MENU TITLE: Probation: Technical Assistance Manual . Series: OJJDP Published: 103 pages 222,911 bytes DRAFT 1/92 ------------------------------ PROBATION Technical Assistance Manual Ron Chance National Youth Gang Suppression and Intervention Program School of Social Service Administration University of Chicago Distributed by: Juvenile Justice Clearinghouse Box 6000 Rockville, MD 20850 1-800-638-8736 National Youth Gang Suppression and Intervention Project Staff Irving A. Spergel, D.S.W., Principal Investigator Ron Chance, M.A., Project Director Candice M. Kane, Ph.D., J.D., Senior Research Associate Thomas A. Regulus, Ph.D., Senior Research Associate Robert Laseter, M.S.W., Senior Research Associate Sara Fagan, Project Secretary Cynthia Johnson, Project Secretary Felicia Weinstein, Project Secretary Irving A. Spergel, Editor, and Ron Chance, Co- Editor Technical Assistance Manuals School of Social Service Administration University of Chicago 969 E. 60th Street Chicago, IL 60637 (312) 702-5879 ------------------------------ ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The development of this probation manual would not have been possible without the participation of experienced practitioners in the field. Their willingness to take time away from their busy schedules to provide insight and assistance is most appreciated. The author would especially like to thank the following people for their significant contributions to the development of this manual: Robert Bingham, Lake County Court Services Mike Duran, Los Angeles County Probation Ken Watson, Allen County Superior Court Tom Wright, Orange County Probation The author would also like to thank the following people for their advice and comments: Jimmy Brown, Juvenile Justice Division, Portland, OR Barbara Butler, King County Department of Youth Services Mike Gavagahn, Court of Common Pleas, Philadelphia, PA Ray Gott, Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department Kenneth Hale, Court of Common Pleas, Philadelphia, PA Marian Lawrence, Denver County Probation Ron Meyer, Santa Clara County Probation Department Gretchen Rauch, New York City Division of Probation Edith Reed, Department of Youth Services, Jackson, MS Anne Studzinski, Department of Child and Family Services, State of Illinois Tim Turley, Denver Juvenile Court Christine Wong, Los Angeles County Probation Responsibility for the final version of this manual remains with the author. ------------------------------ TABLE OF CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION Program Mission and Background Purpose of the Manuals Problem Statement Discussion of Terms and Issues Approach to the Problem Summary CHAPTER 2: PROBATION The Youth Gang Problem: A View from Probation Purpose and Content of this Manual Assessing the Youth Gang Problem Summary CHAPTER 3: SETTING GOALS, STRATEGIES, AND OBJECTIVES Agency Goals Program Strategies Organizational Development Objectives Summary CHAPTER 4: DEVELOPING INFORMATION SYSTEMS The Gang Intelligence System Uses of Intelligence Probation Officer Resource File Summary CHAPTER 5: CONDUCTING THE PRESENTENCE INVESTIGATION (PSI) Content of the PSI PSI Recommendations Summary CHAPTER 6: PERFORMING INTAKE AND PROBATIONER SUPERVISION Performing Intake Assessing Risks and Needs Initiating the Supervisory Relationship Developing and Implementing a Caseplan Enforcing Conditions of Probation Handling Probation Violations Emerging and Chronic Contexts Summary CHAPTER 7: FACILITATING INTERAGENCY COORDINATION AND COMMUNITY MOBILIZATION Interagency Coordination Improving Partnership Relations Interagency Coalitions and Community Mobilization Summary CHAPTER 8: SELECTING AND TRAINING STAFF Developing a Job Description Screening and Selecting a Candidate Providing Orientation and Training Summary CHAPTER 9: PROGRAM RESEARCH AND EVALUATION Process Indicators Outcome Indicators Summary APPENDIX A: LIST OF PROGRAM REPORTS APPENDIX B: GLOSSARY AND DISCUSSION OF TERMS ------------------------------ EXECUTIVE SUMMARY In response to an increasingly serious youth gang problem, the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, U.S. Department of Justice entered into a cooperative agreement with the School of Social Service Administration, University of Chicago, to conduct the National Youth Gang Suppression and Intervention Program. One of the objectives of this program was to develop technical assistance manuals for policymakers and administrators to assist them in their efforts to reduce gang violence. This manual presents a comprehensive design for a probation response to youth gang activity in both emerging and chronic gang problem contexts. The manual covers a range of topics including: 1) assessing the youth gang problem; 2) setting goals, strategies, and objectives; 3) developing information systems; 4) conducting the presentence investigation; 5) performing intake and probationer supervision; 6) facilitating interagency coordination and community mobilization; 7) selecting and training staff; and 8) designing program research and evaluation. Promising policies and procedures are recommended on each of these topics with reference to agency programming and the youth gang