Transaction Search Form: please type in any of the fields below.
Date: April 30, 2024 Tue
Time: 1:57 am
Time: 1:57 am
Results for gangs (madison, wi)
1 results foundAuthor: Dane County (Wisconsin). Enhanced Youth Gang Prevention Task Force Title: Dane County Enhanced Youth Gang Prevention Task Force: Final Report Summary: This report represents the collective work of a highly committed group of community volunteers who care deeply about Dane County, our community. It reflects the concerns of the Enhanced Gang Task Force for the plight of a large segment of our youth population who face difficult challenges and significant risks to their future and to the well being of our community. Gangs, crime and poverty are the underlying causes for these challenges—and these issues represent only the tip of the iceberg among factors affecting our youth. Poor academic achievement and limited job opportunities coupled with high incarceration rates for minority youth are causing significant and long-term damage to their lives and to the quality of life in our community. We are all too familiar with the state of gang violence in our larger urban centers. But make no mistake, gangs and crime impact all segments of our community as was evident in the gang-related shootings in the City of Oregon in 2005. In this case, a group of young men and women set aside their racial, ethnic and class differences and united as a gang to commit a serious crime. Gangs have steadily moved into mid-size cities such as Madison and gang activity is reported in Sun Prairie, Stoughton, Middleton and in many other communities. The root causes are similar in all cases—a lack of opportunities for youth, access to weapons, peer pressure and a demonstrated willingness to resort to violence at the slightest provocation. Clearly, not all youth crime is caused by gangs. But gangs are prevalent in our community and in our schools and they are increasingly responsible for the crime and violence that impacts the perception of safety in our neighborhoods. Law enforcement officials indicate that there are over 30 active gangs in Dane County, including several girl gangs. A recent survey of young adults and youth involved in the Dane County juvenile and adult court systems indicates that 32% of respondents report being current or former gang members. The question is not whether our community has a gang problem, the question is what can we do about it and do we have the willingness to confront the problem and dedicate the appropriate resources to address it? As a community we have an obligation to nurture and to provide for our children. All of us have a stake in the outcome of the recommendations made by this Task Force. If we fail to move on them, the entire community will suffer. The recommendations presented to you reflect the belief that no single strategy will work. If we rely solely or too heavily on law enforcement to solve this problem, we are sure to fail. The Task Force strongly proposes a comprehensive, community based strategy that addresses the needs of families as well as those of our youth. They are grouped into the following categories: Basic Needs, Prevention, Education, Employment Development, Faith Communities, Public Safety and Re-Entry from Incarceration. Details: Madison, WI: Dane County Department of Human Services, 2007. 96p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed September 13, 2010 at: http://www.danecountyhumanservices.org/pdf/gang_task_force_report.pdf Year: 2007 Country: United States URL: http://www.danecountyhumanservices.org/pdf/gang_task_force_report.pdf Shelf Number: 119784 Keywords: Gang PreventionGang ViolenceGangs (Madison, WI)Juvenile OffendersYouth Gangs |