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Showing 1 – 23 of 23 results.

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Gangs on the Street, Gangs in Prison: Their Nature, Interrelationship, Control, and Re-Entry, Texas, 2016-2018 (ICPSR 37859)

Released/updated on: 2021-09-15

Geographic coverage: United States, Texas

Time period: 2016-01-01--2018-12-31

This study includes 802 interviews that were conducted in two Texas prisons with inmates who were within a week of release. 532 of these individuals were re-interviewed within roughly one month of their release and 482 were re-interviewed roughly nine months after release. In addition to interviews, Texas Department of Criminal Justice Records were made available to the research team and half of the interviews were conducted with identified gang members. This study assesses whether gang members can be surveyed in prisons with fidelity and reports descriptive statistics on gang and non-gang members. More than forty separate scales were included in the interview.

Curated

An Examination of the Link Between Gang Involvement and Victimization Among Youth in Residential Placement, United States, 2003 (ICPSR 37936)

Released/updated on: 2021-05-26

Geographic coverage: United States

This study was a secondary analysis of Survey of Youth in Residential Placement (SYRP) 2003 [United States] ICPSR 34304. In recent years, considerable empirical and theoretical attention has been given to the overlap between gang membership and victimization. Gang-involved youth are significantly more likely to experience both violent and nonviolent victimization than are their non-gang peers. Much of what is known about the gang-victimization link, however, comes from studies of youth in the community. In this study, we explore the relationship between gang affiliation and victimization in a nationally representative sample of youth in residential placement.

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A Comparative Study of Violent Extremism and Gangs, United States, 1948-2018 (ICPSR 37386)

Released/updated on: 2021-01-27

Geographic coverage: United States

Time period: 1948-01-01--2018-12-31, 1960-01-01--2013-12-31

The study assesses the extent of commonalities between individuals who become involved in violent extremist groups and criminal gangs, and the processes by which individuals engage in each group. Following this comparison, the extent to which the empirical results support the potential for anti-gang programs to bolster the resilience of communities against violent extremism and other forms of crime is assessed.

Quantitative assessment was conducted by comparing individuals included in the Profiles of Individual Radicalization in the United States (PIRUS) dataset with a subset of individuals drawn from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1997 (NLSY97) along a number of demographic, social, and socioeconomic characteristics.

Supplementary survey data was also collected from 45 former and current gang members in the United States concurrently with long-form interviews, covering a range of variables including background characteristics, demographic information, and attitudes among the respondents.

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Official Crime Rates of Participants in Trials of the Nurse-Family Partnership, Denver, Elmira, New York, and Memphis, 1977-2005 (ICPSR 36580)

Released/updated on: 2020-05-14

Geographic coverage: Elmira, United States, Tennessee, Colorado, Denver, Memphis, New York (state)

Time period: 1994-01-01--1995-12-31, 2000-01-01--2001-12-31, 1977-01-01--1980-12-31, 1992-01-01--1995-12-31, 1996-01-01--1999-12-31, 1988-01-01--1988-12-31, 2005-01-01--2005-12-31

These data are part of NACJD's Fast Track Release and are distributed as they were received from the data depositor. The files have been zipped by NACJD for release, but not checked or processed except for the removal of direct identifiers. Users should refer to the accompanying readme file for a brief description of the files available with this collection and consult the investigator(s) if further information is needed.

This study examined maternal and youth self-reports of arrests and convictions with official records of crime among participants in three randomized controlled trials of the Nurse-Family Partnership (NFP) in Denver, Colorado, Elmira, New York, and Memphis, Tennessee.

Official records were obtained from third-party sources as well as directly from New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services.

The collection contains 10 SAS data files:

dmom_all.sas7bdat (n=735; 3 variables)
dmom_control.sas7bdat (n=247; 26 variables)
echild_all.sas7bdat (n=374; 4 variables)
echild_control.sas7bdat (n=173; 22 variables)
emom_all.sas7bdat (n=399; 4 variables)
emom_control.sas7bdat (n=184; 17 variables)
mchild_all.sas7bdat (n=708; 5 variables)
mchild_control.sas7bdat (n=482; 46 variables)
mmom_all.sas7bdat (n=742; 5 variables)
mmom_control.sas7bdat (n=514; 25 variables)

Demographic variables include race, ethnicity, highest grade completed, household income, marital status, housing density, maternal age, maternal education, husband/boyfriend education, and head of household employment status.