probationer. A comprehensive probation assessment of the youth gang problem collects and analyzes data at three levels. At the first level, data is collected on probationers to determine their involvement in youth gang crime and the nature of the youth problem on the caseload. At the second level, information is obtained to assess whether probation is successful with regard to protecting the community, enforcing court orders, and achieving rehabilitative goals with respect to youth gang probationers. At the third level, a communitywide survey is undertaken to ascertain the nature and scope of the youth gang problem within the jurisdiction, and to determine how probation and other organizations are working together to address it. The results of this assessment then serve as a basis for planning or adjusting probation's response to a youth gang problem, if one is present. Pertinent agency goals should consist of: 1) furnishing the court with appropriate information and recommendations; 2) effectively enforcing court orders and applicable laws; 3) providing adequate assistance to criminal justice organizations, community agencies, and grassroots groups in their gang control efforts; and 4) brokering special school and employment opportunities for purposes of rehabilitation. A promising probation approach to youth gang activity will incorporate a multiple- strategy approach. Strategies of suppression, social intervention, community mobilization, opportunities provision, and organizational development should be implemented by probation to craft a "balanced response." More specifically, the response should balance social control or supervision activities for youth gang probationers with the provision of viable social opportunities. To achieve this, certain organizational development objectives and activities to carry them out will have to developed and implemented. Invariably, these objectives will be concerned with providing more effective supervision to youth gang probationers; increasing social support to youth gang probationers, their families and referral agencies; providing better social opportunities to youth gang probationers; and developing interagency partnerships and coalitions to improve the agency and community response to the problem. Development of a gang intelligence system and a probation officer resource file will be necessary to effectively monitor the activities and provide for the social adjustment needs of the youth gang probationer. An effective gang intelligence system provides the probation officer with current, accurate information on the youth gang probationer's activity in the community and his or her probation conditions. The design and sophistication of the system should depend on whether the jurisdiction has an emerging or chronic gang problem. Data concerning the youth's background, involvement in the gang, and violence potential should be collected. Reports on youth gang probationers, youth gangs, and gang activity in the jurisdiction should be generated as needed. Appropriate system safeguards to protect the rights of the probationer and the validity of the information should also be established. The resource file provides a listing of resources and services available in the community that the probation officer can use to effect intervention with the youth gang probationer. A good resource file will list a broad range of pertinent resource and service options related to physical and mental health, community service, education, employment, parental training, and recreation. Guidelines must be stipulated pertaining to the content of presentence investigation (PSI) reports and suggested dispositional recommendations for youth gang adjudicants. The PSI is important for many reasons including its ability to influence judicial decisions, its utility for developing a supervision plan, and its capacity to educate judges on gang-related topics. Beyond the regular information contained in the PSI, the probation officer should report on information related to the youth's gang activity, the youth's position and level of involvement in the gang, and the gang's current state of criminal activity. Questions concerning the impact that probation, incarceration, and other dispositional alternatives will have on the youth's commitment to the gang lifestyle should also be addressed. Certain recommendations by the probation officer should be made as a part of standard operating procedure when dealing with youth gang adjudicants. These include: 1) mandating special conditions of probation including nonassociation with specific gang members and prohibition of gang dress and other insignia; 2) requiring participation of the youth in specific educational, employment, and community service programs; and 3) recommending gang awareness and parental effectiveness training for the youth's parents when appropriate. Functions and organizational arrangements necessary to competently perform intake on and supervise gang-affiliated youth require that intake officers be trained to identify youth gang members to ensure that they are appropriately processed. Guidelines that specify procedures for the detention, release, or diversion of