions involve gang members in a very limited way, and only after a particularly notorious incident of gang violence has already occurred. For example, gang members have been repeatedly called upon to enter into conflict mediation and peace pacts so as to end gang warfare. As a result of these pacts, violence temporarily desists for a few months. However, no other support systems are put into place to ensure that the peace continues, and ultimately, violence breaks out again. Gang members have also been approached to engage in other pursuits besides gang activity, such as becoming involved in local football teams. Again, such solutions are merely hasty and immediate answers that avoid the more deeply-rooted and complex issues that these young adults face on a day-to-day basis. Playing football for a few hours does not address the problem of broken homes, drug addiction, and the trauma that comes with living in a violent culture. Nonetheless, the community sees any sort of engagement with gangs as a last resort to stopping crime and no attempts are made to have gang members reintegrate into society. Rather, the problem is seen as a war between gangs and the community. The other traditional solution, besides community involvement, is tougher law enforcement. However, the lack of manpower and resources available to the police, compounded with the fact that the police are viewed with suspicion in the Cape Flats, makes more effective law enforcement also difficult to sustain. Frustrated with the inappropriate response to gang violence by the police, communities have resorted to taking the law into their own hands, with organisations such as PAGAD forming. However, having organisations carry out their own form of vigilante justice can be dangerous. These organisations have been known to respond to gang violence by attacking gang members themselves, and the consequence has been that violence continued unabated. Such previous tactics focus on the notion that gangsters are thugs or skollies, who are condemned to a life of delinquency and violence. The tendency has been to pit the community against gangsters, and if gangs were to be a part of any solution, it must be with their minimal involvement. However, gang members need much more support by the community if gang violence is to be reduced. What is needed is a holistic community approach that centres around and actively includes gang members. Rather than just dealing with gangsters in a minimal fashion, it is necessary to engage them and motivate them to change themselves. CeaseFire is one such program that looks at gangsters in this light and is ground-breaking in its work. This paper evaluates the CeaseFire model within the context of the South African community that it operates in, Hanover Park. The CeaseFire model can work, because any community approach to addressing gang violence must include reaching out to gang members themselves. However, as the model itself affirms, this approach can only work within the context of an integrated community response. Details: Cape Town, South Africa: University of Cape Town, 2013. 82p. Source: Internet Resource: Thesis: Accessed February 13, 2017 at: https://open.uct.ac.za/bitstream/item/4321/thesis_law_2013_yusuf_sarah.pdf?sequence=1 Year: 2013 Country: South Africa URL: https://open.uct.ac.za/bitstream/item/4321/thesis_law_2013_yusuf_sarah.pdf?sequence=1 Shelf Number: 145117 Keywords: CeasefireGang ViolenceGang-Related ViolenceGangsViolence Prevention |
Author: Garay-Salamanca, Luis Jorge Title: Illicit Networks Reconfiguring States: Social Network Analysis of Colombian and Mexican Cases Summary: People have often thought that as a rule, criminal gangs confront the State. We have this preconceived notion of the State as a homogeneous entity acting as a block to guarantee law enforcement, and of organized crime, such as drug trafficking, seeking ways to get away with breaking the law. In achieving these two objectives, violence ensues: the State resorts to coercion, and organized crime resorts to bribery, kidnapping, murder, or terrorism. However, research carried out during recent years shows that the history of the relationship between the State and organized crime is not always one of confrontation. Indeed, in some cases the latter has been able to infiltrate and to co-opt some State institutions in order to achieve its unlawful objectives. On the other hand, government officials and politicians, in many cases, get along well with organized crime, taking advantage of its criminal power in order to obtain egoistic, exclusive and morally unlawful benefits to the detriment of public interests. It has been reported around the world that policemen infiltrate gangs, criminal gangs bribe government officials to obtain privileged information, and government officials reach secret agreements with gangs of outlaws. However, the social situations analyzed in this book go beyond the classic stories of bribed policemen, infiltrated gangs, or egoistic government officials. This book analyzes cases in which the State has been infiltrated and manipulated, sometimes resulting from alliances between the organized crime and lawful officials and organizations. These alliances can be observed even at high decision-making levels, affecting the structure and operation of institutions. In previous books, the concept of Co-opted State Reconfiguration (CStR) has been introduced to describe situations in which unlawful groups reach agreements with authorities in order to infiltrate State institutions. This concept was also useful to describe situations in which lawful organizations, such as political movements, groups of individuals as landowners, government officials and politicians, establish alliances with unlawful groups to take advantage of their criminal and violent potential. In both cases, the objective is to manipulate and use legitimate institutions in order to obtain unlawful benefits, or obtain lawful benefits that are socially questionable. In both cases the result goes beyond the economic framework, encompassing objectives of political, criminal, judicial and cultural manipulation, and to gain social legitimacy. The CStR has been defined as a more developed and complex process of State Capture (StC), since in the traditional StC lawful economic groups manipulate law making in order to attain exclusive economic benefits. Against this backdrop, the objective of this book is to go deeper into the conceptual, methodological, and empirical issues of the State Capture (StC) and Co-opted State Reconfiguration (CStR). To fulfill this objective, a conceptual and empirical analysis of specific cases of organized crime in Colombia and Mexico will be made. A methodology identifying when a social situation may be defined as either traditional or systemic corruption, StC or CStR, will be presented, developed, and applied. This methodology will also be used to infer the institutional scope, or the degree of damage that a criminal organization may impinge on informal and formal State institutions. Therefore, the StC and CStR will be the guiding concepts throughout the book. The empirical issues will be developed through the social network analysis (SNA), in which alliances such as the above mentioned are found. The first network analyzed is a Mexican cartel, well known for its extreme violent actions throughout the past decade. The second network analyzed is related to an unlawful paramilitary group operating in a Colombian province called Casanare. This province has been favored for more than two decades with huge amounts of public resources coming from oil royalties. However, most of the province’s budget has been misspent, stolen, or appropriated by lawful agents and outlawed organizations, and diverted for purposes other than providing for the social needs of a poor and backward population. The third network is related to five Colombian provinces in the Atlantic Coast of Colombia: Sucre, Córdoba, Cesar, Atlántico, and Magdalena. In these provinces, the United Self–Defense Forces of Colombia [Autodefensas Unidas de Colombia, AUC], the most powerful unlawful paramilitary group that has ever existed in the recent Colombian history, consolidated its unified command at the end of the nineties. This group, with its increase of de facto power, combined violent actions, drug trafficking, and corruption in order to grab large portions of public budget, manipulate elections, and ultimately, get elected to the Colombian Congress. These actions were carried out with the purpose of promoting law making that favors its interests and achieving social legitimacy at the same time. Details: Bogota, Colombia: Metodo Foundation, 2010. 140p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed February 23, 2017 at: http://media.wix.com/ugd/f53019_f5aa311ed5854d24b2d823f0176e593c.pdf Year: 2010 Country: Colombia URL: http://media.wix.com/ugd/f53019_f5aa311ed5854d24b2d823f0176e593c.pdf Shelf Number: 141201 Keywords: CartelsCriminal NetworksCriminal ViolenceGang-Related ViolenceOrganized CrimeSocial Network Analysis |
Author: Savenije, Wim Title: PolÃticas de seguridad en El Salvador (Security Policies in El Salvador) Summary: English Summary: This article analyzes the policies implemented in El Salvador with the aim of reducing violence and crimes related to street gangs between 2003 and 2013. After analyzing the central features of these policies, it concludes that despite the profound differences, In all cases of short-term measures, which sought instant solutions to complicated and long-term security problems - whether in a hard-hitting style or in the form of dialogue with gangs and facilitating a truce - have failed to improve the situation of insecurity. Far from it, they have strengthened the gangs and have caused a severe restriction of the opportunities of the young people not included in this type of organization. Details: Buenos Aires: Department of Sociology, Faculty of Humanities and Education Sciences. National University of La Plata, 2014. 13p. Source: Internet Resource: Cuestiones de SociologÃa, nº 10; Accessed March 3, 2017 at: http://www.cuestionessociologia.fahce.unlp.edu.ar/article/view/CSn10a09/6073 Year: 2014 Country: El Salvador URL: http://www.cuestionessociologia.fahce.unlp.edu.ar/article/view/CSn10a09/6073 Shelf Number: 141310 Keywords: Gang ViolenceGang-Related ViolenceGangsStreet Gangs |