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Reducing Gang Violence: A Randomized Trial of Functional Family Therapy, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 2013-2016 (ICPSR 37008)

Released/updated on: 2018-07-26

Geographic coverage: United States, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Time period: 2013-09-15--2016-02-04

The purpose of this study was to produce knowledge about how to prevent at-risk youth from joining gangs and reduce delinquency among active gang members. The study evaluated a modification of Functional Family Therapy, a model program from the Blueprints for Healthy Youth Development initiative, to assess its effectiveness for reducing gang membership and delinquency in a gang-involved population.

The collection contains 5 SPSS data files and 4 SPSS syntax files:

adolpre_archive.sav (129 cases, 190 variables),
adolpost_archive.sav (119 cases, 301 variables),
Fidelity.archive.sav (66 cases, 25 variables),
parentpre_archive.sav (129 cases, 157 variables), and
parentpost_archive.sav {116 cases, 220 variables).

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National Youth Gang Survey, [United States], 2002-2012 (ICPSR 36787)

Released/updated on: 2018-04-13

Geographic coverage: United States

Time period: 2002-01-01--2012-12-31

The National Youth Gang Survey (NYGS) 2002-2012 is a continuation of data collected annually from a representative sample of all law enforcement agencies in the United States that began in 1996. In 2002, the NYGS resampled law enforcement agencies based on updated data from the United States Census Bureau and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and the NYGS continued to collect law enforcement data through 2012. This longitudinal study allows for examination of the trends in scope and magnitude of youth gangs nationally by measuring the presence, characteristics, and behaviors of local gangs in jurisdictions throughout the United States.

This collection includes 1 SPSS data file with 2,388 cases and 606 variables.

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Moving Forward on Gang Prevention in Los Angeles, California, 2009-2014 (ICPSR 35506)

Released/updated on: 2017-06-16

Geographic coverage: Los Angeles, California

Time period: 2011-04-01--2013-11-30

Using multiple data time points this study investigated the prospective validity of a secondary gang prevention program called Gang Risk of Entry Factors (GREF) assessment. At Time 1 of the study interview cut-points were established for high and low risk on nine risk factors that were included on the assessment. Those who scored high risk on four or more risk factors were determined eligible for secondary prevention. At time 2 each participate was then classified into one of four levels of gang membership. The goal of this was to investigate how successful the GREF was in identifying the youth (in the absence of a program) who become associated with a street gang in the 12 to 18 months of the study time frame .

Curated

Simple Crosstabs

Substance Use Among Violently Injured Youth in an Urban Emergency Department: Services and Outcomes in Flint, Michigan, 2009-2013 (Public-Use) (ICPSR 36769)

Released/updated on: 2017-03-31

Geographic coverage: Flint, United States, Michigan

Time period: 2009-12-01--2013-09-30

This project was an investigation into the natural course of service needs, use, and trajectories among high-risk youth and young adults with drug use who presented to an inner-city Emergency Department with multiple risk behaviors (with and without acute violent injury). Eligible participants included youth/young adults (ages 14-24) who sought care at the Hurley Medical Center (HMC) Emergency Department (ED) located in Flint, Michigan between December 19, 2009 and September 7, 2011. Consenting youth completed a self-administered computerized screening survey. All participants who self-reported past year drug use were recruited for the longitudinal study. For a comparison group, a randomly selected sample of drug using youth seeking ED care for other reasons (e.g. abdominal pain, motor vehicle crash) were selected for longitudinal study (equilibrated monthly proportionally for age/gender with the acute violent injury group). Participants in the violent injury and comparison group completed a baseline assessment during their ED visit.

Dataset 1 (DS1) contains the Baseline Screener Data of both young adults and youth. This data file has 1,448 cases and 253 variables. Each case represents an individual seeking treatment in the emergency department.

Dataset 2 (DS2) contains the Baseline Youth Data. This data file has 89 cases and 363 variables. Of these 89 cases, 51 of the youths (ages 14-17) presented to the Emergency Department with a violent injury. The remaining 38 respondents reported to the Emergency Department for non-violent injury and are part of the comparison group.

Dataset 3 (DS3) contains the Baseline Young Adult Data. This file contains 511 cases and 380 variables. Of these 511 cases, 299 of the young adults (ages 18-24) presented to the Emergency Department with a violent injury. The remaining 212 respondents reported to the Emergency Department for non-violent injury and are part of the comparison group.

