Girls and Gangs. Improving Our Understanding and Ability to Respond

The Gang Field Initiated Research and Evaluation Program will fund research and evaluation studies to produce practical findings for policymakers and practitioners for the development of evidence-based programs, policies, and strategies that effectively address at-risk and gang-involved youth. Topics to be addressed may include, but are not limited to: (1) youth entry into, involvement in, and desistance from gang-related crime; (2) the effectiveness of prevention approaches targeting youth at risk for gang involvement; (3) the effectiveness of intervention strategies; (4) the nature and scope of youth gangs in juvenile detention and correctional facilities; (5) the effectiveness of reentry approaches; and (6) the assessment of how tribal communities can effectively address gang-related challenges confronting at-risk and gang-involved native youth.This program is authorized by the Department of Defense and Full-Year Continuing Appropriations Act, 2011, Pub. L. 112-110.

Desistance from gang affiliation and involvement has largely been overlooked for girls. To remedy this lack of crucial information, the National Council on Crime and Delinquency (NCCD) proposes an examination of the individual, family, and community factors involved in girls' desistance from gangs and gang-related crime. The sample and data collection will include interviews of approximately 20 stakeholders (community leaders, experts in gang intervention, experts in gender-responsive programming) and interviews of approximately 125 gang-involved girls in California. Girls interviewed will be between the ages of 14 and 25 and will range in race, gender, and other demographic variables. NCCD will utilize its relationships with gang experts and outreach workers to recruit, interview, and survey girls with histories of gang involvement in at least six California cities. Interviews will be analyzed using qualitative and quantitative techniques. Variance tests and regression analyses will be used to analyze survey responses. NCCD will synthesize the data and produce reports targeted to various audiences, thereby disseminating information on gang desistance to project partners as well as the field. Progress will be reported regularly to the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), and research findings will be presented in a final report.

CA/NCF