Author: Palomo Contreras, Areli Title: Friendly Mistrust: Coping with the Rule of Gangs in a Salvadoran Community Summary: This study focuses on strategies or practices that members of a Salvadoran community have incorporated to their everyday life in order to cope with gangs. Through time, gangs in El Salvador have transformed into powerful social actors, and currently, their dynamics distort the quotidian life of those who live under their rule. I argue that gangs have imposed rules or constraints to people's behavior, and that community members have incorporated these rules and produced practices to co-exist with gangs or to survive their rule. Among these practices of co-existence, I describe precautionary strategies, negotiations and finally exile. This research is based on an ethnographic fieldwork that took place from July to September 2014 in a Salvadoran community of the state of La Libertad. I conducted 35 semi-structured interviews and participant observation during the above-mentioned period. I conclude that, through these strategies, it is possible to observe that gangs are parallel structures of power to the Salvadoran state and that in some cases strategies to cope with gangs also reproduce their power. Details: San Diego: University of California at San Diego, 2016. 85p. Source: Internet Resource: Thesis: Accessed March 3, 2017 at: https://escholarship.org/uc/item/16p6z2d9 Year: 2016 Country: El Salvador URL: https://escholarship.org/uc/item/16p6z2d9 Shelf Number: 141314 Keywords: Gang ViolenceGang-Related ViolenceGangs |
Author: Espach, Ralph Title: The Dilemma of Lawlessness: Organized Crime, Violence, Prosperity, and Security along Guatemala's Borders Summary: For centuries, the Central American region has been among the world's most important transit zones. The Spanish shuttled the gold, silver, and other valuables from Southeast Asia and from South America across the Panamanian isthmus. Later, the French and the Americans competed to control and improve that route with a water canal, either in Panama or Nicaragua. Since the emergence of the United States as a major economy and consumer market, the region has been a key zone for the northward flow of all kinds of products - legal and illegal. Economically, the countries of Central America, particularly northern Central America (including Guatemala, Belize, Honduras, and El Salvador), have traditionally been among the most unequal in the Americas. Throughout most of these countries' histories, political power and state resources were controlled by the same families and networks that owned most of the land and industries. Relatively few resources and little state attention were dedicated to improving the lives of the poor, especially in isolated rural areas. Except during infrequent instances of insurgency, civil war, or interstate conflict, border control or even preserving a state presence in rural areas in these regions was not an important concern. In practical terms, national territorial borders were unmarked and did not exist. What is today considered smuggling was a normal, everyday practice. Many border communities had closer economic ties to cities, agricultural zones, or economic infrastructure such as railroads or ports in countries across the border than they did to those within their own country. Moreover, most of the residents of these rural areas were indigenous and largely disconnected from the country in which they lived and the government that notionally had authority over them. In this way, most border zones in these countries have traditionally been "ungoverned," or "undergoverned," in terms of their relations with the national and provincial or departmental governments. Over the decades, numerous groups have taken advantage of the porousness of these borders, and the general lawlessness of these remote areas (many of which are heavily forested and/or mountainous), to elude governments or armed forces. In addition to the ever-present smugglers, armed insurgent groups from both the left and the right, as well as paramilitaries of all stripes, crossed borders to conduct their operations during the Cold War. The most recent, and by some accounts the most dangerous, type of actors to exploit these weakly governed, porous borders in northern Central America have been narcotics trafficking networks. Illegal drugs have been smuggled from the world's foremost coca production zone - the northern Andean foothills - to the world's richest and largest drug consumption market - the United States - since at least the 1980s. Beginning in the 1990s, however, an international crackdown on drug smuggling through the Caribbean region led Colombian cartels to favor overland routes through Central America and Mexico. The Colombians moved product through the region largely by buying the services of local trafficking networks. These networks were particularly well developed in Guatemala as a result of the intelligence and transport networks the military created during that country's civil war from the 1960s to the 1990s. Over time, Mexican trafficking networks grew into competitive cartels themselves and began to fight each other for control over valuable transport and smuggling routes. Mexico's largest cartels-including the Sinaloa Federation, the Gulf Cartel, and the Zeta-grew their operations from merely trafficking the product of others to buying the product upstream and controlling its transit in Central America. Traditionally, Colombian- or Mexican-run trafficking cartels operated in Guatemala by buying the services of local trafficking networks, but around 2008 they began to seek to control routes themselves. Many of these routes lie along the Guatemalan coast, where drugs are brought in by boat and then transferred onto land for transit into Mexico. Other routes enter from Honduras, with the drugs being flown in from Venezuela or brought in via boat. Recently, there has been evidence not only of a broad presence of Mexican drug-trafficking networks across Guatemala but also of the expansion of their operations there, particularly into drug processing. They also sell more of their product in local markets, rather than shipping it onward, fueling local gang activity and urban violence. Details: Arlington, CA: CNA; Quantico, VA: Marine Corps University Press, 2016. 102p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed April 17, 2017 at: https://www.cna.org/CNA_Files/PDF/TheDilemmaOfLawlessness.pdf Year: 2016 Country: Guatemala URL: https://www.cna.org/CNA_Files/PDF/TheDilemmaOfLawlessness.pdf Shelf Number: 144948 Keywords: Border SecurityCriminal CartelsDrug MarketsDrug TraffickingGang-Related ViolenceOrganized CrimeSmugglingViolenceViolent Crime |
Author: Dudley, Steven Title: Homicides in Guatemala: The Challenge and Lessons of Disaggregating Gang-Related and Drug Trafficking-Related Murders Summary: Discerning the motives and actors behind the scourge of homicides in the Northern Triangle region is too often left to high level officials who routinely attribute the vast majority of homicides to drug trafficking organizations and street gangs without necessarily assessing the data. While that is the politically expedient answer, it seems to be too easily accepted. The reason this is important is that these classifications have wide-spread implications on local and international citizen security strategies and the distribution of resources in these countries. Denominating homicides as primarily "drug trafficking-related" or "gang-related" leads to an emphasis on bolstering security forces, frequently at the expense of other institutions and projects. A more nuanced understanding of homicide dynamics might open the door to softer approaches such as social programs aimed at lowering gender-based violence, or education and other youth-outreach projects. In order to test the hypothesis that drug trafficking organizations and street gangs are behind the vast majority of homicides in the region, InSight Crime took a more systematic approach. We attempted to disaggregate homicide motives and actors by analyzing, case by case, homicides over a two-year period in two areas in Guatemala: one area that government officials denominated a "drug trafficking corridor"; another denominated as a "gang area." The project also analyzed the way in which authorities collect data in Guatemala and offers some preliminary suggestions as to how this process can be improved. In this way, InSight Crime hopes to provide international donors and local authorities with a better understanding of where they can provide assistance to police and other agencies that are collecting and analyzing homicide data. It also hopes to get close to understanding who and what are behind the homicides, so that governments and multilaterals can better allocate their limited resources. Details: Washington, DC: United States Agency for International Development, 2016. 59p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed April 22, 2017 at: http://www.insightcrime.org/images/PDFs/2017/Gang-and-DTO-Homicides-in-Guatemala-Final-Report_CARSI-USAID-InSight-Crime Year: 2016 Country: Guatemala URL: http://www.insightcrime.org/images/PDFs/2017/Gang-and-DTO-Homicides-in-Guatemala-Final-Report_CARSI-USAID-InSight-Crime Shelf Number: 145167 Keywords: Crime Statistics Drug Trafficking Drug-Related Violence Gang Violence Gang-Related ViolenceHomicides Murders |
Author: Perkins, Christina Title: Achieving Growth and Security in the Northern Triangle of Central America Summary: The Northern Triangle of Latin America, consisting of El Salvador, Honduras, and Guatemala, has experienced overwhelming challenges to economic growth and development. Gang violence is the root of many of these challenges, and the cost of hiring security forces for individuals and businesses creates a significant tax on the economy of these three countries. Beyond this drain on the region's finances, the Northern Triangle is considered one of the most dangerous places on the planet, excluding active war zones. The interrelated issues of violence, poverty, and slow economic growth have led to high rates of emigration from the region, such as during the summer of 2014 when thousands of unaccompanied minors entered the United States. This study examines these issues and goes on to explore connections to the successes of Plan Colombia. Specifically, it considers the opportunity for a "Plan Colombia for the Northern Triangle" to generate long-term economic growth, personal safety, and political stability and accountability in the region. Details: Washington, DC: Center for Strategic & International Studies; Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield; 2016. 50p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 4, 2017 at: https://csis-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/publication/161201_Perkins_NorthernTriangle_Web.pdf Year: 2016 Country: Central America URL: https://csis-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/publication/161201_Perkins_NorthernTriangle_Web.pdf Shelf Number: 145259 Keywords: Gang-Related ViolenceGangsHomicidesPlan ColombiaSecuritySocioeconomic Conditions and CrimeViolenceViolent Crime |
