This study looks at how Civil Gang Injunctions (CGIs) affected gang violence in Los Angeles over a 16-year period from 1998 to 2013. CGIs are court orders that limit gang members' activities with the aim to reduce violence and conflict. CGI restrictions can include setting curfews, creating designated neutral/safe zones, prohibiting free movement, and restricting social activities. Despite their use, little is known about CGIs impact on reducing violence and conflict across gangs and within the neighborhoods where they exist. To address this knowledge gap, the study examined 986 prosecuted violent crime cases involving 328 known gangs and crime groups, comparing violence patterns before and after CGIs were used. Most enjoined cases involved criminal charges of murder or attempted murder (77%), robbery (12%), or assault (9%). Guns were used in 91% of cases, and young people under 21 years old were involved in 53%. This research employed advanced social network analysis techniques to examine changes in violence patterns at both gang group- and neighborhood-levels by linking defendants and codefendants to victims. The study compared pre- and post-injunction networks of violence across four phases of CGI implementation periods from 1998-2001, 2002-2005, 2006-2009, and 2010-2013. Key findings from the study revealed that gangs had an overall low cohesion with only 3.4% of groups connected by violence. However, conflicts between gangs become more complex and dynamic after CGIs were used. That is, new conflicts arose between groups after CGIs had been imposed. Higher levels of competitive dominance and aggression were associated with inter-group violence crossing racial/ethnic boundaries, meaning that more violence occurred between gangs from different races or ethnicities after CGIs had been imposed. Further, young people were often involved in adult gang conflicts, raising concerns about the long-term implications of gang violence on younger populations. The study has crime prevention policy implications that at a high level suggest CGI stipulations should be tailored to within- and across-group dynamics rather than using a "one-size-fits-all" approach. Doing so lends support to a focused-deterrence approach to gang violence intervention and individualized support to desist from gang involvement. Future use of CGIs should focus on groups that have the most influence in causing conflicts. The findings shed light on inter-gang violence across racial/ethnic divisions and youth involvement in adult violence networks, emphasizing the need for improved interagency cooperation across government systems, like schools and civil child welfare/protective civil system. Further, by using adjudicated cases, the study provides a more comprehensive understanding of how prosecutorial efforts and court processes may affect gang violence. The application of social network science methods to investigate gang violence connections demonstrates its utility to better understand dynamic gang conflict and community patterns of violence.
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