Juvenile Justice

1. Juvenile Justice Chapter 8 Law Enforcement response to Violent Youth Offenders

2. Youths and Guns • Epidemic of gun violence between 1983 and 1993 due to easy access to guns • Boston Gun Project Operation Cease Fire • Use of gun reduction tactics • Gun-tracing technologies • Severe criminal penalties • Resulted in 75% drop in gun related homicides

3. Youths and Guns • Directed Patrol • Kansas City Police • Searches for illegal firearms • Increase traffic enforcement in police beats with high levels of violence crime in an area • Youth Firearms Violence Initiative • $1 million provided to police departments in 10 cities to fund interventions directed at reducing gun crime • Project Safe Neighborhoods • Takes hardline against gun criminals to create safe neighborhoods. • Coordination between federal, state and local law enforcement • Emphasis on tactical information gathering, more aggressive prosecutions and enhanced accountability thoruhf performance measures

4. Violent Juvenile Crime • Large number of Crimes committed by small group of repeat offenders, most are violent • SHOCAP (Serious Habitual Offender Comprehensive Action Program • Recommendations; • Detention to establish separate and secure holdings for SHOCA • Mandatory Intakes for SHOCA to I.D. new charges and immediate notification of prosecutor, special follow-ups and records of all transactions of affender • Prosecution of violent offenders based on highest provable offense • No pre-trial release • Seek guilty plea on all charges • Assign only one district attorney to one case • Develop and maintain profiles on each violent offenders

5. Violent Juvenile Crime • Fingerprinting and photographing all violent offenders: Section 56 Uniform Juvenile Court Act, Police may fingerprint if • 14 years or older involved in murder, non-negligent manslaughter, forcible rape, aggravated assault, robbery, burglary • Fingerprints removed from record and destroyed if child adjudicated not delinquent or if the child reaches age 21 • Police has reason to believe that latent fingerprints belong to a particular youth…If no match, then fingerprint destroyed • May photograph child without judge’s consent if case is transferred to another court for prosecution

6. Violent Juvenile Crime • Comprehensive Approach • Because SHOCA usually “fall through the cracks” it is recommended that police: • Develop trust and cooperation between agencies serving youth • I.D. and overcome real or perceived legal obstacles to cooperative measures • Build credible interagency information process • Goal is to incapacitate repeat offenders, through detention, incarceration, probation or other measures • Juvenile justice system needs to recognize that some SHOCA are criminals who happen to be young • Need to identify the Hard-Core SHOCA

7. Violent Juvenile Crime • Early warning signs of violent offenders • Low tolerance for frustration • Poor coping skills • Signs of depression • Alienation • Lack of empathy • Exaggerated sense of entitlement • An attitude of superiority • Anger management problems • Intolerance • Lack of trust • Rigid and opinionated • Negative role models

8. Violent Juvenile Crime • Threat assessment • Direct threat: I.D.’s a specific target and is delivered in a straight forward manner, clearly and explicitly • Indirect threat: Vague and ambiguous: “If I wanted to, I could blow-up the school” • Veiled threat: Implies, but does not threaten violence: “We would be better off if the school was destroyed” • Conditional threat: If you don’t pay me $100,000 I will blow-up this school

9. Violent Juvenile Crime • Security Technology in Schools • Metal detectors • Video cameras • Photo I.D.’s • School resource Officers • Other Violence Prevention Methods in Schools • Increased staff in identified problems areas • Mandatory participation in harassment classes for student harassers • Big Brothers/Sisters mentoring programs to prevent bullying • Workshops that bring together student athletes (identified as the group doing the bullying), victimized students, school staff, victim advocates and police officers

10. Violent Juvenile Crime • Zero-Tolerance Policies • Predetermines consequences or punishments for specific offenses • Proactive Lockdowns • Used by schools as a proactive step to avoid a crisis: police and dogs sweep campus for contraband • Effective in locating and securing weapons

11. Gangs • Indicators: • Graffiti • Intimidation assaults • Open sale of drugs • Drive-by shootings and murders • Gang Member Identification • Moniker: Street Name • Clothing • Body tattoos of gang symbols • Jewelry • Hand-signing • Use of monikers • Group photos that include gang members & associates • Hanging around behaviors

12. Gangs • Gang Names • Refers to localities, rebellion, animals, royalty, and religion • Gang Symbols • Taken from professional or college sport teams • Religion and occult • Clothing • Important for gang members to reinforce their sense of belonging by adopting a gang sense of style

13. Gangs • Representing • Signifies gang allegiance • Specific wearing of clothing or hat • Hairstyles • Gold jewelry in gang symbols • Cloth or bandana • Tattoos • Use tattoos as a method of communication and identification

14. Gangs • Gang Communication • Primarily through their actions • Need for recognition by the community and rival gangs • Verbal and non-verbal cues always present • Clothing, tattoos, symbols • Slang, hand signals and graffiti • Graffiti is use to mark a territory • Important part of Black and Hispanic gang traditions • Proclaims status and boundaries of turf and offers challenges to rivals • May cross-out rival gang graffiti as a serious insult • Newspaper of the street

15. Gangs • Domain Identification • Claims identification with or control over specific domains: • Geographic area, facilities, or enterprises • Turf= territorial boudaries • Schools • Primary recruiting place • Market for drugs • Will stake-out areas in school as their turf • May vandalize, graffiti paintings, stabbings and shootings between rival gangs, as well as student extortion and intimidation of teachers

16. Gangs • Drugs • Abuse and sell drugs • Are rationally organized and manage successful drug trafficking

18. Investigating Gangs • Use of long-term proactive investigations are more effective • Difficult to get information because gang members stick together • Business and community residents are afraid of gangs • City gang programs have gang information system • Crime incident data that can be linked to gang members • Most reports come from patrol officers, computerized files, offense reports, interviews with gang members, surveillance reports

19. Investigating Gangs • OJJDP suggest that law enforcement combat gang problems by: • Gather Information • Do not tolerate graffiti • Target hard-cor gang members • Consolidate gang-control functions • Comprehensive Gang Initiative Model: • Focus on harmful behaviors • Continuous diagnosis of problems • Coordination of groups or agencies • Monitor performance • Evaluation of impact • Adaptation to change

20. Police Prevention Efforts for Gangs • Participate in community awareness campaigns • Contacting parents of peripheral gang members to alert them that their children are involved in a gang • Sponsor gang hotlines • Organize athletic events • Establish working relationships with local social service agencies • Make presentations about gangs to schools and community groups • Sponsor school-based drug prevention programs Serve as a referral for jobs and community service

21. Police Prevention Efforts for Gangs • Civil Injunction (TRO) • Legal tool for addressing gang holds in certain areas to disrupt gang’s routine activities • SEE Page 281 • Gang Units • Most urban police departments have gang units to deal with gang problems • Officers are trained and specialized • Uses Prevention, Suppression & Intervention

22. Police Prevention Efforts for Gangs • Suppression uses a collaborative effort between police, probation and prosecution, target the leaders and most active gang members • Intervention gives gang members opportunities to finish high school, get their GED’s, to have tattoos removed, gain employment and legal assistance • Prevention uses conflict resolution skills and peer counseling