Author: Schultze-Kraft, Markus Title: Toward Effective Violence Mitigation: Transforming Political Settlements Summary: Recognising the centrality of violence in the development process (though not subscribing to the notion that conflict and violence are development in reverse), in 2012-14 a group of researchers at the Institute of Development Studies (IDS) engaged in depth with the complex and thorny questions of how 'new' forms of violence in the developing world - as opposed to 'traditional' civil or intra-state war - should be understood; and through which policies they could best be prevented and/or mitigated. The result of this endeavour is a series of evidence-based reports that were produced in collaboration with Southern partners in a sample of four violence-affected countries in Africa: Nigeria (Niger Delta), Sierra Leone, Egypt and Kenya (Marsabit County). The evidence from the four case studies suggests that - contrary to the early post-Cold War accounts of 'barbarism' and 'senseless bloodshed' - the violence we observe in many countries and locales today is about something. Yet, the analyses also show that the triggers, manifestations and effects of this violence - characterised as diffuse, recursive and globalised - cannot be captured by using the analytical tools developed to explain armed conflict within states. Strictly speaking, it would be misguided to label the violence in the Niger Delta, Marsabit County, Egypt and Sierra Leone as 'civil war', 'internal armed conflict' or 'new war'. Instead, it is more accurate to speak of highly heterogeneous situations of violence or 'fields of social violence'. At the same time, it is crucial not to dissociate these situations of violence from political processes by, for instance, reducing them to manifestations of criminality, such as homicide and illicit drug trafficking, or reflections of social problems like rampant youth unemployment, the use of prohibited psychoactive substances, and gang culture. Details: Brighton, UK: Institute Of Development Studies, 2014, 35p. Source: Internet Resource: IDS Evidence Report 101: Accessed May 6, 2017 at: https://opendocs.ids.ac.uk/opendocs/bitstream/handle/123456789/5367/ER101TowardEffectiveViolenceMitigationTransformingPoliticalSettlements.pdf;jsessionid=BE35B3DE96D5A63C6C020B53BA376257?sequence=1 Year: 2014 Country: Africa URL: https://opendocs.ids.ac.uk/opendocs/bitstream/handle/123456789/5367/ER101TowardEffectiveViolenceMitigationTransformingPoliticalSettlements.pdf;jsessionid=BE35B3DE96D5A63C6C020B53BA376257?sequence=1 Shelf Number: 145345 Keywords: Conflict-Related ViolenceDrug TraffickingGang-Related ViolenceHomicidesSocioeconomic Conditions and Crime |
Author: Martinez, Denis Roberto Title: Youth under the Gun: Violence, Fear, and Resistance in Urban Guatemala Summary: This study examines how violence affects youth in marginalized urban communities, focusing on the experiences of three groups of young people: gang members, activists, and the "jovenes encerrados", youth who live confined to their homes due to fear. Based on 14 months of ethnographic research in El Mezquital, an extensive marginalized urban area in Guatemala City, I explore the socio-economic conditions that trigger violence in these communities, the responses of young people and the community to violence, and the State's role in exacerbating violence in impoverished neighborhoods. In this dissertation I argue that gang members and activists are expressing a deep-seated social discontent against the exclusion, humiliation, and social stigmatization faced by young people in marginalized urban neighborhoods. However, the two groups express their discontent in significantly different ways. Initially, gangs used violence to express their discontent, but they gradually resorted to a perverse game of crime, in complicity with the police, and they distanced themselves from their own communities; in this work I analyze gangs' process of transformation and the circumstances that led to this change. Activists express their discontent through community art and public protest, but their demonstrations have limited social impact, since public attention continues to focus on gangs; here I examine activists' motivations, struggles, and obstacles. However, the vast majority of young people live in a state of fear, preferring to keep quiet and withdraw into their homes; here I show how violence, fear, and distrust affect the generation born into postwar Guatemala. This study illustrates the perverse role of the State in impoverished urban neighborhoods and its responsibility for the escalation of urban violence in Guatemala. On the one hand, the State shuns residents from these neighborhoods and systematically denies them basic services; it criminalizes and abuses young people, even forming social cleansing groups to eliminate gang members. On the other hand, the State fosters crime in these communities and acts as gangs' accomplice in extortions, drug trade, and robberies. As in many other Latin American countries, the Guatemalan State penalizes crime, but simultaneously encourages and benefits from it; the State is complicit in crime. Details: Austin, TX: University of Texas at Austin, 2014. 263p. Source: Internet Resource: Dissertation: Accessed May 27, 2017 at: https://repositories.lib.utexas.edu/bitstream/handle/2152/28318/MARTINEZ-DISSERTATION-2014.pdf?sequence=1 Year: 2014 Country: Guatemala URL: https://repositories.lib.utexas.edu/bitstream/handle/2152/28318/MARTINEZ-DISSERTATION-2014.pdf?sequence=1 Shelf Number: 145831 Keywords: Fear of CrimeGang-Related ViolenceGangsNeighborhoods and CrimePovertySocioeconomic conditions and CrimeUrban Areas and CrimeViolenceViolent Crime |
Author: Lansdowne Title: Ottawa Gang Strategy: Seeking Solutions to Street-Level Violence. Technical Evaluation Report: Our First Three Years Summary: From 2013-16, the Ottawa Gang Strategy (OGS) offered a roadmap to help Ottawa address gangs and street level violence. This vast partnership - made up of social service agencies, community organizations, police, schools and others - developed and implemented 12 initiatives that address the problem from multiple angles. Together, the partner organizations formed the Ottawa Gang Strategy Steering Committee, which was collectively informed by each group's expertise, knowledge of the issues, networks, resources and determination to work to collaboratively address the problem. This report details the individual project outputs, outcomes and collective results achieved in three years, as set forth in the logic model. As the work on gangs and street level violence continues, this independent evaluation is intended to assist the OGS Steering Committee in transitioning the Strategy to its next phase of implementation based on the shared understanding of the issues and the shifting realities in Ottawa. Details: Ottawa: Crime Prevention Ottawa, 2016. 50p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed June 16, 2017 at: http://www.crimepreventionottawa.ca/Media/Content/files/Publications/Youth/OGS%20TechEvalReport%20FINAL.pdf Year: 2016 Country: Canada URL: http://www.crimepreventionottawa.ca/Media/Content/files/Publications/Youth/OGS%20TechEvalReport%20FINAL.pdf Shelf Number: 146207 Keywords: Gang-Related ViolenceGangsStreet CrimeViolenceViolence Prevention |
Author: Lumsden, Andrew Title: Black, Green, Gold and Too Much Red: Jamaica's Struggle with Gang Violence Summary: The heinous execution-style murder of 2-year-old Demario Whyte in downtown Kingston on August 23- along with unleashing a wave a fear, anger, and sorrow across the community- has highlighted the urgent need for a solution to Jamaica's epidemic of rampant gang violence. Authorities believe the child's murder was part of a gang feud possibly involving his father, who was also shot during the incident but survived. Eighty percent of all illicit activity in Jamaica is connected to criminal gangs, of which nearly 300 exist island-wide. Jamaica has struggled with gang violence for decades. Successive governments - including, so far, that of current Prime Minister Andrew Holness - have emphasized the use of punitive measures such as curfews and military deployment to stem the tide of violence. All have had only limited successes. While law enforcement is no doubt a necessary component in the fight against gang violence, Jamaican authorities must place significantly more focus than they have on social development programs in inner-city communities, and on building stronger relationships with the law-abiding majorities in these places who too often feel neglected and mistreated by the state. Details: Washington, DC: Council on Hemispheric Affairs, 2016. 9p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed June 17, 2017 at: http://www.coha.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/Jamainca-Lumsden.pdf Year: 2016 Country: Jamaica URL: http://www.coha.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/Jamainca-Lumsden.pdf Shelf Number: 146220 Keywords: Gang ViolenceGang-Related ViolenceGangsHomicides |
