Best Practices To Address Community Gang Problems: OJJDP's Comprehensive Gang Model (Second Edition)

• NCJ Number: 231200
• Date Published: October 2010
• Length: 63 pages
• Grant Number(s): 2007– JV– FX– 0008
• Agencies: OJJDP
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)

Annotation

This report provides guidance for communities that are considering how best to address a youth gang problem that already exists or threatens to become a reality.

Abstract

Communities considering implementing the Comprehensive Gang Model (Model) will find effective guidance based on the implementation of this Model. Developed through the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), this Model was tested in OJJDP's Gang Reduction Program. Addressed in this publication are specific practices that work best in a step-by-step planning and implementation process for communities using the Comprehensive Gang Model's framework and tools. Also described is the research from which the model was developed. This report provides the essential findings from evaluations of several programs from across the country which implemented the Model. Highlights from a survey are included as well as notes from a meeting of practitioners whose experiences in implementing the Model within a variety of environments are outlined in detail. The Model and best practices contain critical elements that distinguish it from typical program approaches to gangs. The key distinguishing feature is a strategic planning process that empowers communities to assess their own gang problems and fashion a complement of anti-gang strategies and program activities. Community leaders considering this Model will be able to download the OJJDP Strategic Planning Tool at no cost. Additionally, OJJDP's Socioeconomic Mapping and Resource Topography (SMART) system is another online resource also available through the OJJDP Web site. Tables, notes, references, and appendixes