Combating Gangs by Lisa A. Regini
Many complex constitutional issues must be considered when loitering ordinances and injunctions are used to combat gang activity. To combat the escalation of crime, especially the problems presented by criminal street gangs, many policy makers in the law enforcement community have turned to innovative strategies, such as civil injunctions and new ways to use old statutory provisions.
The following document is in pdf format. Source: FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin. http://www.fbi.gov/publications/leb/1998/febleb.pdf

National Evaluation of the Youth Firearms Violence Initiative by Terence Dunworth
The national evaluation of the Youth Firearms Violence Initiative (YFVI) is a program initiated by the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) to combat the rise of juvenile firearms violence. COPS provided up to $1 million to 10 participating cities to fund interventions that employed community policing approaches to decrease the number of violent firearms crimes committed by youths, including gang- and drug-related offenses.
The following document is in pdf format. Source: National Institute of Justice: Research in Brief. http://www.ncjrs.org/pdffiles1/nij/184482.pdf

Criminal Behavior of Gang Members and At-Risk Youths by C. Ronald Huff
During the past decade, the problem of gang-related crime has become a significant policy issue in the United States. According to recent estimates, more than 16,000 gangs are active in this country, with at least half a million members who commit more than 600,000 crimes each year.
The following document is in pdf format. Source: National Institute of Justice: Research in Brief. http://www.ncjrs.org/pdffiles/fs000190.pdf

Female Gangs: A Focus on Research by Joan Moore and John Hagedorn
Gangs are studied because they are of social concern. That concern stems from typically "masculine" acts of vandalism, violence, and other serious threats. For many years, female gangs were regarded simply as satellites of male gangs and rigorous research to better understand them was rarely undertaken. Part of OJJDP's Youth Gang Series, this bulletin represents a step toward rectifying the deficiencies of prior research.
The following document is in pdf format. Source: Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.
http://www.ncjrs.org/pdffiles1/ojjdp/186159.pdf

Urban Street Gang Enforcement by U.S. Department of Justice and National Institute of Justice
According to the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) of the U.S. Department of Justice, law enforcement agencies in the United States are confronted with the presence of more than 4,800 gangs and 250,000 gang members. To help law enforcement agencies combat this menace, this monograph presents a program model, or prototype, for urban street gang enforcement that applies whether or not a police department or prosecutor's office that wishes to implement the model has a specialized gang enforcement unit.
The following document is in pdf format. Source: Bureau of Justice Assistance. http://www.ncjrs.org/pdffiles/161845.pdf

Youth Gang Programs and Strategies by James C. Howell
Youth gang problems have grown significantly in the past 25 years. During this period, both the number of cities with reported youth gang problems and the number of gang members have increased nearly seven times, while the estimated number of youth gangs has increased more than 10 times. Despite recent progress in preventing involvement in gangs during childhood and adolescence and in reducing serious and violent gang crime, the complexity of the youth gang problem defies an easy solution or single strategy. Current knowledge about which programs are effective in preventing and reducing youth gang problems is limited.
The following document is in pdf format. Source: Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.
http://www.ncjrs.org/pdffiles1/ojjdp/171154.pdf

Addressing Community Gang Problems: A Model for Problem Solving by The Bureau of Justice Assistance
Urban street gang involvement in drug trafficking and violent crime is becoming increasingly widespread--not just in large cities, but in suburban areas and small towns as well. This monograph has identified four barriers to addressing gang problems--difficulties in defining gang problems, forming successful collaborations, discerning the difference between ends and means, and determining impact. http://www.ncjrs.org/txtfiles/156059.txt

Gang Members on the Move by Cheryl L. Maxson
In recent years, local government officials, law enforcement officers, and community organizations have witnessed the emergence and growth of gangs in U.S. cities once thought to be immune to the crime and violence associated with street gangs in large metropolitan areas. The surveys used to collect data relied heavily on law enforcement as a source of information. A logical next step would involve using an array of informants, including courts, schools, and social service providers in addition to community residents and gang members.
http://www.ojjdp.ncjrs.org/jjbulletin/9810_1/contents.html

Gang Membership, Delinquent Peers, and Delinquent Behavior
Gang membership intensifies delinquent behavior. From the earliest to the most recent investigations, criminologists have consistently found that, when compared with youth who do not belong to gangs, gang members are far more involved in delinquency, especially serious and violent delinquency. Although research has consistently found that gang members are more involved in serious and violent delinquent offenses than nonmembers, the effect of belonging to a gang has not been separated from the effect of simply associating with delinquent peers. http://www.ojjdp.ncjrs.org/jjbulletin/9810_2/contents.html

Highlights of the 1999 National Youth Gang Survey by Arlen Egley, Jr.
The 1999 National Youth Gang Survey is the fifth annual gang survey conducted since 1995 by the National Youth Gang Center (NYGC). Results from the 1999 National Youth Gang Survey suggest that the youth gang problem continues to be widespread and substantial across the United States. http://www.ncjrs.org/txtfiles1/ojjdp/fs200020.txt

Preventing Adolescent Gang Involvement by The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention
The proliferation of youth gangs since 1980 has fueled the public's fear and magnified possible misconceptions about youth gangs. To address the mounting concern about youth gangs, the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention's (OJJDP's) Youth Gang Series delves into many of the key issues related to youth gangs. In regard to primary prevention, three facts are particularly salient. First, gang formation is not restricted to urban, underclass areas. Second, gang members come from a variety of backgrounds. Third, once juveniles join a gang, they engage in high levels of criminal activity.
http://www.ncjrs.org/html/ojjdp/2000_9_2/contents.html

Youth Gang Drug Trafficking by The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention
The combination of gangs and drugs has loomed for years as a particularly threatening aspect of the gang problem. Until quite recently, however, we lacked the data necessary for a clear understanding of the nature and complexity of youth gangs and their involvement with drug trafficking. http://www.ncjrs.org/html/ojjdp/9912_4/contents.html

Safe Streets Task Force: Cooperation Gets Results by David M Allender
Formed in 1992 to combat gangs and violence, the Safe Streets Task Force comprised of state and local law enforcement officers and FBI agents, operate in many cities throughout the United States. The investigation into a violent criminal street gang known as the New Breed in Indianapolis illustrates how cooperative efforts of the Safe Streets Task Force concept can get results. In all, a skillful blending of resources enabled law enforcement to remove a large number of violent criminal street gang members from the Indianapolis area.
The following document is in pdf format. Source: FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin. http://www.fbi.gov/publications/leb/2001/mar01leb.pdf

Gang Congregation Ordinance: Supreme Court Invalidation by Daniel L. Schofield, S.J.D.
In City of Chicago v. Morales, the U.S. Supreme Court held by a 6-3 vote that Chicago's Gang Congregation Ordinance is unconstitutional. Understanding the law enforcement implications of Morales, is complicated because the decision includes six separate opinions. This article begins with a description of the ordinance, then summarizes the views of the justices, and assesses the likely impact of the decision.
The following document is in pdf format. Source: FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin. http://www.fbi.gov/publications/leb/1999/sept99leb.pdf

Gangs in Middle America: Are They a Threat? by David M. Allender
An examination of gang history, gang migration, and gang structure, along with the efforts of law enforcement to combat and prevent gangs may provide some answers to the question "Has increased reporting of gang incidents had the effect of making it appear that gang activity is on the rise?" In addition, a review of Indianapolis, Indiana's experience with gangs illustrates how a "big small town" in the heart of the U.S. can become a target for gangs from other areas of the country.
The following document is in pdf format. Source: FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin. http://www.fbi.gov/publications/leb/2001/dec01leb.pdf