Author: Higginson, Angela Title: Youth gang violence and preventative measures in low- and middle-income countries: A systematic review (Part I) Summary: Youth gang membership is well documented throughout low- and middle-income countries, and youth gang members are increasingly associated with delinquency, violent crime and trafficking. They are also frequently the victims of these offences, often in disproportionate numbers compared to non-gang youth. Yet youth gangs can also provide a form of social capital, a sense of belonging and purpose to disenfranchised youth. Extensive research, primarily from high-income countries, has categorized five domains of risk and protective factors for youth gang involvement, drawn from the realm of developmental psychology. These domains are: Individual, Peer, Family, School, and Community. Youth gang membership is seen as the culmination of interrelated structural and process factors, which in combination with negative life events may increase the attractiveness of gang membership. This review aimed to identify the factors associated with young people joining gangs, and to identify and quantify the differences between gang-involved and non-gang-involved youth. Understanding these associations is essential to reduce the levels of gang membership and the incidence of related violence. Objectives This review addresses two key objectives: (1) to synthesise the published and unpublished empirical evidence on the factors associated with membership of youth gangs in low- and middle-income countries; (2) to assess the relative strength of the different factors across the domains of individual, family, school, peer group and community. Details: London: International Initiative for Impact Evaluation, 2016. 151p. Source: Internet Resource: Systematic Review 29: Accessed June 17, 2017 at: http://www.3ieimpact.org/media/filer_public/2016/09/15/sr29-youth-gang-related-violence-part1.pdf Year: 2016 Country: International URL: http://www.3ieimpact.org/media/filer_public/2016/09/15/sr29-youth-gang-related-violence-part1.pdf Shelf Number: 146254 Keywords: Gang Violence Gang-Related ViolenceGangs Youth Gangs |
Author: Police Executive Research Forum Title: Gang Violence: The Police Role in Developing Community-Wide Solutions Summary: More than 75 percent of police agencies cite "gang activity" as the top factor contributing to violent crime in their communities. To explore the impact of gangs on policing efforts, PERF embarked on a project in early 2009 to identify trends and changes in the nature of the gang problem in U.S. cities, the impact of international influences on local gang problems, and effective strategies for dealing with gangs. The first step was a survey, sent out in April, 2009, which asked agencies to detail the gang crime they were seeing in their jurisdictions and to identify innovative anti-gang initiatives and strategies that they have implemented to combat gang violence. The results confirmed the importance of this issue: 70 percent of our respondents had witnessed an increase in gang membership over the past two years, and 60 percent reported an increase in multi-jurisdictional gang-related crimes over that same time span. To facilitate a productive, open discussion of gang issues, PERF partnered with Motorola, the National Institute of Justice, the Chicago Police Department, and the University of Illinois at Chicago to host "Policing Gangs: An International Summit for Police Executives" in Chicago in May 2009. More than 150 members of the law enforcement and academic communities came together from across the world to share information about the changing dynamics of gang activity and to discuss how to combat the problem most effectively. This report summarizes the findings of the PERF survey and Summit, which are part of the "Critical Issues in Policing Series" supported by Motorola. The report provides the insights of law enforcement executives and academics, offering domestic and international perspectives on gang activity. A consensus emerged that the most effective approach to reducing gang activity is to develop a comprehensive strategy that extends beyond law enforcement, including elements to prevent juveniles from joining gangs and efforts to intervene and "rescue" youths who have some experience with gangs, to the extent possible. Police agencies must be active in soliciting the support and partnership of other criminal justice agencies, the juvenile justice system, and community organizations. Only through sharing "ownership" of the problem with a broad range of people can police address the gang problem at its roots. PERF will continue to monitor trends in gang activity and enforcement and will use the information provided by police executives in this report as a springboard for future research ideas. Details: Washington, DC; PERF, 2010. 48p. Source: Internet Resource: Critical Issues in Policing Series: Accessed June 20, 2017 at: http://www.policeforum.org/assets/docs/Critical_Issues_Series/gang%20violence%20-%20the%20police%20role%20in%20developing%20community-wide%20solutions.pdf Year: 2010 Country: United States URL: http://www.policeforum.org/assets/docs/Critical_Issues_Series/gang%20violence%20-%20the%20police%20role%20in%20developing%20community-wide%20solutions.pdf Shelf Number: 130805 Keywords: Gang Violence Gang-Related ViolenceGangs Youth Gangs |
Author: Garzon Vergara, Juan Carlos Title: What is the relationship between organized crime and homicide in Latin America? Summary: Criminal and gang violence is believed to generate as much as a third of all homicides in the Western hemisphere. In some countries where collective violence is acute, this may well be true. But it is only part of the story. Organized crime groups can also reduce the extent of lethal violence in a given setting: they often regulate murder and violent crime. The extent to which such entities exert control is often in direct proportion to the relative fragility of state institutions. Where public authorities are unable to exert a monopoly over the use of force, criminal actors step in. This Homicide Dispatch critically examines the relationships between organized crime and lethal violence. In the process, it shines a light on the challenges facing public authorities intent on fighting crime. Owing to the inherent weaknesses of many governments across Latin America, they have only limited ability to reduce homicidal violence. It is only by shoring up the state's ability to guarantee fundamental rights that meaningful improvements will be possible. Details: Rio de Janeiro: Igarape Institute, 2016. 22p. Source: Internet Resource: Homicide Dispatch 3: Accessed August 7, 2017 at: https://igarape.org.br/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Homicide-Dispatch_3_EN_23-05.pdf Year: 2016 Country: Latin America URL: https://igarape.org.br/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Homicide-Dispatch_3_EN_23-05.pdf Shelf Number: 146754 Keywords: Gang-Related ViolenceGangsHomicidesMurdersOrganized Crime |
Author: Broadhurst, Kate Title: Gangs and Schools Summary: 1.1 Following a spate of teenage murders in the last two years, the extent of youth gang culture in the UK is a growing concern. Like many of their victims, gang members seem to be getting younger. Definite figures are hard to come by but some experts estimate the number of gang members aged under 16 years old has more than doubled in the last five years alone. 1.2 The increasing prominence of gang membership amongst under-16s has raised the issue of how gangs and gang culture impact upon schools. Against this backdrop, in April 2007 the NASUWT commissioned Perpetuity Research and Consultancy International (PRCI) Ltd (a leading research and consultancy company specialising in crime reduction, community safety and security) to investigate the potential impact of gangs and gang culture on schools in the UK. 1.3 The study had four key aims to: - review and summarise previous work on gangs, street culture and their potential impact on schools; - review four case studies where gangs and street culture may have had an impact; - assess if there is a significant issue that requires solutions; - identify a typology of school interventions aimed at managing any impact. 1.4 In order to undertake the study, the team at PRCI adopted a case study approach, supported by a literature review of recently published and unpublished material covering the areas of gangs, street culture, schools and school-related interventions in the UK. Four case study schools in England were selected that had concerns with gangs and gang culture. The case studies were designed to provide some pointers to the sorts of problems that schools, teachers and others in schools face as a result of gang-related activity - this provides the basis for a more detailed investigation of the issues, including the development of a toolkit to help schools address the problem of gang-related activity in schools. Details: Birmingham, UK: NASUWT, 2009. 116p. Source: Accessed August 22, 2017 at: http://rageuniversity.org/PRISONESCAPE/GANGS%20AND%20TATTOOS/nasawut-gangs-schools.pdf Year: 2009 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://rageuniversity.org/PRISONESCAPE/GANGS%20AND%20TATTOOS/nasawut-gangs-schools.pdf Shelf Number: 131714 Keywords: Gang-Related ViolenceGangsSchool CrimeStreet Culture |