particular types of gang youth (e.g., peripheral, regular, hardcore) should be developed and placed in writing. A risk/needs assessment should be conducted to determine the level of supervision and the nature and intensity of services to be provided. The level of supervision should be directly related to the threat the youth poses to the community. In initiating the supervisory relationship, conditions of probation and the consequences of their violation must be clearly explained to the youth and his or her parent(s). The probation officer must try to obtain information from the youth, parents, and significant others that is useful for the development of an appropriate caseplan. The probation officer should display a high level of professionalism at all times and follow through on his or her commitments to the youth. Several components should be regularly incorporated into the caseplans of youth gang probationers. Diagnostic, counseling, and treatment services should be provided to the youth to determine whether there are any particular problems present that are hampering the youth's development. Social skills training and support should be provided to prevent the youth's future involvement in gang activity. Participation in educational, vocational training, employment, and recreational opportunities should be stipulated to allow the youth to develop viable skills and positive social networks. Provision of assistance to family members or significant others should be considered to improve the youth's home setting. In developing a caseplan, the probation officer should attempt to minimize the time the youth has available to become involved in gang activity. To adequately supervise the youth gang probationer, the probation officer may have to utilize several strategies. These can include the use of special gang-related conditions of probation, curfew restrictions, and mandatory drug testing. Visits to the probationer at home and with collateral contacts at school, work, and other places may also be useful. In special cases, the probation officer may require search and seizure authority or have to place the youth under home detention and electronic surveillance. Supervisory networks with other agency personnel can also be established. In handling probation violations, consequences should be imposed immediately and be directly proportional to the seriousness of the violation. Finally, the structure and process of supervision should differ according to whether the area is an emerging or chronic gang problem context. In general, supervisory arrangements should be less structured and utilize existing programs in emerging gang problem contexts; in chronic gang contexts, supervisory arrangements should be more intensive, and special programs specifically for gang youth may need to be created. At the heart of improving cooperation between probation and other agencies is the identification of mutually beneficial activities that fulfill organizational mission objectives. Several reciprocal activities can be identified that are beneficial to both probation and other criminal justice organizations including the police, prosecutor, public defender, the court, detention, corrections, and parole. These include the sharing of gang-related intelligence and information, identifying gang youth, jointly developing caseplan and dispositional recommendations, and providing gang-related training. Probation can also carry out a number of advantageous interagency activities with other organizations such as schools, community-based youth agencies, grassroots organizations, churches, business and industry, and the media. These include sharing gang-related information, joint monitoring of probationer behavior, training on gang-related topics, the provision of pertinent services and opportunities for gang youth, and advocacy for additional resources. Probation should also attempt to form an interagency coalition to develop a community mobilization agenda. Potential collaborative activities could involve advocating for recognition of the gang problem if denial is present, developing a definitional and policy consensus with respect to the issue, creating intelligence and supervisory networks to improve interagency communication, conducting community education campaigns, and promoting resource development and political advocacy. Certain human resource tasks must also be addressed to successfully administer a probation gang program. These tasks include developing a job description, screening and selecting candidates, and providing appropriate orientation and training. Job descriptions should incorporate requirements directly related to probation gang work. These include having a demonstrated understanding of and ability to work with gang youth, a willingness to work variable hours, and an interest in spending a substantial amount of time in the community. The rigors and challenges of the position must be clearly explained to all job candidates. Once hired, the probation officer should be oriented to the functions and operations of the gang position or program, particularly regarding its structure and design, policies and procedures, and interorganizational