Law Enforcement Leaders Present Plan To Cut Wave of Gang Violence; Call on Congress to Reject White House Proposed 40 Pct. Cut in Anti-Gang Funds 6/1/2004
From: Michael Kharfen, 202-776-0027, ext. 127, or 202-262-3996 (mobile); or Clay Wilkinson, 202-776-0027, ext. 108, or 202-550-6172 (mobile), both of Fight Crime: Invest in Kids WASHINGTON, June 1 -- National law enforcement leaders today urged a full assault on rising gang violence with a proven strategic plan to cut crime and keep more kids from joining gangs. The leaders also said the 40 percent cut proposed by the White House to federal juvenile crime prevention funds would pull the plug on effective local programs to reduce gang and youth violence. A new report "Caught in the Crossfire: Arresting Gang Violence by Investing in Kids" released today by Fight Crime: Invest in Kids, an anti-crime organization of 2,000 police chiefs, sheriffs, prosecutors and victims of violence, brings together recent research that gang homicides across the country increased an alarming 50 percent since 1999. The report also finds that gangs have spread beyond inner cities into suburbs and rural areas. Despite the increase in gang violence, Congress will be voting on a White House proposed 40 percent cut in federal juvenile justice and delinquency prevention funding, which supports anti- gang programs in communities across the country. That's on top of a 44 percent overall reduction in delinquency-fighting and anti-gang funds since 2002. "Serious violent criminals need to be locked up, but to curb gang violence we must intervene to keep these kids from becoming criminals in the first place," said Los Angeles Police Chief Bill Bratton. "Research shows there are proven strategies to cut gang-related homicides almost immediately and shut off the pipeline delivering new kids into gangs." Bratton added, "The proposed budget cuts will force many of the anti-gang programs to close shop, raising the risk of more violence and higher taxes to pay for criminal justice and prison costs. And sadly, more children will be caught in the crossfire." Law enforcement leaders insist the crucial time to act is now before more kids are caught up in the violence of gangs. They recommend additional federal and state dollars to implement a three-point plan: 1. Police and community leaders must track down gang members, provide close supervision of high-risk kids and ensure that any future gang violence is met with swift consequences combined with collaborative services to help children get off drugs, stay in school and find a job. Philadelphia tested collaborations in two precincts between police and community programs with this "carrot and stick" approach. The result was over a 40 percent cut in violent crimes in both precincts. In Boston, a similar citywide effort resulted in a two-thirds cut in youth homicides. 2. Communities must have in place intensive programs to intervene with troubled kids and equip families to better manage their children's behavior. Several states, including Illinois and Virginia, have used federal funds for intensive family therapy ("Multi-Systemic Therapy") proven to reduce re-arrest rates by as much as 70 percent. The program also save money with a return of $29 dollars in reduced crime, incarceration and victim costs for every $1 dollar invested. 3. Start early to help at-risk kids succeed and stay away from crime. Child abuse prevention, high quality pre-k, anti-bullying and after-school programs are proven to cut crime. For example, children in the Perry Preschool program were five times less likely to become chronic lawbreakers than kids left out of the program. "The increase in gang violence has been consistent and steady, not something that can be passed off as a one year blip or aberration," said James Alan Fox, Lipman Family Professor of Criminal Justice at Northeastern University. "We have learned painfully that gang violence in big cities can quickly sweep across the nation. There is still time to invest in prevention strategies with anti-gang enforcement units and youth programs that replace gangs as the place where kids need to belong." Fox reported that youth-gang related homicides are up over 50 percent from 1999 to 2002, the latest year for which data are available. Gang-related homicides account for approximately half of all homicides in Chicago and Los Angeles. The latest Department of Justice funded National Youth Gang Survey finds that 38 percent of suburban counties and 12 percent of rural counties report gang activity as evidenced by the recent machete attack on a Fairfax County, Va., youth and gangs from New York and New Jersey moving to rural Luzerne County, Pa. "More and more kids are trading school colors for gang colors and more parents are trading graduations for funerals," said Sanford Newman, president of Fight Crime: Invest in Kids. "Congress must act swiftly to preserve crucial funding for research tested programs so we can turn the corner on gang crime and return our neighborhoods to our children and families." The full report is available at http://www.fightcrime.org. --- Editors note: This release originally was embargoed for Thursday, June 3. The embargo has been broken. The news is now for immediate release. |