Author: InSight Crime Title: MS13 in the Americas: How the World's Most Notorious Gang Defies Logic, Resists Destruction Summary: The Mara Salvatrucha (MS13) is one of the world's largest and arguably most violent street gangs. After relatively humble beginnings in Los Angeles in the 1980s, it has spread to more than a half-dozen countries and become a central focus of law enforcement in two hemispheres. In spite of these efforts, the MS13 remains a persistent threat and shows signs of expanding its criminal portfolio. This report attempts to explain what makes the MS13 such a difficult problem for authorities to tackle. It focuses on assisting law enforcement's understanding of the gang's criminal activities, but it includes deep discussion on the social and political issues around the MS13. Below are our major findings. The MS13 is a largely urban phenomenon that has cells operating in two continents. The MS13 has between 50,000 and 70,000 members who are concentrated in mostly urban areas in Central America or locations outside the region where there is a large Central American diaspora. In Honduras and Guatemala, the gang is still largely urban. In El Salvador, however, the gang has steadily spread into more rural areas. Expansion beyond urban areas has also happened in places in the United States, most notably in Long Island and North Carolina, and increasingly California. The gang has appeared as well in Europe, specifically in urban areas of Spain and Italy. The size of the gang in these settings varies greatly and fluctuates, mostly in accordance with law enforcement efforts and migration patterns unrelated to the gang. The MS13 is a social organization first, and a criminal organization second. The MS13 is a complex phenomenon. The gang is not about generating revenue as much as it is about creating a collective identity that is constructed and reinforced by shared, often criminal experiences, especially acts of violence and expressions of social control. The MS13 draws on a mythic notion of community, a team concept, and an ideology based on its bloody fight with its chief rival, the Barrio 18 (18th Street) gang, to sustain a huge, loosely organized social and criminal organization. The MS13 is a diffuse organization of sub-parts, with no single leader or leadership structure that directs the entire gang. The MS13 has two poles of power: in Los Angeles, where it was founded, and in El Salvador, its spiritual birthplace where many of its historic leaders reside. But the gang has no single leader or leadership council. Instead it is a federation with layers of leaders who interact, obey and react to each other at different moments depending on circumstances. In general terms, most decisions are made by the individual cell, or what is known as the "clica," the Spanish term for clique. The highest-ranking members in some geographic areas make up a leadership council, but not all areas have a leadership council. In Los Angeles, the MS13 is subservient to the prison gang known as the Mexican Mafia. In El Salvador, the gang is also run from prison by its own leadership council. Along the East Coast of the United States, the gang has no council, although it is takes much of its directives from Salvadoran-based gang leaders. Because these leaders are mostly in jail, it is exceedingly difficult for them to impose total control over the rank-and-file. The MS13 has guidelines more than rules, which are subject to varying interpretations. The diffuse nature of the organization has widespread implications for how it operates. The gang has guidelines more than rules. These guidelines are subject to haphazard interpretations and application. In other words, this internal justice is not necessarily a strict system and often depends more on who the leader is and who is being judged, rather the actual transgression or the circumstances surrounding it. This inconsistent application of the rules leads to constant internal and external conflicts and is the cause of widespread violence wherever the gang operates. MS13 violence is brutal and purposeful. Violence is at the heart of the MS13 and is what has made it a target of law enforcement in the United States, Central America and beyond. It is central to the MS13's ethos, its modus operandi, and its evaluation and discipline of its own members. Violence also builds cohesion and comradery within the gang's cliques. This use of violence has enhanced the MS13's brand name, allowing it to expand in size and geographic reach, but it has undermined its ability to enter more sophisticated, money-making criminal economies. Potential partners see the gang as an unreliable, highly visible target, and the gang's violent spasms only reinforce this notion. The MS13's diffuse nature makes it hard for it to control its own expressions of violence. The MS13's diffuse nature has made it difficult to curtail its violence. The gang itself has attempted to implement rules to control the use of force. Most murders must be sanctioned from the highest levels, but as one of our case studies illustrates, this is often a perfunctory task, reflecting what seems to be a disregard for human life. In addition, the very system that is designed to control the violence often leads to more violence, since failure to carry out a sanctioned hit becomes cause for internal disciplinary action. The MS13 is a hand-to-mouth criminal organization that depends on control of territory to secure revenue. The gang's lack of a centralized leadership has kept it relatively impoverished. While it has established revenue streams, the MS13 has a hand-to-mouth criminal portfolio. Extortion is the single most important revenue stream for the gang in Central America, although a significant and rising portion of the MS13's criminal portfolio comes from local drug peddling, especially in US cities such as Los Angeles. The gang is also involved in prostitution, human smuggling, car theft and resale and other criminal activities, but the gang's revenue nearly always depends on its ability to control territory. The MS13 is a transnational gang, not a transnational criminal organization (TCO). While the gang has a presence in two continents and at least a half-dozen nations, the gang is a small, part-time role player in international criminal schemes. In cases of international drug trafficking, for instance, the MS13 is dependent on other criminal actors such as the Mexican Mafia. The gang plays a similar, part-time role in other international criminal activities such human smuggling as well. Its diffuse organizational structure and public displays of violence are two of the main reasons why the gang has not succeeded in transforming itself into a TCO. And while some criminal activity - most notably the MS13's involvement in petty drug dealing on a local level - is driving the gang's maturation process and leading it to new opportunities, this is a slow process that is causing significant conflict within the gang. El Salvador's MS13 leaders are trying to assert more control over the US East Coast. Some MS13 leaders, especially those operating from jails in El Salvador, are trying to create more top-down control, and expand its social and political influence. In El Salvador, the gang has negotiated delivering votes to some of the country's most powerful politicians. They have also instituted more formal and complex command structures inside and outside of jail, and they have emissaries in places as far away as Boston who are trying to corral the rudimentary and undisciplined gang cliques operating along the US East Coast. The MS13 is taking advantage of traditional migration patterns, not sending members to set up new cells. The MS13's efforts in El Salvador have alarmed law enforcement officials who say the gang's high-ranking leaders are also moving their rank-and-file around the region, including to the United States. But while the gang is repopulating cells and establishing new ones, the MS13 appears to be taking advantage of circumstances, rather than actively creating those circumstances. MS13 members migrate for the same reasons that other migrants do, and they go to the same places. They also face many of the same risks such as indigence, isolation, victimization, detention and deportation. This report is divided into five sections. We begin by chronicling the multi-national history of the MS13. The group is the byproduct of war, migration and policy, and it has a footprint in a half dozen nations. We then turn to the gang's philosophy, its guiding principles and ideology. The gang centers itself around the idea of community, which is reinforced mostly via violent rituals and expressions of rage towards outsiders and rivals. From there, we move to organizational structure. This includes explaining the largely misunderstood loose hierarchy of the gang and its clique system. Then we cover modus operandi, tackling the all-important questions of recruitment, criminal economy, use of violence, and political and social capital. Finally, we elaborate five case studies, which address the MS13's: 1) organizational structure; 2) use of violence; 3) criminal migration; 4) involvement in international drug trafficking; and 5) political and social capital. Details: s.l.: Insight Crime; Washington, DC: Center for Latin American and Latino Studies, 2018. 90p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed February 20, 2018 at: https://www.insightcrime.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/MS13-in-the-Americas-InSight-Crime-English.pdf Year: 2018 Country: Central America URL: https://www.insightcrime.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/MS13-in-the-Americas-InSight-Crime-English.pdf Shelf Number: 149182 Keywords: Criminal OrganizationDrug TraffickingDrug-Related ViolenceGang ViolenceGang-Related ViolenceGangsMara SalvatruchaMS13Prison Gangs |
Author: Smith, Carter F. Title: Perceptions of Gang Investigators Regarding Presence of Military-Trained Gang Members Summary: Roughly 80% of all crimes in the United States are committed by members of criminal gangs (NGIC, 2009). FBI researchers surveyed state and local law enforcement agencies and estimated there were one million gang members in the U.S. (NGIC, 2009). Some gang members enlist in the military as an alternative to incarceration, and others join the military to recruit members into their gang, obtain access to weapons, and learn how to respond to hostile gunfire (NGIC). The increase in the number of military-trained gang members created a level of danger most law enforcement officials are not prepared to combat (NGIC). The threat increases because all MTGMs were or will be discharged from the military at some point, either due to inappropriate activity or because their commitment to military service was satisfied. The problem addressed in this quantitative study is an assessment of the presence of MTGMs in civilian communities. The number of crimes committed by these gang members has increased significantly since 2002. In 2006, investigators with Army CID found a 265% increase in reported gang-related incidents and investigations from 2005 to 2006 (CID, 2006). The 2009 Gang Threat Assessment yielded similar results, with a twofold increase since the 2006 report.There has been little research on the presence of MTGMs and fewer studies have examined factors that impact investigator's perceptions of the presence of MTGM populations. This study may fill some of the gaps. Details: Prescott Valley, AZ: Northcentral University, 2010. 192p. Source: Dissertation. Available from the Rutgers Criminal Justice Library. Year: 2010 Country: United States URL: Shelf Number: 150034 Keywords: Gang ViolenceGang-Related ViolenceGangsMilitary personnel |
