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Gangs in Indian Country

NCJ Number
208914
Journal
Law Enforcement Technology Volume: 32 Issue: 2 Dated: February 2005 Pages: 20,22,27
Author(s)
Liz Martinez
Date Published
February 2005
Length
7 pages
Annotation
This article explains the nature and causes of Indian gangs on reservations and in urban areas, defines problems in countering these gangs, and proposes strategies for addressing the problem.
Abstract
The fastest growing category of gangs in America is composed of Indian youth. Although there are exceptions, most gang members, regardless of their ethnicity or race, are young men from lower socioeconomic backgrounds whose social, educational, and economic needs are not being met in their families and communities. Gangs become the social and sometimes the economic entity that provides a sense of identity, commonality, bonding, and purpose that is not experienced in the mainstream track for positive socioeconomic development. The Native-American gang problem is difficult to combat for several reasons. First, tribal police and courts are limited in the kinds of crimes they can prosecute and in the sentences they can impose. Second, there is significant denial and minimization of gang issues in tribal communities and among tribal leaders and tribal police; this is largely because they have not be trained or provided with resources to deal with gangs. Third, statistics on Indian gang issues have not been collected from the tribes until recently. The most effective method of dealing with Indian gangs is to train tribal police to deal with gangs within their limited resources. They should be trained in suppression of gangs, investigation of gang crimes, support for criminal prosecution of gang members, and cooperation with available community services for Indian youths and their families. An important resource for such training is gang consultants, who are knowledgeable about Indian gangs in particular.