The Baseline Screener Data includes demographics and information about public assistance, income, work, marital status, insurance, the injury visit, school/grades, retaliation attitudes, fights, violence, gang affiliation, weapons, partner violence, nicotine use, alcohol use, drug use, HIV risk-taking behaviors, needle use, sexual behavior, STD/HIV, past adolescent injuries, age on onset of drug use, and current conflict and aggression.

The Baseline Youth and Young Adult Data include brief sexual behavior, threat of retaliation, brief symptom inventory, drug and alcohol refusal efficacy, drinking and driving (DUI), community involvement, peer influences, non-partner aggression, parental support, parent influence on drug and alcohol use, family conflict, mentors, fight self-efficacy, community violence, medical care, alcohol dependence/abuse, drug dependence/abuse, substance abuse service utilization, post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), conduct disorder (youth) or antisocial personality disorder (young adult), legal system involvement, major depressive episodes, and mental health service utilization.

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Process and Outcome Evaluation of the Gang Resistance Education and Training (G.R.E.A.T.) Program, 2006-2011 [UNITED STATES] (ICPSR 34899)

Released/updated on: 2016-10-25

Geographic coverage: Chicago, Tennessee, Albuquerque, Fort Worth, Nashville, Pennsylvania, New Mexico, Illinois, Texas, Greeley, Colorado, Portland (Oregon), Dallas, Philadelphia

Time period: 2006-09-01--2011-12-31

The goal of the study was to determine what effect, if any, the Gang Resistance Education and Training (G.R.E.A.T.) program had on students. The G.R.E.A.T., a 13-lesson general prevention program taught by uniformed law enforcement officers to middle school students, had three stated goals: 1) to reduce gang membership, 2) to reduce delinquency, especially violent offending, and 3) to improve students' attitudes toward the police.

To assess program effectiveness, researchers conducted a randomized control trial involving 3,820 students nested in 195 classrooms in 31 schools in 7 cities. A process evaluation consisted of multiple methods to assess program fidelity: 1) observations of G.R.E.A.T. Officer Trainings, 2) surveys and interviews of G.R.E.A.T.-trained officers and supervisors, 3) surveys of school personnel, and 4) "on-site," direct observations of officers delivering the G.R.E.A.T. program in the study sites. Only the data from the student surveys, law enforcement officer surveys, and school personnel surveys are available.

Data file 1 (Student Survey Data) has 3,820 cases and 1,926 variables. Data file 2 (Law Enforcement Survey Data) has 137 cases and 140 variables. Data file 3 (School Personnel Survey Data) has 230 cases and 148 variables.

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Evaluation of a Global Positioning System for Monitoring High-Risk Gang Offenders in California, 2006-2009 (ICPSR 34926)

Released/updated on: 2016-09-26

Geographic coverage: United States, California

Time period: 2006-03-01--2009-10-31

These data are part of NACJD's Fast Track Release and are distributed as they there received from the data depositor. The files have been zipped by NACJD for release, but not checked or processed except of the removal of direct identifiers. Users should refer to the accompany readme file for a brief description of the files available with this collections and consult the investigator(s) if further information is needed.

The purpose of this evaluation was to determine the effectiveness of the global positioning system (GPS) monitoring of high-risk gang offenders (HRGOs) who are placed on parole. The study focuses on HGROs who were released from prison and placed on parole supervision with GPS monitoring in six California jurisdictions between March 2006 and October 2009. A propensity score procedure was performed using a sample of offenders drawn from the same six communities who were not placed on GPS monitoring. The matching procedure resulted in a final sample of 784 subjects (392 treatment and 392 control). The study used six primary sources to collect data: 1)the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) data management system, 2) official arrest records, 3) parole supervision records, 4) GPS monitoring data, 5) a CDCR parole agent (PA) survey, and 6) CDCR cost information.

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Substance Use Among Violently Injured Youth in an Urban Emergency Department: Services and Outcomes in Flint, Michigan, 2009-2013 (ICPSR 36558)

Released/updated on: 2016-09-23

Geographic coverage: Flint, United States, Michigan

Time period: 2009-12-01--2013-09-30

Dataset 1 (DS1) contains the Baseline Screener Data of both young adults and youth. This data file has 1,448 cases and 314 variables. Each case represents an individual seeking treatment in the emergency department.