Author: Agnew, Emma R.E. Title: Discourse, Policy, Gangs: An Analysis of Gang Members' Talk and Policy Summary: European academics have historically been reluctant to conduct explicit gang research on the premise that it risks stereotyping communities. Subsequently, notions about gangs in the UK have been transposed from American literature, which is primarily based within a criminological perspective and focuses on personal characteristics of gang members, such as their violent tendencies (Gottfredson & Hirschi, 1990). Alternatively, underpinned by a community psychology perspective, this research explores how young people involved in gangs construct their identities and experiences, and to what extent these constructions reproduce or resist political discourse. Semi-structured interviews with six self-identified gang members, as well as the UK policy 'Ending Gang and Youth Violence' (Home Office, 2011) were analysed using a hybrid approach of discursive psychology and critical discourse analysis. The four main discursive sites identified in the policy were: i) The demonization of gangs, ii) the inevitability of gangs, iii) gangs: the product of 'troubled families', iv) the racialization of gangs. The four main discursive sites within the interviews were: i) experiences of racism, ii) the inevitability of gang membership, iii) problematized identities, iv) individual and family responsibility. The analysis indicated that, at times, the participants reproduced problematising ideological discourse, at other times they constructed reimagined personal narratives which resisted hegemonic discourses about gang members, and at other times they exposed the oppressive mechanisms of political discourse, by detailing how being labelled a 'gang member' and racial discrimination had shaped their subjectivities and lived experiences. The findings indicate the need for an overhaul of elitist policy production, for authentic participation of young people with experiences of living in deprived areas, and for a shift from the 'criminological' framework of gang policy towards 'welfare'. Furthermore, the findings highlight the need to direct political attention to addressing racial discrimination. Clinically, community psychology approaches are recommended, as well as working at macro levels to change cultural narratives around this group. Details: London: University of East Londong, 2016. 152p. Source: Internet Resource: Thesis: Accessed May 17, 2018 at: http://roar.uel.ac.uk/5384/1/Emma_Agnew._U1331745._Thesis._Discourse%2C_Policy_and_Gangs..pdf Year: 2016 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://roar.uel.ac.uk/5384/1/Emma_Agnew._U1331745._Thesis._Discourse%2C_Policy_and_Gangs..pdf Shelf Number: 150525 Keywords: CommunicationGang ViolenceGang-Related ViolenceGangsRacial Discrimination |
Author: Pitts, John Title: Reluctant Gangsters: Youth Gangs in Waltham Forest Summary: Aim I: Understanding: - To develop a clearer understanding of the sequence of events which led to the emergence of armed youth gangs in Waltham Forest - To develop a clearer understanding of gang structures and the functions performed by gang members at different levels - To develop a clearer understanding of the legal and illegal activities of gang members - To develop a clearer understanding of the impact of gangs upon: (a) Gang members (a) The families of gang members (b) 'Gang neighbourhoods' (c) Policing (d) The youth service (e) Schools and colleges (f) Young people's social services (g) Youth and adult criminal justice services Aim II: Analysis - To develop an analysis of the key factors precipitating the emergence of violent, armed, youth gangs in Waltham Forest - To develop an analysis of how these gangs are sustained, with a particular focus upon the role of narcotics and inter-gang rivalry - To develop an analysis of the functions, rewards and incentives associated with gang membership - To develop an analysis of 'gang careers', with a particular focus upon the factors precipitating onset and desistance from gang involvement - To test this analysis with relevant experts: Mr. Tim Bateman, Snr. Policy Officer Nacro Youth Crime Section Professor Andrew Cooper, The Tavistock Institute Professor John Hagedorn, University of Illinois at Chicago Professor Roger Matthews, London South Bank University - To test this analysis with the 'key informants', the interviewees, who provided the information on which it is based. Details: Bedfordshire, UK: University of Bedfordshire, 2007. 107p. Source: Internet Resource: accessed June 12, 2018 at: http://www.wfcw.org/docs/reluctant-gangsters.pdf Year: 2007 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://www.wfcw.org/docs/reluctant-gangsters.pdf Shelf Number: 110890 Keywords: Gang Violence Gang-Related ViolenceGangs Youth Gangs |
Author: Wolff, Michael Jerome Title: Community Policing the Brazilian Favela Summary: The adoption of ambitious Community Policing initiatives in Rio de Janeiro and Salvador over the last decade inspired hope among many police reformers that a new, more democratic paradigm of state-society relations might finally emerge in Brazil. Such was the allure of Community Policing (CP), a citizen-oriented policing philosophy that had been embraced in much of the Global North more than a decade earlier, and was now becoming entrenched in Latin America. As the form of Community Policing was modified to fit the sociopolitical context of the Brazilian slum, however, it took on characteristics more similar to counterinsurgency and peace keeping. As in peace keeping, the new initiatives led to immediate and dramatic reduction in lethal violence by deterring armed confrontation between rival gangs and between gangs and the police. Like counterinsurgency, however, their heavy-handed tactics are the source of deep tensions between the police and community members. Consequently, both its positive impact and its limitations have been far more pronounced than CP programs elsewhere. Ultimately, CP in Brazil suffers from an even greater flaw. Unable to replace the authority of locally embedded drug gangs, the police have largely resorted to sharing authority with them as a condition of keeping the peace. Details: s.l.: NORIA, 2018. 6p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed June 15, 2018 at: http://www.noria-research.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/NORIA__publi_11_juin_2018_EN.pdf Year: 2018 Country: Brazil URL: http://www.noria-research.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/NORIA__publi_11_juin_2018_EN.pdf Shelf Number: 150556 Keywords: Community Policing Favelas Gang Violence Gang-Related ViolencePolice-Citizen Interactions Police-Community Relations Slums |
Author: International Crisis Group Title: El Salvador's Politics of Perpetual Violence Summary: El Salvador, a small country in the isthmus of Central America, is wracked by an implacable strain of gang warfare. Exceptionally intense and persistent violence pits rival street gangs against one another and in opposition to the police and state. Formerly hailed for its smooth transition to democracy and for turning the two foes of its 1980s civil war into political forces competing vigorously yet peaceably for power, El Salvador once again is famed for its bloodletting. Its recent murder rates rank among the highest in the world and its jails are among the most overcrowded. For the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump, its main gang, the Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13), personifies the menace of undocumented immigration. Although the Salvadoran state has developed a series of strategies for violence prevention, its mainly repressive efforts over the past fifteen years have checked the influence of these alternative approaches. It should now implement plans to prevent crime, rehabilitate gang members and spur development in marginalised communities. Most urgently, El Salvador will require protection from the turbulence that U.S. mass deportations could provoke. The permanence of violence owes as much to the success as to the failings of the peace accords. The two former wartime foes have jostled for democratic supremacy, repeatedly using security policy for electoral purposes by seeking to satisfy public demand for mano dura (iron fist) against the gangs. Although government has changed hands, security methods have not altered: mass detentions and incarceration, as well as militarisation of policing, have become standard procedure whether under the rule of right-wing elites or former guerrillas. U.S. authorities have recently offered support to this approach, pledging to "dismantle" the MS-13. In private, however, high-level officials from across the country's political divide lament the harmful effects of this crackdown on over-stretched courts and front-line police. Blueprints geared to preventing the drift of young men from low-income neighbourhoods into gang life have been drafted: the government launched the most recent, the "Safe El Salvador" plan, as a holistic strategy to restore the state’s territorial control. But as violence soared after 2014 following the disintegration of a truce with the gangs, extreme measures of jail confinement and police raids have once again become the government's predominant methods to choke the gangs. Allegations of police brutality and extrajudicial executions have multiplied. Recent surveys suggest that veteran members of these gangs wish to cease the violence. However, the economic dead-end of El Salvador's urban outskirts – the country’s recent GDP growth rate of 1.9 per cent is among the lowest in Central America - continues to drive a supply of willing young recruits, and consolidate a rearguard of sympathisers dependent on income from the gangs' extortion schemes and other rackets. The reality and stigma of gang violence combine to block off alternative ways of life for those born into these communities, cutting years of schooling for young people in areas of high gang presence and alienating potential employers. Instead of succumbing to the state's offensive, gangs set up roadblocks in their neighbourhoods and impose their own law; their fight against security forces has claimed the lives of 45 police officers so far this year. The deadlock between a tarnished set of security policies and a gang phenomenon that thrives on the ostracism and contempt of mainstream Salvadoran society can only now be resolved by recasting the way the country treats its security dilemmas. Judicial and security