Reducing Gang Violence Essay Example

Reducing and Preventing Gang Violence Once an urban problem, street gangs have now infiltrated U.S. communities large and small throughout the country. According to the U.S. Justice Department, about 30,000 gangs with around 800,000 members operate in the United States. While experts agree gangs are more persistent than ever, few agree on a remedy (Triplett 1). There have been many attempts and ways that were put into the reducing of gang violence but it still remains to be a huge problem. Therefore it continues to be an issue that is trying to be resolved. Governments, law enforcement, schools and other organizations are developing ways to reduce and prevent gang violence. It is such a controversial issue and people have different means about what the best approach is to reduce and prevent any further affects of gangs. William Triplett wrote a report titled Gang Crisis in May 2004. Triplett writes all about gangs and the best means in confronting the gang violence issue. Traditionally, state and local authorities have dealt with gangs since they were not considered a federal problem. In addition to law enforcement, policymakers have tried a variety of prevention programs, such as midnight basketball, designed to give adolescents socially acceptable alternative activities. Other programs, such as vocational training, have offered at-risk youth the promise of legitimate jobs, since unemployment is a major reason kids join gangs (Triplett 3). These programs could help very slightly but not enough for a significant change to the community. Law enforcement tried to have control and regulate gangs while they spread. As gangs migrated, many police departments set up special gang units. Authorities felt they were keeping pace with the problem until gangs began increasing in the late 1980’s and early 90’s, when insufficient resources prevented police from keeping up (Triplett 3), if the federal government would provide more resources, local law enforcement authorities