NCJ Number
238594
Date Published
December 2011
Length
7 pages
Annotation
This report reviews the North Carolina law passed in 2008 to address the challenge of youth street gangs, along with the gang-related initiatives promoted by the State's Department of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (DJJDP), and DJJDP's data on gang member characteristics are presented.
Abstract
North Carolina's Street Gang Prevention and Intervention Act were enacted in 2008. Its mandates include reliance on the Juvenile Crime Prevention Council (JCPC) bodies statewide to assess and manage youth involved in gangs and/or at high risk for becoming delinquent. Other mandates are to establish community-based alternatives to detention and custodial commitment, as well as to conduct a joint study of youth gangs by the State's Department of Public Instruction (DPI) and the DJJCP. The findings of the joint study, which was completed in December 2008, raised concerns about the high prevalence of gang members/associates and the lack of gang-oriented programs statewide. Specifically, the joint study found significant levels of gang activity, crime, and violence in and around schools; the lack of gang-specific training/awareness for school personnel, community residents, and parents; and gaps in services for youth involved in gangs or at risk of joining gangs. There was determined to be a lack of family therapy/home-based family interventions; parent training/education; alternatives to school suspension; dropout prevention programming; and substance abuse treatment. The DJJDP urges that the Governor's Gang Task Force recommend to the State's General Assembly that the 2012 State budget continue funding of the Community-Based Youth Gang Violence Prevention Project and the Gang Prevention and Intervention Pilot Project. These efforts focus on the development and implementation of evidence-based programs and practices in the places where community gang assessments showed serious gang problems. Preliminary data suggest these gang initiatives show promise in combating youth gang involvement in the State. Tables and figures