institutions require careful reform to ensure resources are distributed to areas with the highest concentrations of violence, and used to boost intelligence-led policing that targets gang members committing the most serious crimes. Jail-based reinsertion schemes, and cooperation with diverse churches, NGOs and businesses that offer second chances to former gang members, must be strengthened to provide a legal framework for rehabilitation as well as material incentives for the gangs to eventually disband. Although the country’s main political parties and most of the public oppose any hint of negotiation with gangs, the reality in many poor areas is of constant daily encounters with these groups. Tolerance for these grassroots efforts, despite the existing legal restrictions on any contact with gangs, is essential to build the confidence that will be required for dialogue in the future. None of this will be easy, nor is it likely to be assisted by U.S. policy toward either gangs or Salvadoran immigrants. The potential cancellation of the rights to residency in the U.S. of 195,000 beneficiaries of the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) program threatens to overwhelm the Salvadoran state's capacity to accommodate returnees, not unlike the experience of the late 1990s when mass deportations of gang members from the U.S. to El Salvador exported the criminal capital that led to the lightning rise of the MS-13 and its main rival, the 18th Street gang. El Salvador is simply unprepared, economically and institutionally, to receive such an influx, or to handle their 192,700 U.S. children, many of them at the perfect age for recruitment or victimisation by gangs. At a time when levels of violence remain extraordinarily high, with exhaustion toward an unwinnable conflict voiced on both sides, the arrival of thousands of migrants back to their crime-affected homeland would impose huge strains. To escape its perpetual violence, El Salvador needs support, not the recurrence of past mistakes Details: Brussels: International Crisis Group, 2018. 46p. Source: Internet Resource: Latin America Report No. 64: July 30, 2018 at: https://d2071andvip0wj.cloudfront.net/064-el-salvador-s-politics-of-perpetual-violence.pdf Year: 2018 Country: El Salvador URL: https://d2071andvip0wj.cloudfront.net/064-el-salvador-s-politics-of-perpetual-violence.pdf Shelf Number: 150953 Keywords: Gang ViolenceGang-Related ViolenceGangsMara SalvatruchaMS-13Violent Crime |
Author: Valasik, Matthew A. Title: Summary: While violence across the United States has declined dramatically over the past two decades, gang-related crimes remain at unacceptably high rates, especially within the city of Los Angeles, America's gang capital. Gang-related crimes generally involve groups of individuals and have a strong territorial component, lending themselves to geographically targeted interventions. A strategy that has charmed law enforcement agencies with its ability to take advantage of both the social and spatial features of a gang is the civil gang injunction (CGI). Essentially, a CGI is a tailored restraining order against a gang, prohibiting its members from engaging in specific nuisance behaviors within a demarcated geographical region, termed a "safety-zone." Evaluations suggest that CGIs are effective at reducing serious crime and residents' fears; yet, CGIs remain a time-consuming and costly strategy with an unstudied mechanism for why they work. Do CGIs influence how gang members associate and where they hangout? And, more importantly, how do CGIs contribute to changes in gang violence? Using the framework of routine activities theory, this dissertation focuses on the relationship between CGIs, gang members' patterns of association and lethal violence. To address these questions I utilize two unique datasets: homicide case files and field identification (FI) cards gathered from the Hollenbeck Community Policing Area of the Los Angeles Police Department. My first chapter utilizes social network and spatial analyses to investigate the patterns of association among enjoined gang members at the individual- and group-level. I examine both the characteristics of enjoined gangs' social networks, ascertaining their influence in disrupting social ties, as well as examining the geographic characteristics of FIs to discern if enjoined gangs have changed the spatial patterns of their associations. My second chapter looks at both the homicide trends over the last decade and the disparities between non-gang and gang homicides, both enjoined and non-enjoined, to consider how CGIs influence the characteristics of violence. Lastly, in my third chapter I construct a turf-based spatial typology of gang homicide to investigate the impact that CGIs have on the mobility patterns of participants involved in gang-related homicides. If CGIs influence gangs' spatial patterns of association by discouraging members from congregating in public, then a CGI in theory shifts members' activity and travel patterns, suggesting that gang homicides involving enjoined gang members would experience a different mobility pattern than gang homicides involving only non-enjoined gang members. Results from this dissertation indicate that CGIs are able to influence the patterns of association of individual gang members, particularly in the short-run. Conversely, at the group level, enjoined gangs do not always respond as predicted by the rational of a CGI, with a gang's social network either being disrupted, with members' social ties losing connectedness, or a gang's social network converges, with members' social ties increasing in connectedness. It also appears that while CGIs are able to dislodge enjoined members from their gang's hangouts, a CGI actually constrains the overall mobility of enjoined gang members, reducing the likelihood that enjoined gang members are venturing outside of their gang's claimed turf. In relation to influencing the overall patterns of gang violence, the findings suggest that CGIs could be shifting enjoined gang homicides away from the street and into less public spaces, along with involving fewer suspects and victims. Results also indicate that the presence of CGIs in Hollenbeck has impacted the mobility patterns of participants who are involved in a gang homicide. Specifically, an increase in internal gang homicides and a reduction in predatory gang homicides were observed in the data. These findings are consistent with earlier results indicating that the mobility of an enjoined gang member is restricted by the presence of a CGI. Overall, the goal of this dissertation is to provide both scholars and criminal justice professionals with a better understanding of CGIs, and ascertain if they are an appropriate strategy to disrupt a gang's patterns of association and diminish their opportunities to participate in violent acts. Details: Irvine, CA: University of California at Irvine, 2014. 286p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed August 31, 2018 at: https://escholarship.org/content/qt2065d17s/qt2065d17s.pdf Year: 2014 Country: United States URL: https://escholarship.org/content/qt2065d17s/qt2065d17s.pdf Shelf Number: 151329 Keywords: Civil Gang InjunctionsGang ViolenceGang-Related ViolenceGangsHomicidesYouth Gangs |
Author: Kraus, Molly Title: CalGRIP 15-17: Final Evaluation Report Summary: The City of Los Angeles Mayor's Office of Gang Reduction and Youth Development (GRYD) oversees a multi-pronged Comprehensive Strategy that includes the gang prevention, gang intervention, and violence interruption activities which are the subject of this report. GRYD implemented a number of significant changes during the first year of the grant period including an updated mission statement which reflects the intention that individual, family, and community level change will over time impact gang membership and violence. In addition, service areas were expanded and shifted in order to provide more substantial coverage based on community needs. Evaluation efforts have also shifted to an integrated data and practice feedback loop in order to identify areas of success and opportunities for improvement in services. Overall, it appears that GRYD programming is meeting the specific goals and objective outlines for each components on a number of fronts. The key findings for each intervention for the January 1, 2015 through December 31, 2017 reporting period are presented below. GRYD Gang Prevention GRYD Prevention Services are intended to serve youth (ages 10-15) at high risk of gang joining and their families. It is important to note that youth in this category are not yet gang involved though they may exhibit some gang-related behaviors. In order to be found eligible for services, the Youth Services Eligibility Tool (YSET) is administered; youth determined to be high risk must meet or exceed preestablished thresholds on four or more of the attitudinal and behavioral scales included. YSET Eligible youth who enroll in Secondary Prevention receive a structured cycle of services broken into phases and completed over approximately six months. As clients progress through the program, YSET retests are conducted and other reassessment data collection is completed every 6 months at the end of each service cycle. A total 395 clients and their families were served during the reporting period. The primary goal for GRYD Prevention Services is to increase protective factors against gang joining among youth at high risk for gang membership by reducing risk factors related to gang membership, modifying behaviors such as those related to school performance and behavior at school or those that lead to arrests. Key findings included: GRYD Service Providers were successful in identifying and enrolling YSET eligible youth (82% of those found eligible from 2015 - 2017) into Secondary Prevention programming. Clients and their families were provided a large number of activities (12,578) and spent a substantial number of hours with both client and family during Individual Meetings (1,631 hrs.), Family Meetings (2,755 hrs.), and Group Activities (7,186 hrs.). At Cycle 1 reassessment, nearly all youth remained enrolled in school (98%); additionally, fewer youth had received disciplinary actions and fewer youth had been arrested while receiving services than in the months leading up to enrolling in GRYD programming. After 6 months, 51% of clients saw their level of risk according reduce far enough that they were no longer YSET eligible. Comparison of changes in YSET scale scores from YSET-I to YSET-R saw decreases (positive change) in nearly every measure and statistically significant reductions were observed in the areas of Antisocial Tendencies, Critical Life Events, Impulsive Risk Taking, Weak Parental Supervision, and Negative Peer Influence. In eight of the nine scales, clients who exited successfully from programming saw greater decreases than those who did not. Details: Los Angeles: California State University, Los Angeles, 2018. 39p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed September 4, 2018 at: http://www.bscc.ca.gov/downloads/Los%20Angeles%20CalGRIP%20REDACTED.PDF Year: 2018 Country: United States URL: http://www.bscc.ca.gov/downloads/Los%20Angeles%20CalGRIP%20REDACTED.PDF Shelf Number: 151331 Keywords: Gang PreventionGang ReductionGang-Related Violence Gangs Youth Gangs |