Dataset 2 (DS2) contains the Baseline Youth Data. This data file has 89 cases and 531 variables. Of these 89 cases, 51 of the youths (ages 14-17) presented to the Emergency Department with a violent injury. The remaining 38 respondents reported to the Emergency Department for non-violent injury and are part of the comparison group.

Dataset 3 (DS3) contains the Baseline Young Adult Data. This file contains 511 cases and 483 variables. Of these 511 cases, 299 of the young adults (ages 18-24) presented to the Emergency Department with a violent injury. The remaining 212 respondents reported to the Emergency Department for non-violent injury and are part of the comparison group.

The Baseline Youth and Young Adult Data include sexual behavior, threat of retaliation, brief symptom inventory/suicide risk, drug and alcohol refusal efficacy, drinking and driving (DUI), community involvement, peer influences, non-partner aggression, parental support, parent influence on drug and alcohol use, family conflict, mentors, fight self-efficacy, community violence, sexual risk behaviors, medical care, alcohol dependence/abuse, drug dependence/abuse, substance abuse service utilization, post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), conduct disorder (youth) or antisocial personality disorder (young adult), legal system involvement, major depressive episodes, and mental health service utilization.

Curated

Partially restricted

Outcome Evaluation of the Teens, Crime, and the Community/Community Works (TCC/CW) Training Program in Nine Cities Across Four States, 2004-2005 (ICPSR 25865)

Released/updated on: 2011-03-30

Geographic coverage: United States, New Mexico, Massachusetts, Arizona, South Carolina

Time period: 2004-01-01--2004-12-31, 2005-01-01--2005-12-31, 2005-01-01--2005-12-31

In 1985, the Teens, Crime, and the Community and Community Works (TCC/CW) program, a collaborative effort by the National Crime Prevention Council (NCPC) and Street Law, Inc., was developed in an effort to reduce adolescent victimization. The purpose of the study was to assess whether the TCC/CW program was successfully implemented and whether it achieved its desired outcome, namely to reduce adolescent victimization. Following an extensive effort to identify potential sites for inclusion in the TCC/CW program outcome evaluation, a quasi-experimental five-wave panel study of public school students was initiated in the fall of 2004. Classrooms in the sample were matched by teacher or subject and one-half of the classrooms received the TCC/CW curriculum while the other half (the control group) was not exposed to the curriculum. A total of 1,686 students representing 98 classrooms in 15 middle schools located in 9 cities in 4 different states were surveyed 3 times: pre-tests in Fall 2004 (Part 1), post-tests in Spring 2005 (Part 2), and through a one-year follow-up survey in Fall 2005 (Part 3). A total of 227 variables are included in Part 1, 297 in Part 2, and 290 in Part 3. Most of these variables are the same across waves, including demographic variables, variables measuring whether the students are involved in extracurricular and other school related activities, community service, religious activities, family activities, employment, or illegal activities and crime, variables measuring the students' views regarding bullying, schoolwork, school and neighborhood violence, property crimes, drug use, alcohol use, gun violence, vandalism, skipping school, inter-racial tensions, neighborhood poverty, and law-enforcement officers, variables measuring how students react to anger, risk, conflict with fellow students, and how they handle long-term versus short-term decision-making, variables measuring group dynamics, variables measuring students' self-esteem, and variables measuring students' awareness of resources in their respective school and neighborhood to address problems and provide support.

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Project on Human Development in Chicago Neighborhoods (PHDCN): Gangs, Wave 3, 2000-2002 (ICPSR 13709)

Released/updated on: 2007-02-06

Geographic coverage: United States, Chicago, Illinois

Time period: 2000-01-01--2002-12-31

The Project on Human Development in Chicago Neighborhoods (PHDCN) was a large-scale, interdisciplinary study of how families, schools, and neighborhoods affect child and adolescent development. One component of the PHDCN was the Longitudinal Cohort Study, which was a series of coordinated longitudinal studies that followed over 6,000 randomly selected children, adolescents, and young adults, and their primary caregivers over time to examine the changing circumstances of their lives, as well as the personal characteristics, that might lead them toward or away from a variety of antisocial behaviors. Numerous measures were administered to respondents to gauge various aspects of human development, including individual differences, as well as family, peer, and school influences. One such measure was the Gangs instrument. It was administered to subjects in Cohorts 6, 9, 12, 15, and 18 and obtained information related to gangs in the subject's neighborhood as well as any involvement in gangs by the subject.

