Criminal Justice: Gangs

OJJDP has long supported a combination of activities, including research, evaluation, training and technical assistance, and demonstration programs, aimed at combating youth gangs.

Since the 1980s, OJJDP has developed, funded, and evaluated community-based anti-gang programs that coordinate prevention, intervention, enforcement, and reentry strategies.

Find information on the gang threat, anti-gang initiatives, the latest National Gang Report and more.

Based at Harvard’s Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy, the Journalist’s Resource project examines news topics through a research lens… Our searchable database contains top academic and governmental research that we have selected and synthesized.

We strive to translate complex statistics into clear data points and reformulate the terminology of academic specialists into more accessible language, without sacrificing rigor or nuance. In the FIND box, type gangs.

The New York Times special page about gangs, including commentary and archival articles.

Written by the Congressional Research Service, "Gangs in Central America" is a 23 page report written in 2016 discussing drug trafficking, organized crime and gangs in Central America

Gang Resistance Education And Training is an evidence-based and effective gang and violence prevention program built around school-based, law enforcement officer-instructed classroom curricula.

The Program is intended as an immunization against delinquency, youth violence, and gang membership for children in the years immediately before the prime ages for introduction into gangs and delinquent behavior.

A 23 page paper on the history of gangs in the US. Written in 2010, it is still relevant today.

From the website: "The Rev. Gregory J. Boyle, S.J., is the founder and executive director of Homeboy Industries in Los Angeles, the largest gang intervention, rehabilitation and re-entry program in the world."

Explore the programs and social enterprises created by this organization to assist the gang members in LA.

The NGC program works to further the mission of DOJ by providing an array of information and resources on gangs for state, local, and tribal jurisdictions.

In 2009, the National Gang Center merged with the National Youth Gang Center. "Consolidation of the centers has leveraged resources and resulted in a single, more efficient entity, responsive to the needs of researchers, practitioners, and the public."

Formed in 1990, the NGCRC exists today as a non-profit independent agency. We carry out research on gangs and gang members, disseminate information through publications and reports, and provide training and consulting services.

Video recording by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. Key concepts covered include a brief overview of the nation’s gang problem, a discussion of theory behind the Model and its five core strategies, a discussion on assessing the gang problem, and tools to assist community leaders in implementing the Model in their communities.

A research paper from the Juvenile Justice Bulletin, December 2010: "This bulletin presents research on why youth join gangs and how a community can build gang prevention and intervention services. The author summarizes recent literature on gang formation and identifies promising and effective programs for gang prevention."