Author: Thomas, Kim Title: Being Resilient: Learning from community responses to gangs in Cape Town: Reflections from a Manenberg activist Summary: South Africa, which has long experienced an exceptionally high rate of violent crime, has seen a worrying increase in the murder rate in recent years. Cape Town, which has the highest murder rate of all the country's major cities, has experienced the sharpest increase, with a murder rate of 69 per 100 000 (2018 figures). Manenberg, one apartheid-era Cape Town suburb of many crippled by gang control and violence, has a staggeringly high murder rate, however, of 108 per 100 000. This is comparable to some of the most violent cities anywhere in the world.The extremely high murder rate is largely attributable to gang-related violence. More than 10 large gangs and about 40 smaller ones are thought to operate in Manenberg, an urban area of only 3.35 square kilometres. The neighbourhood is also home to some of Cape Town's most notorious and violent gangs. These gangs introduced drugs and violence on a level that the community had never experienced before.This case study on Manenberg, which focuses in particular on the experiences of one activist organization that works in the community there, forms part of the Global Initiative's broader Resilience Project (#GIresilience Project). It focuses on Manenberg, not only because the area has long been notorious for its gang violence, but also because it is a community that stands out as a sterling example of activism and community resilience in the face of the huge levels of violence it lives with and negotiates on a daily basis. The document, however, not only looks at Manenberg as a case of extreme violence, and at one NGO's efforts to build up resilience to it - it is also intended as a practical toolkit for those who wish to replicate the resilience model in the face of violent organized crime elsewhere. People living in communities ravaged by violent crime face complex challenges and building community resilience is increasingly being shown to be an important part of the overall response mechanism.In particular, this toolkit incorporates lessons learnt from the Manenberg Safety Forum. As such, it offers practical, transferrable advice tips that can provide guidance to any organization looking to replicate the Manenberg Safety Forum's resilience initiatives and develop a set of guidelines to help establish and sustain resilience in other contexts threatened by high levels of criminality. Details: Geneva, SWIT: Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime, 2018. 23p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed February 22, 2019 at: https://globalinitiative.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/TGIATOC-ManenburgWeb-FA.pdf Year: 2018 Country: South Africa URL: https://globalinitiative.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/TGIATOC-ManenburgWeb-FA.pdf Shelf Number: 154729 Keywords: Gang Violence Gang-Related ViolenceGangs Homicides Murders Organized Crime Violent Crime |
Author: Davies, Tom Title: Group Violence Intervention London: An Evaluation of the Shield Pilot Summary: Gang, group and serious street orientated violence continue to be a significant problem in London, demanding innovative and collaborative solutions. In June 2014, at MOPAC's Policing Global Cities: Gangs Summit, Professor David Kennedy delivered a keynote speech outlining the Group Violence Intervention (GVI) approach he developed in Boston during the 1990's (known as 'Ceasefire'). Professor Kennedy was subsequently invited by MPS Trident to deliver a two day 'Ceasefire University' in the GVI model. As a result, the MOPAC Evidence and Insight team, with input from MPS central intelligence, undertook analysis using crime and social demographic data to develop a comprehensive borough level picture on gang and youth violence. The analysis was used to identify potential pilot boroughs with whom MOPAC initially engaged in dialogue, and this was followed up with senior level meetings with Lambeth, Haringey, Westminster, Hackney and Newham between August and October of 2014. Agreement followed from these meetings to proceed with Lambeth, Haringey, and Westminster. In selecting the three boroughs MOPAC recognised the strength of their community safety partnerships and willingness to trial the Group Violence Intervention approach. To this end, Shield - an adaptation of the Group Violence Intervention (GVI) strategy - was developed as a pilot programme and rolled out in three boroughs (Lambeth, Westminster and Haringey). This report presents learning from the evaluation covering performance, process (i.e. implementation challenges and benefits), and impact. Details: London: Mayor of London, Office for Policing and Crime, 2016. 36p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed March 13, 2019 at: https://www.london.gov.uk/sites/default/files/gvi_london_evaluation270117.pdf Year: 2016 Country: United Kingdom URL: https://www.london.gov.uk/sites/default/files/gvi_london_evaluation270117.pdf Shelf Number: 154949 Keywords: GangGang-Related ViolenceGroup ViolenceViolenceViolence PreventionViolent CrimeYouth Violence |
Author: Jury-Dada, Samantha Title: Girls, gangs and their abusive relationships Summary: Rarely a day goes by in the UK without the news cycle featuring at least one heartbreaking story of a young person suffering the consequence of gang violence in our major cities. Often, the victims are young boys and the weapon of choice is nearly always a knife. Lost in the debate is the fact that most the strategies put forward are gendered and targeted at young males. The consideration of young women and girls associated with these men is often secondary for decision makers. By ignoring them, they remain invisible to authorities and in turn services are not being commissioned to support them. This makes it easier for those who are exploiting them. Identifying women and girls through the criminal justice system -- The women and girls associated with gang members are invisible to services. Firstly, because they do not want to be seen. Secondly, because of police culture. There is a culture in the police to not acknowledge women and girls or their risk. This is evident in the USA and in the UK. This is serious as intervention services are being commissioned based on flawed data. Los Angeles have at least 40% of their gang intervention and prevention services attended by females, demonstrating best practice on effectively targeting women and girls. Details: London: Winston Churchill Memorial Trust, 2018. 39p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed March 26, 2019 at: https://www.wcmt.org.uk/sites/default/files/report-documents/Jury-Dada%20S%202018%20Final.pdf Year: 2018 Country: United Kingdom URL: https://www.wcmt.org.uk/sites/default/files/report-documents/Jury-Dada%20S%202018%20Final.pdf Shelf Number: 155167 Keywords: Female Gang Members Gang Violence Gang-Related ViolenceGangs Violence Against Women |
Author: Children's Commissioner for England Title: Keeping kids safe: Improving safeguarding responses to gang violence and criminal exploitation Summary: This report draws on the following work undertaken by the Children's Commissioner and her team over the past 12 months: - An extensive programme of engagement with children, their families and the professionals working with them in a range of settings including schools and alternative provision, gang diversion programmes, youth custody and family support programmes. - A bespoke data collection from every Youth Offending Team (YOT) in England asking about the children they are working with and their characteristics. This information provides the biggest sample of known gang members in England currently available. - A statutory data request made to the Chair of Local Safeguarding Boards in 25 areas with high levels of suspected gang activity, asking about the information they hold in relation to children and gangs in their local areas. - A bespoke analysis of the ONS British Crime Survey enabling us to examine the characteristics of self-identifying gang members and those in close proximity to them. - Examination of data collected in relation to children's services, schools and education, policing and children's services relating to known or suspected gang activity. - Learning from the Serious Case Reviews conducted when a child has died as a result of gang violence. - Learning from existing research conducted into gangs and child exploitation including joint research from Ofsted, HM Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS), the Care Quality Commission (CQC) and HM Inspectorate of Prisons (HMIP); as well as reports from the Early Intervention Foundation and the Local Government Association, cross-referenced with data collected as part of the Children's Commissioner's Vulnerability Framework to enable us to develop a detailed portrait of the children at risk of gangs in England. Details: London: Author, 2019. 39p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 2, 2019 at: https://www.childrenscommissioner.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/CCO-Gangs.pdf Year: 2019 Country: United Kingdom URL: https://www.childrenscommissioner.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/CCO-Gangs.pdf Shelf Number: 155601 Keywords: Child ExploitationGang ViolenceGang-Related ViolenceGangsYouth Gangs |