Transcript Document
Youth Gang Investigations Chapter 15 Criminal Investigation, 7th Edition By James N. Gilbert PRENTICE HALL ©2007 Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458 Overview The Growing Problem Drugs, Firearms, and Gangs Investigation Methods Review Questions Opportunity for Student Questions Criminal Investigation, 7th Edition By James N. Gilbert PRENTICE HALL ©2007 Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458 Learning Objectives Understand how and why gangs are a growing crime problem Know the four elements that define a street youth gang Discuss the connection of drugs and firearms to street gangs Describe the motivations for joining a youth gang Understand the various investigative methods commonly employed against violent youth gangs Criminal Investigation, 7th Edition By James N. Gilbert PRENTICE HALL ©2007 Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458 Youth Gangs Youth gangs are often referred to as street gangs The Chicago Police Department defines a street gang as an association of youthful individuals, generally ranging in age from 13 to early 20s who exhibit the following characteristics: – – – – A gang name and recognizable symbols A defined geographic territory Regular meeting patterns An organized, continuous course of criminality Criminal Investigation, 7th Edition By James N. Gilbert PRENTICE HALL ©2007 Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458 Gang Prevalence in the U.S. The National Institute of Justice documented – Gangs are a formidable problem in both large and small cities – Nearly 846,000 members belong to more than 31,000 gangs in 5,000 jurisdictions – Youth crime has increased dramatically in the last two decades – 2.3 million juveniles were arrested in 1995, a 175% increase since 1975 DOJ reported – Juveniles commit 20% of all violent crime – The rate is far out of proportion to their numbers Criminal Investigation, 7th Edition By James N. Gilbert PRENTICE HALL ©2007 Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458 Offender Characteristics The majority of youth gang members are black or Hispanic The proportion of white and female involvement is increasing Recently, gangs have begun to reflect Central and South American, Asian, and Jamaican populations The vast majority of members are male (90%) Criminal Investigation, 7th Edition By James N. Gilbert PRENTICE HALL ©2007 Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458 Offender Characteristics (continued) 71% of members are age 15 to 24 16% are under 15 years of age Only 13% are over 24 years old Criminal Investigation, 7th Edition By James N. Gilbert PRENTICE HALL ©2007 Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458 Offender Characteristics By Race Hispanic African American Caucasian Asian Criminal Investigation, 7th Edition By James N. Gilbert 44% 35% 14% 5% PRENTICE HALL ©2007 Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458 The Making of a Gang Member One study showed that every gang leader had left school prematurely and most were expelled for assaultive behavior In most large cities, gang membership is multigenerational – Father was a gang member – Older brother is a member Criminal Investigation, 7th Edition By James N. Gilbert PRENTICE HALL ©2007 Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458 The Making of a Gang Member (continued) There is also informal social and family recruitment that is reinforced through incarceration in local jails or prison Intimidation plays a role in 20% of gang recruitment Most gang affiliation is through: – Family – Friends – Drug-dealing activities Criminal Investigation, 7th Edition By James N. Gilbert PRENTICE HALL ©2007 Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458 Female Gang Members Females may be found as auxiliary branch members of exclusive male gangs They may form fully autonomous organizations Surveys indicate that at least 100 girl gangs are operating in the U.S. Females compromise 10% of gang membership There are an estimated 84,000 girls in gangs Criminal Investigation, 7th Edition By James N. Gilbert PRENTICE HALL ©2007 Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458 Female Gang Members (continued) Female gangs are typically structured to resemble male groups with similar: – Initiations – Meetings – Associated criminality Female gang members appear to have three behavioral constants in their backgrounds – Early sexual activity – Delinquency – Strong susceptibility to peer pressure Criminal Investigation, 7th Edition By James N. Gilbert PRENTICE HALL ©2007 Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458 Four Elements of Social Hierarchy Found in Gangs Founding members – Referred to as original gangsters – Are held in high esteem Hard-core members – Generally, these members are 16 ̶ 24 years of age – Totally dedicated to the gang New members – Referred to commonly as baby gangsters – Range in age from 12 to 16 years old Street lookouts – Known sometimes as tiny gangsters Criminal Investigation, 7th Edition By James N. Gilbert PRENTICE HALL ©2007 Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458 Gang Crime Patterns Homicides and other violent crimes account for nearly 50% of all recorded gang-related crime incidents Other common crimes include: – – – – – Narcotics Shootings Assaults and robbery Extortion Terrorizing entire neighborhoods Criminal Investigation, 7th Edition By James N. Gilbert PRENTICE HALL ©2007 Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458 Gangs and Drug Dealing Approximately 10% of gang-related crime is dedicated to drug dealing A distinguishing characteristic of gangs is the using and selling of crack cocaine and methamphetamine – At least half of all crack cocaine sold in the U.S. is trafficked by gangs – Youth gangs also distribute large quantities of meth and other drugs as well – 56% of all arrests involving Chicago’s oldest African-American street gang–the Vice Lords–are for drug dealing or possession As gangs distribute more narcotics, they approach the distinction of being termed an organized crime group Criminal Investigation, 7th Edition By James N. Gilbert PRENTICE HALL ©2007 Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458 Gangs and Homicide DOJ estimates that nearly 1,100 gang-related killings occur each year One of every 21 homicide victimizations is gang related