Gang violence evidence
Gang violence evidence refers to the indicators and documentation that suggest an act of violence is connected to gang activity. However, establishing such evidence can be complex due to varying definitions of "gangs" and "gang violence" across different law enforcement jurisdictions. Gang violence is often characterized by violent acts committed by gang members, typically targeting one another, but can also include violent acts against outsiders perceived as threats to gang interests.
Street gangs are known for their territorial nature and demand high loyalty from members, which can lead to public displays of violence intended to assert dominance and instill fear. Gang members frequently promote their violent actions through graffiti and publicly claiming responsibility for crimes, thereby providing investigators with potential leads. Conversely, this same bravado can complicate legal processes, as the fear instilled in communities can deter witnesses from coming forward. The culture of silence among gang members, coupled with the threat of retaliation, perpetuates cycles of violence and complicates prosecution efforts. Understanding these dynamics is crucial for comprehending the broader implications of gang violence in society.
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Gang violence evidence
Definition: Evidence of violent crimes inflicted by known gang members on one another.
Significance: Gang-related crimes are frequently violent in nature, and perpetrators of these crimes are generally not difficult to identify because of the evidence they leave behind. Nevertheless, such crimes can be difficult to prosecute because of codes of silence and the culture of fear fostered by the gangs themselves.
Evidence that violence is gang related is not always as easy to procure as members of the public may believe. Part of the difficulty lies in the fact that different American law-enforcement jurisdictions define “gangs” differently. Moreover, defining “gang violence” itself can also be problematic. The term can be broadly defined as any violent act committed by any member of a gang. However, “gang violence” is more commonly defined as any violent act committed by one gang member on another.
Street gangs tend to be extremely territorial and demand a high degree of loyalty from their members. Any persons whom gang members perceive as encroaching on gang interests or territories may become the targets of violence. Moreover, because gang members actively work to establish their “street credentials,” or “cred,” they are prone to take credit openly for their violent actions. For example, gang members participating in drive-by shootings are apt to yell out their gang names so that witnesses know who is responsible for the shootings. Gang members also often publicize their collective and individual acts of violence in the graffiti they draw in public places. Trained investigators frequently use such information to identify suspects in crimes.
Members of street gangs also tend to make themselves easy to recognize by having themselves heavily tattooed. Furthermore, many of their tattoos are readily visible on their faces, necks, shaved heads, and arms. These identifying marks often make it easy for investigators to identify gang members from descriptions provided by victims of their crimes. In areas with heavy gang activity, the gang investigation units within local law-enforcement agencies typically keep copious records on gang members, their associates, the types of vehicles they drive, and the patterns and types of tattoos they have.
Investigators of gang-related crime are trained to mine the evidence gang members themselves readily provide in their efforts to advertise their crimes. However, the same evidence that can make it easy to identify and locate perpetrators of gang violence can also work against successful prosecutions. The reason gang members like to trumpet their crimes is to establish their violent reputations and make themselves feared. The fear they foster within communities often makes the victims of their violence unwilling to testify against them.
Prosecuting violent gang crimes is also impeded by the silent codes under which gang members live. When members believe that they or their gangs have been wronged, they try to retaliate against their transgressors themselves and do not want police or the legal system to interfere. Their code of silence and their desire to right wrongs themselves naturally helps to perpetuate cycles of gang violence. Perpetrators of violent crimes are frequently known to law-enforcement investigators, who cannot initiate prosecutions because of the unwillingness of victims and witnesses to cooperate. Even victims of gang crimes who are not themselves gang members are often so afraid of gang reprisals they remain silent and live in fear.
Bibliography
Curry, David, and Scott Decker. Confronting Gangs: Crime and Community. Los Angeles: Roxbury, 2002.
Goldstein, Arnold P., and C. Ronald Huff. The Gang Intervention Handbook. Champaign, Ill.: Research Press, 1993.
Jackson, Robert K., and Wesley D. McBride. Understanding Street Gangs. Costa Mesa, Calif.: Custom Publishing, 1995.
Leet, Duane, George Rush, and Anthony Smith. Gangs, Graffiti, and Violence: A Realistic Guide to the Scope and Nature of Gangs in America. 2d ed. Belmont, Calif.: Wadsworth, 2000.
Mays, G. Larry, ed. Gangs and Gang Behavior. Chicago: Nelson-Hall, 1998.