Violent Crime - The Diversification Of Gangs

Presence of Gangs in Schools by Residential Area, 1989 and 1995

Finding reliable data that measures and quantifies organizations that live outside of the normal bounds of society is a tricky matter. Youth gangs, often called street gangs, are no exception. Estimates about membership in youth gangs vary widely. The U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics estimates that in 1998 there were 28,700 youth gangs with 780,000 members across the nation.

Not all gangs are involved in criminal activities and membership in them rises and falls over time. Nonetheless, many gangs are involved in drug trafficking, car theft rings, loan sharking, larceny, or extortion. Even gangs not directly involved in such undertakings are usually governed by norms that support the explicit use of violence to settle disputes.

The graph presents data from a special supplement to the annual survey conducted by the U.S. Justice Department, the National Crime Victimization Survey. In both 1989 and 1995, special questions were added to the survey by way of assessing youth gang prevalence nation wide. Students between the ages of 12 and 19 were asked whether they were aware of a street gang presence in their schools. The responses for both years and by residential area are charted. For example, 14% of suburban children in 1989 claimed a gang presence in their schools. By 1995 that figure had increased by 88% to 26.3%.

Youth gangs have traditionally been racially and ethnically segregated, located in large urban centers, and associated with violent activity. This profile is changing.

In all three residential settings presented in the graph — central cities, suburbs and non-metropolitan areas — the presence of gang members in schools increased sharply over the period 1989 to 1995. Not surprisingly gang presence in city centers grew at the slowest pace, although a growth rate of 64% can hardly be considered slow. Gangs were already present in great numbers in urban centers when the first survey results were collected. Their presence in suburban and non metropolitan areas was much smaller and thus offered greater growth "opportunities" for new gangs and for expansion of existing gangs into new territories.

Presence of Gangs in Schools by Race and Ethnicity, 1989 and 1995

As youth gangs spread beyond their traditional settings, their demographic make-up is also changing. Gang presence in schools differs by race and ethnicity. As can be seen in the small graph, Hispanics have the highest rates of gang participation and have for some time now. This follows a pattern seen throughout U.S. history. New immigrant groups that enter the United States often flock to the same area and in short order form gang like organizations. Some of the early ones include the Irish gangs of the mid-1800s with names like Whyos, Dead Rabbits, and Plug Uglies. In New York City the Monk Eastman Gang, made up primarily of Jewish immigrants, terrorized the streets during the late 1800s. Among the Monk Eastman Gang's rivals were the newly forming Italian gangs, like the Five Point Gang. This group roamed the streets of New York before expanding to Chicago where one of its most infamous members ended up running the show. That was Al "Scarface" Capone.

By the 1940s and 50s the Hispanic gangs began to grow in number and strength. They tended to be centered in the west and in Chicago. As these gangs grew to control large areas of Los Angeles and Chicago, black gangs began to form. This brings us to the 1970s, to a thriving drug market supported by the large Baby Boom generation, and to the war on drugs.

As we saw in the previous panel, the 1980s and 1990s saw an enormous proliferation of youth gangs. It also saw the development of what are now called "Super Gangs." These are gangs that have expanded into multiple cities and states. They tend to have extensive drug networks, and their large membership rolls are far more multiethnic than was ever the case in the past. Gangs that fit this profile include the Crips, Gangster Disciples, Bloods, and Latin Kings.

The racial and ethnic desegregation of gangs was documented in a Justice Department study published in June 2002. The report was based on data collected in a survey of police departments across the nation, 3,000 enforcement jurisdictions in all. It found that jurisdictions that had gang problems starting before 1981 reported that 18% of those gangs were racially or ethnically mixed. In jurisdictions that did not see gang problems until after 1990 the percentage of gangs with a mixed racial or ethnic make-up exceeded 50%. This suggests that the gangs established prior to 1980 were more homogeneous than gangs established (or moving into a new territories) after 1990. A single race or single ethnicity are no longer a standard characteristic of youth gangs.

Primary Racial/Ethnic Make Up of Gangs Established before 1981 and after 1990

Gangs no longer match the stereotypes that used to describe them. They have diversified both geographically and demographically. They are younger; many of their older members have been killed or are "doing time," having succumbed to increased law enforcement efforts and higher minimum sentences. Some gangs now include women among their numbers, although this is still unusual. Girl gangs exist, but little in the way of data is available to track their numbers. In general, during the 1990s, gangs have become less Hispanic and more suburban. Many of the newer gangs are less involved in violent crime and drug trafficking than their predecessors. At least so far they have been less involved.

Law enforcement professionals are monitoring youth gang activities closely. There is concern because the number of gangs has risen steadily throughout a period of declining crime rates. People incarcerated during the late 1980s and early 1990s will be released in ever greater numbers during the early 2000s. For example, in 2001, approximately 635,000 former prisoners (about 1,700 a day) were released back into their communities from state and federal correctional facilities. Many of these ex-convicts are gang members; many became gang members while in prison. How will communities handle this in-flux of former prisoners many of whom need assistance in making the transition from prison life to civilian life? Will they return to the gang life they once knew? Or will they mentor younger gang members on the potential downside to the lifestyle?

It is no wonder that professionals in law enforcement and within the justice system generally are keeping an eye on this potentially volatile situation.

Next we turn to a review of recent gun control efforts.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics and the National Center for Education Statistics, Students' Reports of School Crime: 1989 and 1995, March 1998, p. 8, available online at http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/abstract/srsc.htm. U. S. Bureau of Justice Statistics, Juvenile Justice Bulletin, "Modern-Day Youth Gangs," June 2002, p. 4. Savelli, Sergeant Lou. Introduction to East Coast Gangs, November 2002, available online at http://www.nagia.org/east_coast_gangs.htm. Travis, Jeremy and Michelle Waul, The Urban Institute Justice Policy Center , Reflections on the Crime Decline, Lessons for the Future? August 2002, p. 21.