relationships. Training topics should include characteristics of local gangs, patterns of gang crime, officer safety issues, and crisis intervention strategies and techniques. Finally, program research and evaluation are necessary to assess the results of a probation approach to gang activity. Process evaluation indicators should be developed that measure the extent to which the approach is implemented. These indicators should assess: 1) the quality of gang intelligence; 2) probation officer case reports; 3) enforcement of gang-related conditions; 4) level of supervision and services provided to youth gang probationers; 5) community mobilization efforts by probation officers; and 6) management of staff. Outcome indicators should be developed to measure the results of the program. Particular emphasis should be placed on whether the approach is reducing recidivism by gang probationers; youth assigned to different dispositional tracks have different recidivism rates; and gang crime rates have declined in the targeted communities. ------------------------------ CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION o Program Mission and Background o Purpose of the Manuals o Problem Statement o Discussion of Terms and Issues o Approach to the Problem o Summary Program Mission and Background Criminal youth gang activity represents a serious threat to the safety and security of local citizens and impedes positive youth development. In recent years, higher levels of youth gang violence and gang member-related drug trafficking have been reported in an increasing number of neighborhoods, high schools, public housing projects, correctional institutions, and other social contexts throughout the country. Police in small towns have begun to identify "gangs" and are requesting assistance in how to deal with them. In response, the Office of Juvenile Justice Delinquency Prevention, U.S. Justice Department, entered into a cooperative agreement with the School of Social Service Administration, University of Chicago, in October 1987 to conduct the National Youth Gang Suppression and Intervention Program. This program was initiated as a four-stage Research and Development process: Assessment, Prototype/Model Development, Technical Assistance, and Testing. Three of the four stages have been completed. Stage 1 included a comprehensive review of the research and program literature on youth gangs, a survey of programs in 45 cities, selected site visits, conferences, and special studies. During Stage 2, gang suppression and intervention models were produced for police, prosecutors, judges, probation, corrections, parole, schools, employ- ment, community-based youth agencies, and grassroots organizations. Additionally, separate manuals for comprehensive planning and for community mobilization were developed. Stage 3 involved the creation of 12 technical assistance manuals that provide guidelines to implement the policies and procedures presented in the models. The ten agency manuals specify both organizational and community perspectives for dealing with the youth gang problem. The other two manuals outline specific procedures and processes of planning a comprehensive community approach to youth gang suppression and intervention. (See appendix A for a list of documents.) The program models and technical assistance manuals were based on the findings of the initial project assessment stage as well as extensive consultations with policymakers, administrators, and practitioners at local and national levels. Law enforcement, particularly frontline gang specialists, were important from the start of the program in identifying the problem. Two regional conferences were held with policymakers, administrators, and practitioners from 16 cities who contributed to the development of the final version of the manuals. Purpose of the Manuals The purpose of the technical assistance manuals is to present detailed steps for the control and reduction of youth gang crime, especially gang- motivated violence. The manuals seek to provide governmental authorities, criminal justice organizations, social agencies, and community groups with strategies that encourage gang-prone and gang-involved youth to terminate criminal activity and participate in legitimate social, academic, and employment pursuits. Broad preventive policies that deal with larger social issues such as poverty and racism, housing, education, jobs, and health care are addressed only on a limited basis in the manuals. Key issues of family breakdown, violence in the media, and the proliferation of sophisticated weapons need to be directly addressed as they contribute to the youth gang problem. They are presented here mainly as contextual conditions that special organizational policies and procedures and community mobilization must deal with and change, if not directly then indirectly. Local administrators and policymakers are the primary audience, but the manuals should also be useful to other officials and personnel concerned with the problem, including agency supervisors, frontline workers, and community volunteers. The manuals are not intended to serve in the place of more general models and manuals dealing with