Anti-Gang Prevention

Key Findings

We provide evidence-based youth services programming. The following are some key findings regarding anti-gang prevention:

• Youth join gangs for protection, enjoyment, respect, money, or because a friend is in a gang.

• Youth are at higher risk of joining a gang if they engage in delinquent behaviors, are aggressive or violent, experience multiple caretaker transitions, have many problems at school, associate with other gang-involved youth, or live in communities where they feel unsafe and where many youth are in trouble.

• To prevent youth from joining gangs, communities must strengthen families and schools, improve community supervision, train teachers and parents to manage disruptive youth, and teach students interpersonal skills.

Oliver & Griggs Strategies and Services

While no programs have been developed specifically to prevent gangs from emerging, here are some of the strategies and services we utilize to prevent youth from joining gangs:

• Addressing elevated risk factors for joining a gang.

• Strengthening families.

• Improving community-level supervision of youth.

• Increasing adult supervision of students after school.

• Providing interpersonal skills training to students to help resolve conflicts.

• Providing a center for youth recreation and referrals for services.

• Providing gang awareness training for parents and students.

• Teaching students that gangs can be dangerous.