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Partially restricted

Criminal Behavior of Gangs in Aurora and Denver, Colorado, and Broward County, Florida: 1993-1994 (ICPSR 2626)

Released/updated on: 2006-03-30

Geographic coverage: Aurora, United States, Colorado, Denver, Florida

Time period: 1993-01-01--1994-12-31

This study was undertaken to measure the criminal behavior of gangs, including their involvement in delinquent behavior such as drug use and drug trafficking activities, and to compare gang behavior with that of youth who were at risk, but who had not yet become active in gangs. The project assessed the role that gangs play in the lives of youth whose living conditions are otherwise comparable. In order to study the criminal behavior of gangs, investigators sought to interview 50 gang members and 50 non-gang, at-risk youth at two sites in Colorado and one site in Florida. A large portion of the interview questions asked in both the gang member interview and the at-risk youth interview were parallel. The following variables appear in both the gang member and at-risk youth files (Parts 1 and 2 respectively) created for this data collection: gang popularity variables (respondents' perceptions of the positive and negative attributes of a gang, and why gangs endure over time), drug involvement variables (whether respondents or fellow members/friends sold various types of drugs, why selling drugs increases a person's "juice", the drug source organization, and where they traveled to get the drugs), criminal history variables (the reasons why respondents believed they were able to get away with crimes, their first arrest age, and their most serious arrest charge), personal activity variables (whether respondents or fellow members/friends participated in dances, sporting events, fighting, drug use or selling, shoplifting, assaulting people, or burglarizing homes), variables concerning the future (whether respondents would join a gang again/join a gang today, why some gangs survive and others don't, and how respondents see their future), and demographic variables (respondents' age, sex, race, city, neighborhood, school, school status, type of work, marital status, and relationship with parent(s)). In addition, Part 1, the Gang Member Data, contains gang status variables (gang symbols, gang nickname, gang turf, and how members define a gang) and gang membership variables (roles of the respondents within the gang, why members join a gang, what the most important gang rule is, and what happens to those who refuse the gang). Part 2, At-Risk Youth Data, contains additional variables on gang contact (the names of gangs who had approached the respondents, methods used to try to get the youths to join, how the youths refused the gang, and what happened as a result of refusing) and prevention (how at-risk youth would advise a young person to react if approached by a gang, and what the youths felt was the best way to prepare children to deal with gangs).

Curated

Validation of the Los Angeles County [California] Probation Department's Risk and Needs Assessment Instruments, 1997-1999 (ICPSR 3715)

Released/updated on: 2006-03-30

Geographic coverage: United States, Los Angeles, California

Time period: 1997-04-01--1999-06-30

In 1996, the Los Angeles County Probation Department developed a set of six instruments to better assess offender risks and needs. Each instrument was intended to serve a specific purpose, with separate instruments used for adult and juvenile populations and release and placement decisions. The instruments were to be completed by probation staff. These instruments were tested in a pilot project by probation field staff in 1997. The probation department then asked RAND to re-examine the six instruments for instrument integrity, use of overrides, and relationship to long-term recidivism outcomes. The probation department's research staff had completed the instruments between April and December 1997 using available reports and case file information. RAND's involvement in the study began after all samples had been selected and instruments completed. The probation department gave RAND the data on instrument scores. Recidivism data were gathered at 6, 12, and 18 months after the instruments' administration. For juveniles data on the nature and date of arrest were available from the Juvenile Automated Information files. Data on adult re-arrests were unavailable, but the Adult Probation System provided the date, nature, and disposition of offenses referred to probation.

Curated

Impact of Gang Migration: Effective Responses by Law Enforcement Agencies in the United States, 1992 (ICPSR 2570)

