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National Youth Gang Survey Analysis: Gang-Related Offenses

Description

Gang-Related Offenses

Gang-Related Crime

Respondents provided information regarding gang-related crimes in their jurisdictions. The figure presents the percentage of agencies reporting an increase from 2011 to 2012.

  • Among agencies reporting a gang problem, approximately half also reported an increase in nonlethal gang-related violent crime (49 percent), and 43 percent reported an increase in gang-related property crime from 2011 to 2012.
  • About 40 percent of the agencies reported an increase in gang-related drug offenses.
a vertical bar chart displaying data for gang-related crime from 2011 to 2012
Gang-Related Crime, 2011 to 2012
  Percent Reporting an Increase
Violent Crimes 48.9%
Property Crimes 42.9%
Drug Sales 39.9%

Analysis for this section pertains only to law enforcement agencies reporting gang problems. Please see the Prevalence of Gang Problems section.

Respondents indicated the factor(s) that significantly influenced gang-related violence in their jurisdictions.

  • In each year, a clear majority of agencies reported that intergang (between-gang) conflict and drug-related factors directly affected local levels of gang violence.
  • Somewhat frequently reported (more than one-third of the agencies) in 2012 were the following three factors: the return of gang members from secure confinement, intragang (within-gang) conflict, and the emergence of new gangs.
  • Two factors, gang members returning from confinement and intragang conflict, increased in importance by more than 10 percentage points from 2006 to 2012.
  • In contrast, gang-member migration and the emergence of new gangs noticeably declined in importance over survey years.
a horizontal bar chart displaying data for factors influencing local gang violence between 2006 and 2012
Factors Influencing Local Gang Violence
  2006 2009 2011 2012
Gang Member Migration (from outside U.S.) 21.7 22.3 16.4 14.3
Gang Member Migration (within U.S.) 45.4 41.7 32.9 30.7
Intragang Conflict 22.9 31.7 34.8 36.7
Emergence of New Gangs 43.3 36.0 35.0 34.2
Return From Confinement 42.1 49.9 52.6 55.2
Intergang Conflict 60.5 60.7 64.5 61.8
Drug-Related Factors 73.5 73.2 83.0 81.0

Analysis for this section pertains only to law enforcement agencies reporting gang problems. Please see the Prevalence of Gang Problems section.

Regularly Record Any Criminal Offense as “Gang-Related”

Respondents indicated whether their agencies have instituted procedures for regularly recording criminal offenses as “gang-related.”

  • Other than homicides and graffiti, law enforcement agencies generally do not record any criminal offenses as “gang-related.”
  • Across the seven offenses below, one-third or less of the agencies reported that they regularly record each as “gang-related.”
  • Respondents reported recording person offenses, firearms use, and drug crimes as “gang-related” at a slightly higher rate compared with property-related crimes.
  • The relative lack of definitive and comprehensive gang-crime statistics for violent and nonviolent offenses alike signifies that much remains unknown about gang crime trends.
a vertical bar chart displaying data for recording criminal offenses as "gang-related"
Recording Criminal Offenses as “Gang-Related”
  Agencies With Reporting Procedure
Aggravated Assault 34.6%
Firearms Use 34.1%
Drug Sales 30.4%
Robbery 30.8%
Burglary/​Breaking and Entering 22.8%
Motor Vehicle Theft 21.5%
Larceny/​Theft 21.0%

Analysis for this section pertains only to law enforcement agencies reporting gang problems. Please see the Prevalence of Gang Problems section.

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Suggested citation: National Gang Center. National Youth Gang Survey Analysis. Retrieved [date] from https://nationalgangcenter.ojp.gov/survey-analysis.