The new street gang is far more focused on deadly violence Homicides are often committed using the drive-by Gang retaliations are a common motive Higher homicide rates are attributed to: – Drug dealing – More lethal weaponry – Frequent drive-by homicides Criminal Investigation, 7th Edition By James N. Gilbert PRENTICE HALL ©2007 Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458 Gangs and Associated Violence Gangs are responsible for expressive violence – Destructive behavior – No practical purpose (it is violence for the sake of violence) Random beatings Arson Auto theft Frequent use of firearms Criminal Investigation, 7th Edition By James N. Gilbert PRENTICE HALL ©2007 Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458 Gang Graffiti Gangs create staggering amounts of graffiti •Made by taggers or tagging crews •High-tech tagging is rapidly spreading Criminal Investigation, 7th Edition By James N. Gilbert PRENTICE HALL ©2007 Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458 Investigative Procedures There are two basic investigative responses to gang crime – Reactive ̶ investigated after the crime has been committed Traditional investigations – Proactive ̶ the attempt to interrupt crime prior to it being consummated Undercover operations Using informants Community policing strategies Criminal activity needs to be sorted into gangrelated and non-gang-related activity by law enforcement in order to determine the correct investigative strategy Criminal Investigation, 7th Edition By James N. Gilbert PRENTICE HALL ©2007 Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458 Determining if an Incident is Gang-Related–Eight Criteria 1. 2. 3. 4. Identification–Crimes that stem from the significance a gang places on certain symbols (hand signs, language, graffiti) Recruitment–Offenses related to recruiting gang members Extortion–Efforts to exact payments Territory violations–Crimes committed to guard a gang’s turf or to disrespect another’s territory Criminal Investigation, 7th Edition By James N. Gilbert PRENTICE HALL ©2007 Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458 Determining if an Incident is Gang-Related–Eight Criteria (continued) 5. 6. 7. 8. Prestige–Crimes committed either to glorify the gang or to gain rank or peer status Internal conflict–Offenses that result from internal conflicts or power struggles Vice–Offenses typically involving the distribution of drugs (cocaine, crack, meth, PCP, or heroin), gambling, or prostitution Retaliation–Criminal acts of revenge for real or imagined insults Criminal Investigation, 7th Edition By James N. Gilbert PRENTICE HALL ©2007 Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458 Three Types of Gang-Infested High-Crime Neighborhoods Turf hot spots – Neighborhoods in which fights frequently occur over territorial boundaries – Intergang rivalries exist for territory Drug hot spots – Areas in which gang-motivated drug crimes predominate – Assaults and homicides related to narcotic deals are common – There is heavy traffic from outside the neighborhood Combination neighborhoods – Gang-motivated crime often includes both turf and drug criminality Criminal Investigation, 7th Edition By James N. Gilbert PRENTICE HALL ©2007 Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458 Neighborhood Classifications and Investigative Strategy First, investigators must classify the neighborhood Depending upon the classification, different strategies can be employed – Turf hot spots require officers to conduct frequent field interviews to located concealed weapons ̶ the stop and frisk is effective – Drug hot spots require standard anti-drug investigation tactics (informants, UC buys, and buy busts) – Combination areas require a combination of investigative activity Criminal Investigation, 7th Edition By James N. Gilbert PRENTICE HALL ©2007 Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458 Investigative Procedures: Gang Units Comprised of volunteer officers Receive special training – – – – Gang recognition Graffiti reading/interpretation Hand signs Clothing Team up with specially-assigned prosecuting attorneys to handle gang cases Criminal Investigation, 7th Edition By James N. Gilbert PRENTICE HALL ©2007 Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458 Gang Crime Investigative Procedures: Using Computers Computer programs are used to track gangs Computers are designed to search for and identify gang members and gang crimes Computers use partial identifies such as: – – – – – – – Nicknames Gang tattoos Aliases Dates of birth Residences Scars Probation/parole status Criminal Investigation, 7th Edition By James N. Gilbert PRENTICE HALL ©2007 Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458 Prosecution Issues: Witness Reluctance Often extraordinary measures are necessary to protect witnesses in gang cases Threats and retaliation is a reality–causing fear One survey showed that 90% of prosecutors in large cities and 74% in small jurisdictions agreed that obtaining the cooperation of victims and witnesses is one of their most significant problems Another complicating factor is that many victims and witnesses are gang members themselves Criminal Investigation, 7th Edition By James N. Gilbert PRENTICE HALL ©2007 Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458 Review Questions 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. How does the Chicago Police Department defines a street gang? List five offender characteristics of a youth gang member. According to one study, what is common to all gang leaders in terms of educational history? How many ‘girl-gangs’ operate in the U.S.? What is the percentage of female gang membership compared to all gang members? Describe the social hierarchy found in gangs. Compare and contrast proactive and reactive investigative processes. Identify the eight criteria that helps to identify if a criminal incident is gang-related. Describe the three types of gang neighborhoods. Why are victims and witnesses of crime (especially gang-related) reluctant to cooperate with police and prosecutors? Criminal Investigation, 7th Edition By James N. Gilbert PRENTICE HALL ©2007 Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458 Student Questions Criminal Investigation, 7th Edition By James N. Gilbert PRENTICE HALL ©2007 Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458