delinquent or troublesome youth in the criminal justice and human service fields; they are intended as a supplement to them. Even so, the manuals should be of value in addressing youth crime more generally. This is because the youth gang problem can be viewed as part of a larger set of crime and delinquency and youth socialization problems. Problem Statement During the 1980's and early 1990's, more criminally oriented and better organized gangs or cliques have become prevalent in many urban and smaller com- munities. More young people from diverse backgrounds and settings are joining gangs to meet social and economic needs not satisfied through existing institutions, e.g., family, school, and employment. The youth gang has become an alternative, mainly antisocial, institution for an increasing number of youth. Why youth gangs have developed and become more criminal and complex organizations is not clear. The type and severity of youth gang problems may be largely a response to two conditions, poverty or limited access to social opportunities; and social disorganization, i.e., the lack of integration and stability of social institutions including family, school, and employment in a local community. Certain factors exacerbate these two social conditions to produce varying gang subcultures and systems. They include: o large and rapid population movement of low-income minorities into a community; o intergenerational gang traditions; o defects of social policy and coordination of service delivery at local and national levels; o institutional racism; o insecurities of certain working and middle class populations "threatened" by newcomers; o the growth of criminal opportunities; and o possibly, influence of the media. Examples are the following: Violent youth gang subcultures often develop when gang-affiliated African-American and Hispanic youth move from central cities to smaller cities and suburban areas without adequate social, family, economic, and educational supports. Violent gang subcultures may also develop when new waves of poor immigrants from Mexico, Central America, the Pacific Islands, Vietnam, Hong Kong, Korea, the Philippines, and other Asian countries arrive in urban communities. The newcomer groups are often met with hatred and resentment, sometimes manifested in physical attacks. Gangs may form and become rapidly entrenched, first as defensive, and then as offensive groups. Furthermore, in ghetto, inner-city African-American and Hispanic communities, a limited criminal opportunity system often develops. Gangs in these communities may change from status-oriented, conflict groups to predatory, criminal-gain groups. Over time, sophisticated instrumental rather than traditional or status-oriented youth gangs may develop, with special interest in drug trafficking and other economic criminal activity. In some communities across the country, particularly in the western States but increasingly elsewhere, the influx of low-income and working- class Pacific-Islander and Asian groups--e.g., Tongan, Filipino, Hong Kong, Korean, Vietnamese, Laotian, or Cambodian--has resulted in other varieties of youth gang problems. Second-generation youths, those who were born in this country or who arrived as preteens, may seek protection, prestige, and income through gang membership. Some of these gangs adopt African-American or Hispanic gang patterns; others become closely connected to traditional ethnic-based, adult criminal organizations. Criminal activities can include home invasions, business extortion, robbery, rape, intimidation, and a range of racket activities. These newcomer youth gangs, and the Asian communities upon which they prey, are difficult for local law enforcement, schools, and community organizations to penetrate or influence because of cultural, communication, and trust problems. Some blue-collar or middle class communities are characterized by growing economic, social, and cultural pressures as well as by increasing family or personal disorganization. Some of these formerly stable, predominately white communities have become centers for youth groups with a "nothing to lose attitude." Youth gangs or their equivalent such as Satanic, Stoner, punk rocker, hate, Neo-Nazi, or racist Skinhead groups may participate in a wide range of loosely organized criminal acts, characterized by perverse and negative behavior, including vandalism, drug use, homosexual assaults, and even homicides. Additionally, in certain stable, lower middle class communities, whether African-American, Latino, Pacific Islander, Asian, white, or Native American, the gang problem may assume a more organized and usually less violent character. Youth may become relatively more involved in extortion, car theft, burglary, robbery, sophisticated drug trafficking, and various lucrative quasi-racket activities which are not necessarily conducted in the "home communities." Legitimate business and criminal interests may be relatively well integrated. Furthermore, specialization of criminal youth gang patterns by race and ethnicity seemingly exists. Economic, social, and cultural factors may, in fact, be the cause. Thus, some African-American youth gang or clique