Released/updated on: 2006-03-30

Geographic coverage: United States

Time period: 1992-01-01--1992-12-31

This study was the first attempt to investigate gang migration systematically and on a national level. The primary objectives of the study were (1) to identify the scope of gang migration nationally, (2) to describe the nature of gang migration, (3) to assess the impact of gang migration on destination cities, and (4) to describe the current law enforcement responses to the migration of gangs and identify those that appeared to be most effective for various types of migration. Two phases of data collection were used. The major objective of the initial phase was to identify cities that had experienced gang migration (Part 1). This was accomplished by distributing a brief mail questionnaire in 1992 to law enforcement agencies in cities identified as potential gang or gang migration sites. The second major phase of data collection involved in-depth telephone interviews with law enforcement officers in cities that had experienced gang migration in order to develop descriptions of the nature of migration and police responses to it (Part 2). For Part 1, information was collected on the year migration started, number of migrants in the past year, factors that deter gang migration, number of gang members, names of gangs, ethnic distribution of gang members and their drug market involvement, number of gang homicides, number of 1991 gang "drive-bys", and if gangs or narcotics were specified in the respondent's assignment. For Part 2, information was collected on the demographics of gang members, the ethnic percentage of drug gang members and their involvement in distributing specific drugs, and the influence of gang migrants on local gang and crime situations in terms of types and methods of crime, drug distribution activities, technology/equipment used, and targets of crime. Information on patterns of gang migration, including motivations to migrate, drug gang migration, and volume of migration, was also collected. Local responses to gang migration covered information sources, department policies relative to migration, gang specialization in department, approaches taken by the department, and information exchanges and coordination among local, state, and federal agencies.

Curated

Street Gangs and Drug Sales in Pasadena and Pomona, California, 1989-1991 (ICPSR 6255)

Released/updated on: 2006-01-12

Geographic coverage: United States, Pomona, California, Pasadena

Time period: 1989-01-01--1991-12-31

These data were collected to explore connections between street gangs and drug distribution. The research objectives for this study were (1) to assess the magnitude of gang involvement in cocaine and other drug sales in two suburban cities, (2) to compare the characteristics of gang-involved drug sale incidents with those without gang involvement, (3) to assess the generalizability of findings on cocaine to other drugs, and from urban to more suburban settings, and (4) to translate the implications of the research findings into the development of law enforcement strategies. Law enforcement arrest records and gang membership records were obtained for two study sites, Pasadena and Pomona, California. Part 1, the incident-level file, supplies information on arrest incidents qualifying as drug sales. Variables in the file include presence at arrest of violence, guns, cash, and drugs, types of charges, gang characteristics of the incident, racial/ethnic makeup of arrestees, gender of arrestees, and gang affiliation of arrestees. Part 2, the participant-level file, supplies data on each participant in each incident. Variables in this file include gender, ethnicity, gang membership status, and charges.

Curated

Prevalence of Five Gang Structures in 201 Cities in the United States, 1992 and 1995 (ICPSR 2792)

Released/updated on: 2005-11-04

Geographic coverage: United States

Time period: 1992-01-01--1992-12-31, 1995-01-01--1995-12-31

The goal of this study was to provide useful data on how street gang crime patterns (by amount and type of offense) relate to common patterns of street gang structure, thus providing focused, data-based guidelines for gang control and intervention. The data collection consists of two components: (1) descriptions of cities' gang activities taken from an earlier study of gang migration in 1992, IMPACT OF GANG MIGRATION: EFFECTIVE RESPONSES BY LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES IN THE UNITED STATES, 1992 (ICPSR 2570), and (2) gang structure data from 1995 interviews with police agencies in a sample of the same cities that responded to the 1992 survey. Information taken from the 1992 study includes the year of gang emergence in the city, numbers of active gangs and gang members, ethnic distribution of gang members, numbers of gang homicides and "drive-bys" in 1991, state in which the city is located, and population of the city. Information from the 1995 gang structures survey provides detail on the ethnic distributions of gangs, whether a predominant gang structure was present, each gang structure's typical size, and the total number of each of the five gang structures identified by the principal investigators -- chronic traditional, emergent traditional, emergent integrated, expanded integrated, and specialty integrated. City crime information was collected on the spread of arrests, number of serious arrests, volume and specialization of crime, arrest profile codes and history, uniform crime rate compared to city population, ratio of serious arrests to total arrests, and ratio of arrests to city population.

Curated

National Assessment Survey of Law Enforcement Anti-Gang Information Resources, 1990-1991 (ICPSR 6237)

