Anyone in today’s criminal justice field needs to be knowledgeable about gangs and well-versed in evidence-based strategies to prevent, intervene in, and suppress gang activity. According to the FBI’s National Gang Intelligence Center, about 33,000 violent gangs are engaged in criminal activity in the United States today. These gangs are sophisticated, well organized, technology and social media savvy, and violent. They engage in such violent criminal activities as robbery; drug, gun, and human trafficking; prostitution; fraud; and homicide, all in pursuit of their main goal—to generate revenue. Law enforcement and ordinary citizens can be the targets of gang criminal activity and become the collateral damage resulting from this activity.
Even more concerning in recent years is the existence of transnational gangs (such as MS-13 and 18th Street), primarily stemming from three Central American countries—El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras.
In this assignment, in addition to the chapter readings in your textbook for the first three weeks of the course, you are required to review these additional resources and then summarize and analyze your findings:
What We Investigate: Gangs.
What We Investigate: Gang News.
National Gang Report 2015.
Although this FBI report is about five years old, it is one of the most comprehensive resources that exist about gangs, gang activity, and trends in gang activity. You will want to spend time getting acquainted with this important resource as you pursue your criminal justice career.
National Gang Center (NGC).
Instructions
After reviewing the chapter readings from the first three weeks of the course and the resources mentioned in the Overview, you are to write a four- to six-page paper in which you:
Summarize the major gangs that exist in the United States today.
Outline the National Gang Intelligence Center’s assessment of the gangs that pose the greatest threat to the United States.
Determine the major trends in gang activity based on your review of a minimum of three current articles (within the past three years) from the Gang News resource.
Analyze how consistent the gang trends you identified are with those identified in the National Gang Report 2015.
Determine which anti-gang initiatives spearheaded by the National Gang Center are grounded in evidence-based theories.
Use three sources to support your writing.
Choose sources that are credible, relevant, and appropriate.
Cite each source listed on your source page at least one time within your assignment.
For help with research, writing, and citation, access the library or review library guides.
