A Multi-Site Study of Tribal Youth Gang Activity: Dynamics, Networks, and Tribal Community Initiatives

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.

The Fund for the City of New York/Center for Court Innovation, in collaboration with the Tribal Judicial Institute, and with Bilal Khan and Richard Curtis of the John Jay School of Criminal Justice, proposes a multi-method study of gang activity in Native American tribal communities. The two goals are as follows: (1) to document and assess existing gang prevention, intervention, suppression, and reentry strategies for Native American youth; and (2) to develop a detailed portrait of Native American youth gang activity. The first goal will be achieved through telephone interviews and in-depth site visits at ten tribal sites, designed to collect information from tribal leaders, faith-based leaders, juvenile justice professionals, and social service providers, concerning the scope of the gang problem and current strategies to combat it. The second goal will be achieved through 150 interviews with gang-involved tribal youth, who are held in detention facilities, followed by 750 community-based interviews with gang-involved youth in five of the original 10 sites. The community-based interviews will employ Respondent-Driven Sampling methods, which are designed to yield representative estimates of the characteristics, growth networks, and prevalence of gang activity. Project success will entail completion of the aforementioned strategies, along with a final report of value to policymakers, practitioners, and researchers.

CA/NCF