Released/updated on: 2005-11-04

Geographic coverage: United States

Time period: 1990-01-01--1991-12-31

This study constituted a systematic national assessment of local law enforcement perceptions of the distribution of gang and gang-like problems in large cities in the United States, law enforcement reactions to gangs, and their policies toward gang problems. One purpose of the study was to examine changes in law enforcement perceptions of the U.S. gang problem that have occurred since NATIONAL YOUTH GANG INTERVENTION AND SUPPRESSION SURVEY, 1980-1987 (ICPSR 9792) was undertaken. The overall goal was to obtain as "conservative" as possible an estimate of the magnitude of the gang problem in the United States as reflected by the official reaction, record-keeping, and reporting of local law enforcement agencies. The agencies were asked to refer the interviewer to the individual representative of the agency who could provide the most information about the agency's processing of information on gangs and other youth-based groups engaged in criminal activity. To obtain each law enforcement agency's official, not personal, perspective on gang problems, anonymity was intentionally avoided. Each respondent was first asked whether the respondent's agency officially identified a "gang problem" within their jurisdiction. Gangs were defined for this study as groups involving youths engaging in criminal activity. Respondents were then asked if their department officially recognized the presence of other kinds of organized groups that engaged in criminal activity and involved youths and that might be identified by their department as crews, posses, or some other designation. Based on affirmative answers to questions on the officially recognized presence of gangs and the kinds of record-keeping employed by their departments, agencies were sent customized questionnaire packets asking for specifics on only those aspects of the gang problem that their representative had reported the agency kept information on. Variables include city name, state, ZIP code, whether the city participated in National Youth Gang Intervention and Suppression Survey, 1980-1987, and, if so, if the city reported a gang problem. Data on gangs include the number of homicides and other violent, property, drug-related, and vice offenses attributed to youth gangs and female gangs, total number of gang incidents, gangs, gang members, female gang members, and gangs comprised only of females for 1991, number of juvenile gang-related incidents and adult gang-related incidents in 1991, number of drive-by shootings involving gang members or female gang members in 1991, and numbers or percent estimates of gang members by ethnic groups for 1990 and 1991. Respondents also indicated whether various strategies for combating gang problems had been attempted by the department, and if so, how effective each of the crime prevention measures were.

Curated

Extended National Assessment Survey of Law Enforcement Anti-Gang Information Resources, 1993-1994 (ICPSR 6565)

Released/updated on: 2005-11-04

Geographic coverage: United States

Time period: 1993-01-01--1994-12-31

This survey extended a 1992 survey (NATIONAL ASSESSMENT SURVEY OF LAW ENFORCEMENT ANTI-GANG INFORMATION RESOURCES, 1990-1992 [ICPSR 6237]) in two ways: (1) by updating the information on the 122 municipalities included in the 1992 survey, and (2) by including data on all cities in the United States ranging in population from 150,000 to 200,000 and including a random sample of 284 municipalities ranging in population from 25,000 to 150,000. Gang crime problems were defined in the same manner as in the 1992 survey, i.e., a gang (1) was identified by the police as a "gang," (2) participated in criminal activity, and (3) involved youth in its membership. As in the 1992 survey, a letter was sent to the senior law enforcement departmental administrator of each agency describing the nature of the survey. For jurisdictions included in the 1992 survey, the letter listed the specific information that had been provided in the 1992 survey and identified the departmental representative who provided the 1992 data. The senior law enforcement administrator was asked to report whether a gang crime problem existed within the jurisdiction in 1994. If a problem was reported, the administrator was asked to identify a representative of the department to provide gang crime statistics and a representative who was most knowledgeable on anti-gang field operations. Annual statistics on gang-related crime were then solicited from the departmental statistical representative. Variables include city, state, ZIP code, and population category of the police department, and whether the department reported a gang problem in 1994. Data on the number of gangs, gang members, and gang-related incidents reported by the police department are also provided. If actual numbers were not provided by the police department, estimates of the number of gangs, gang members, and gang-related incidents were calculated by sampling category.

Curated

Gangs in Rural America, 1996-1998 (ICPSR 3398)