members may be heavily engaged in street-level crack-cocaine trafficking; Mexican- American youth gang members may be relatively more involved in violent turf-based activity, and Asian gang members may be more mobile and closely related to adult crime organizations involved in crimes such as extortion, robbery, and international drug trafficking. However, these youth gang subcultures also exist side-by-side, interact, integrate with, or succeed each other over time. In some communities youth gangs are interracial and interethnic. In spite of the many and changing varieties of gang subcultures that can be found, a common denominator among them is that most of these groups are comprised of youth who share somewhat similar values and a keen sense of personal failure and low self-esteem. For many gang youth, violence has become an acceptable way of life, partially sanctioned by the larger society. Violence is seen on nightly newscasts, in the movies, on evening television and Saturday morning cartoons, and encouraged by certain "rap" stars. Violence is projected as a means of resolving authority, low self-esteem, and racial/ethnic problems. Discussion of Terms and Issues (See also Appendix B Glossary) It is important to accurately identify key components of the youth gang problem in order not to exaggerate, deny, or mythologize them. This is necessary in order to develop appropriate policies and procedures to deal with the different or varying street gang problems and subcultures encountered. These components are: 1) the criminal youth gang, 2) the youth gang member, and 3) the gang incident. The central focus of the manuals is control and reduction of gang-motivated violence. We are not primarily interested in ephemeral delinquent groups or in highly organized drug trafficking by groups concerned only with profit, although there are often important connections between these associations and the youth or street gang. However, we are concerned with predatory youth cliques or drug-trafficking groups to the extent they participate in, depend on, and influence the development of violent gang activities. Youth gang members engage increasingly in both violent status-related and entrepreneurial or predatory criminal activities. If a youth group engages primarily in criminal entrepreneurial activity and participates periodically in serious violence, it falls within the scope of our concern. Our concern is also with differences between emerging and chronic gang problem communities and the need for prevention and especially early intervention services. 1. Criminal Youth Gang This is a group often comprising both juveniles and young adults in regular interaction with each other who engage in a range of social and antisocial behaviors. Cliques or members engage repetitively or at times spontaneously in violent, predatory, and criminal-gain behaviors. The criminal youth gang may be located within a neighborhood or across neighborhoods and even cities. It may be loosely or well organized with established rules of conduct. The youth gang may have a name, turf, colors, signs, symbols, and distinctive dress. The youth gang often promotes mutual support among members and conflict with competing gangs or established authority. Many of these groups are traditional turf-based gangs. Traditionally, the primary function of the youth gang has been to establish or protect the group's reputation and status within a framework of shared or communal values. This continues to be true for many youth gangs today. Some youth gangs, however, do not display colors and are not primarily concerned with social status, but are more gain-oriented and more rationally organized. 2.The Youth Gang Member While the criminal youth gang includes some youth who conform primarily to conventional norms; many, however, engage in a range of criminal behaviors. Most gang participants are in the age range of 12 to 24 years, although some preadolescents as well as persons into their 50's have been reportedly engaged in gang activities. The most serious and violent gang activity, however, tends to be committed by older adolescents and young adults. Some gang members may join for a period as short as a day, a week, or a month; others are members for years. Some members move from low to high gang status, from less serious to more serious criminal gang behaviors, and vice versa, sometimes in different gangs. Far fewer females than males join youth gangs, although with the increase in number of gangs throughout the country, more female members are probably involved in serious youth gang activities than in an earlier era. Available evidence indicates, however, that females usually join gangs later and leave earlier, and are usually involved in less violent or serious criminal behavior than males. About nine times as many males as females are arrested for gang crimes according to several studies. Less than one percent of gang homicide offenders are female. Typically, female members are in groups affiliated with male gangs. Sometimes females are integrated directly as members into the gang proper, and are less frequently involved in independent all-female criminal youth gangs. In a few cities, there