Gang Awareness and Assessment in Rural Communities: Implications for Community Corrections is proudly presented to you by CEQ American Probation and Parole Association. Thank you. We hope that you enjoy your course.
Recorded Webinar
Original Broadcast Date: April 25, 2013
Historically, youth street gangs have been an urban phenomenon. Over the years, there has been growing concern that gangs may have increased their presence in rural communities and small towns. The National Gang Intelligence Center (NGIC) reports gang members are migrating from urban areas to rural and small towns for a variety of reasons, including expansion of lucrative drug markets, member recruitment, and avoidance of the law. However, findings from the National Gang Center’s (NGC) National Youth Gang Survey (NYGS) raise doubts as to the prevalence of gangs in rural communities, suggesting overall decreases over recent years. Nonetheless, gangs in rural areas have been found to differ from their urban counterparts in several fundamental ways. For example, they are often less stable due to the smaller populations. An arrest of a prominent gang member has the potential to cause greater disruption in rural area gangs than in urban areas. In addition, street gangs may form briefly and then dissipate without formal responses. On the other hand, formal responses may have the unintended consequence of escalating the gang problem and fostering gang cohesion by reinforcing a gang identity (e.g., excessive media attention).
This webinar provided participants with information on identifying substantive gang problems, distinguishing between urban and rural/small town gangs, the benefits of including gang membership in risk assessment, and strategies (e.g., OJJDP’s Comprehensive Gang Model, APPA’s C.A.R.E. Model) for assisting local community corrections agencies in the development of a response to gang problems.
Learning Objectives
- Identify the early signs of a substantive gang problems in rural jurisdictions
- Distinguish characteristics of gang problems in rural jurisdictions from urban jurisdictions
- Demonstrate the need to include gang membership in risk assessment
- Identify strategies and tools available to community corrections agencies to develop a response to gang problems
Panelists
Adam K. Matz, M.S., Council of State Governments, American Probation and Parole Association (APPA)
Mary Ann Mowatt, M.S., Council of State Governments, American Probation and Parole Association (APPA)
Federal Disclaimer This webinar was supported by Cooperative Agreement Number 2011-GP-BX-K032 awarded by the Bureau of Justice Assistance. The Bureau of Justice Assistance is a component of the Office of Justice Programs, which also includes the Bureau of Justice Statistics, the National Institute of Justice, the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, and the Office for Victims of Crime. Points of view in this webinar and related documents are those of the authors and do not represent the official policies or positions of the United States Department of Justice.