Released/updated on: 2002-07-30

Geographic coverage: United States

Time period: 1996-01-01--1998-12-31

This study was undertaken to enable cross-community analysis of gang trends in all areas of the United States. It was also designed to provide a comparative analysis of social, economic, and demographic differences among non-metropolitan jurisdictions in which gangs were reported to have been persistent problems, those in which gangs had been more transitory, and those that reported no gang problems. Data were collected from four separate sources and then merged into a single dataset using the county Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS) code as the attribute of common identification. The data sources included: (1) local police agency responses to three waves (1996, 1997, and 1998) of the National Youth Gang Survey (NYGS), (2) rural-urban classification and county-level measures of primary economic activity from the Economic Research Service (ERS) of the United States Department of Agriculture, (3) county-level economic and demographic data from the County and City Data Book, 1994, and from USA Counties, 1998, produced by the United States Department of Commerce, and (4) county-level data on access to interstate highways provided by Tom Ricketts and Randy Randolph of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Variables include the FIPS codes for state, county, county subdivision, and sub-county, population in the agency jurisdiction, type of jurisdiction, and whether the county was dependent on farming, mining, manufacturing, or government. Other variables categorizing counties include retirement destination, federal lands, commuting, persistent poverty, and transfer payments. The year gang problems began in that jurisdiction, number of youth groups, number of active gangs, number of active gang members, percent of gang members who migrated, and the number of gangs in 1996, 1997, and 1998 are also available. Rounding out the variables are unemployment rates, median household income, percent of persons in county below poverty level, percent of family households that were one-parent households, percent of housing units in the county that were vacant, had no telephone, or were renter-occupied, resident population of the county in 1990 and 1997, change in unemployment rates, land area of county, percent of persons in the county speaking Spanish at home, and whether an interstate highway intersected the county.

Curated

Assessment of a Multiagency Approach to Drug-Involved Gang Members in San Diego County, California, 1988-1992 (ICPSR 2022)

Released/updated on: 2002-03-05

Geographic coverage: United States, California

Time period: 1988-01-01--1992-12-31

In 1988, with funds from the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) via the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1987, a multiagency task force, Jurisdictions Unified for Drug Gang Enforcement (JUDGE), was created. Spearheaded by the San Diego County District Attorney's Office and representing a unique blend of police officers, probation officers, and deputy district attorneys working together, the JUDGE program targeted documented gang members also involved in drug use and sales. The task force incorporated an intensive supervision approach that enforced conditions of probation and drug laws and provided vertical prosecution for probation violations and new offenses involving targeted offenders. This research project sought to address the following research objectives: (1) to determine if the JUDGE program objectives were met during the grant period, (2) to assess the results of program activities, such as surveillance, special enforcement, and vertical prosecution, in terms of probation violations, arrests, pretrial custody, probation revocations, convictions, and sentences, (3) to evaluate the impact of the program on offenders as measured by recidivism and the need for probation intervention, (4) to assess the cost of JUDGE probation compared to regular probation caseloads, and (5) to provide recommendations regarding the implementation of similar programs in other jurisdictions. This research project consisted of a process evaluation and an impact assessment that focused on the first two years of the JUDGE program, when youthful offenders were the targets (1988 and 1989). The research effort focused only on new targets for whom adequate records were maintained, yielding a study size of 279. The tracking period for targets ended in 1992. For the impact assessment, the research was structured as a within-subjects design, with the comparison focusing on target youths two years before the implementation of JUDGE and the same group two years after being targeted by JUDGE. Data were compiled on the juveniles' age at target, race, sex, gang affiliation, type of target (gang member, drug history, and/or ward), status when targeted, and referrals to other agencies. Variables providing data on criminal histories include age at first contact/arrest, instant offense and disposition, highest charges for each subsequent arrest that resulted in probation supervision, drug charges, highest conviction charges, probation conditions before selection date and after JUDGE target, number of contacts by probation and JUDGE staff, number of violations for each probation condition and action taken, and new offenses during probation. For the process evaluation, case outcome data were compared to project objectives to measure compliance in terms of program implementation and results. Variables include number of violations for each probation condition and action taken, and number of failed drug tests. The consequences of increased probation supervision, including revocation, sentences, custody time, and use of vertical prosecution, were addressed by comparing the processing of cases prior to the implementation of JUDGE to case processing after JUDGE targeting.

Curated

National Assessment of Gangs in Correctional Facilities, 1992 (ICPSR 6147)

Released/updated on: 1997-04-14

Geographic coverage: United States

Time period: 1992-01-01--1992-12-31

This study sought to identify and examine current policies and strategies for controlling prison gangs and to determine the ways in which correctional facilities were dealing with gangs in their institutions. Respondents to the mail survey included 55 local jail systems and 52 state prison systems (the 50 state Departments of Corrections, the District of Columbia, and the Federal Bureau of Prisons). The survey question text used the term "security threat group" (STG), which was defined as "two or more inmates, acting together, who pose a threat to the security or safety of staff/inmates and/or are disruptive to programs and/or to the orderly management of the facility/system," rather than the generic term "gang." Data contain information on total inmate population, number of STGs, number of inmates identified as confirmed, suspected, associate, and drop-out members of STGs, total incidents of violence, number of violent incidents by STG members, management strategies to deal with gangs, and names of STGs known to be present within the system.