is some recent evidence that females have assumed leadership roles in certain gang or criminal group activities, such as drug trafficking. Special attention needs to be directed at high-risk female gang members who are likely to be physically and sexually victimized, or who induce or facilitate male gang member assaults against other gangs. Traditional gangs may have different type of members: identifiable leaders, core, regular, associate, soldier, peripheral, wannabe, floater, veteran, or old-head. The presence and definition of these categories of gang members, however, may be quite variable or defined differently in communities across the country. Of special interest, for purposes of control and prevention are two categories of gang youth: 1) the more serious, hardcore, often older gang youths; and 2) the younger, high-risk, often less committed gang youths. Agencies need to carefully identify gangs and gang members. This process should depend on use of multiple criteria such as gang member self- admission, statements by reliable witnesses, verification by a second independent agency source, prior police records, and the youth's regular association with a known gang member. Participation by the youth in certain serious gang-motivated criminal incidents such as drive-by shootings must ordinarily precipitate a gang member identification process for gang suppression and intervention purposes. 3. The Gang Incident A gang incident is the unit for classifying and reporting an event as a gang crime, especially for law enforcement purposes. Reported gang incidents become the basis for determining whether a gang problem exists and assessing its scope, and thereby the nature and extent of the community response to it. The gang homicide is usually the key and most reliable measure of the seriousness of gang crime. However, identification of gang incidents, e.g., homicide, assault, or robbery, is neither a simple nor a standard procedure. Two different procedures or variations of them, are currently employed to determine whether a gang incident has occurred and should be recorded for law enforcement, and, consequently, public policy purposes. o Gang-Motivated In this procedure, according to the Chicago Police Department, a criminal act is defined as a gang incident if it grows out of gang motivation, interest, or specific circumstances that enhance the status or function of the gang. These acts include: intergang violence, gang retaliation, turf protection, intimidation, robbery, recruitment, or other criminal activity that affects the gang's reputation or interests as a whole. One or more members of the gang may be involved as a suspect, witness, offender, or victim in these circumstances. In classifying the incident, focus is on the nature of the specific situation in which the illegal act occurs, such as a drive-by shooting or the yelling of a gang slogan in the course of the crime. Crimes such as burglary, car theft, prostitution, and drug trafficking by a gang member are problematic because it is hard to determine whether the act is gang-motivated. Many criminal acts serve individual member needs unrelated to gang interests. On the other hand, seemingly individual or self-serving crimes by gang or aspiring gang youth may be gang-motivated. For example, a youth may be required or feel compelled to commit a particular property or person crime because of pressures by the gang. o Gang-Related This procedure, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, is based on the characterization of a crime or delinquent act as a gang incident when the suspect, offender, or victim is a gang member, regardless of gang motivation or circumstances. Usually any serious criminal act, especially of a violent, predatory, or drug trafficking nature, in which a gang member is involved, can be classified as a gang incident. For example, the crime of a gang member who steals from a store--even though that act has nothing directly to do with his gang membership--would be classified as a gang-related incident. (See appendix B for a discussion of mixed situations and erroneous classification of group delinquency as gang crime.) o Which Definition to Use The argument in favor of using the gang-motivated definition is that it focuses sharply on the circumstances of the incident rather than the identification of the individual as a gang member. It may be more precise and valid than the gang- related definition. It withstands court challenges better. It also avoids excessive labelling or exaggeration of the gang problem. The counter-argument is that the gang-motivated definition minimizes the actual scope of the gang crime problem. It may encourage organizational or community denial of the problem. A key assumption of the proponents of the gang-related definition is that a gang member is likely to engage in a wide range of serious crimes because gang membership predisposes him or her to do so. Evidence for this argument is not substantial, however. Police and prosecutors generally believe that it is desirable to identify gang members and their activities as completely as possible. Police are particularly concerned that the full range of criminal activities of the gang member be available for efficient tracking and investigation purposes. We recommend a procedure that avoids excessive labelling of youth but ensures protection of the community. A gang-incident procedure should be devised that records and distinguishes between gang-motivated and nongang-motivated crime committed by the gang member. All serious criminal incidents by repeat gang offenders should be clearly "flagged" on criminal justice computer systems. An effective computerized information system permits use of either or both procedures to track gang-motivated incidents and gang member crime. 4. Gang Problem Contexts, Chronic and Emerging With the growth and spread of the youth gang problem, a twofold categorization of the problem context has come into use: Chronic and Emerging. Our manuals stress the differences in these contexts as a basis for the development of distinctive strategies, policies, and procedures for gang suppression and intervention. Simply put, a more preventive or early intervention approach may be required in the emerging gang problem context, while a more elaborate and formalized suppression, intervention, and prevention approach may be necessary in the chronic context. o Chronic Gang Problem Context This organizational or community context is characterized by persistent or periodic crises of major gang member violence and sometimes related drug trafficking extending over a five- to ten-year or more period, or even decades. Youth gangs are usually better organized in such communities which are often located in larger or older cities. These contexts are likely to be found in impoverished, ghetto, or transitional areas or ports-of-entry of inner cities, although they are increasingly found in smaller cities and suburban communities. o Emerging Gang Problem Context The gang problem is recent, less well organized, but sometimes very serious in the emerging context. This organizational or community context is characterized by less well organized and persistent, but at times serious, forms of gang violence and gang member drug trafficking. The gang problem has usually been present and/or recognized for five years or less. To some extent, the development and spread of the problem may be traced to the influence of new settlers or gang crime entrepreneurs--for example, drug traffickers--from chronic problem cities or contexts. Youth gangs in emerging problem areas tend to be fewer in number and most often evolve out of local delinquent, sometimes social groups under deteriorating economic or social situations for minority, newcomer, or socially isolated populations. The distinction between the concepts of chronic and emerging gang problem communities, however, are not sharp. Indicators related to the onset of the problem, its duration, degree of gang organization, severity of gang violence and related gang member drug trafficking, as well as the appropriate response to the problem(s) are not neatly categorized by the terms "chronic" and "emerging." Emerging gang problem communities may develop into chronic; and chronic gang problem communities may go through periods of sharply diminished gang activity before the problem reemerges. Different parts of a community or jurisdiction may be characterized by different stages or degrees of severity of the problem at a given time. 5. Variability of Violent Gang, Drug Trafficking, and Crime Problems It is important to understand that, despite media and law enforcement claims, youth gangs involved in gang violence are not necessarily involved in drug trafficking. A direct and causal relationship between youth gangs and drug trafficking has not yet been demonstrated. Some communities that have high levels of youth gang violence may have relatively low levels of drug trafficking; other communities with high levels of drug trafficking may have low levels of youth gang activity. We observe that over the last several years, Los Angeles and Chicago, with the highest levels of gang homicide in the country and very high levels of drug trafficking, report that less than five percent (5%) of gang homicides are associated with drug trafficking. Drug trafficking appears to be related to serious violent street gang behavior only in a limited sense. Drug trafficking, nevertheless, may succeed and may under certain conditions serve either to diminish or increase patterns of youth gang violence. Finally, high levels of general criminality in a community do not necessarily indicate high levels of gang activity. Some cities with the highest levels of youth homicide and drug trafficking may have relatively limited youth gang activity. 6. Prevention The focus of this and the other technical assistance manuals in our Research and Development program is on issues of intervention and suppression in contexts where the gang problem is clearly present. Here, prevention refers mainly to secondary forms of prevention, or early intervention, which reduces the likelihood that the highly gang-prone or the younger gang member will commit or continue to commit gang crimes. This is to be accomplished through effective controls, direct treatment or services, and provision of legitimate opportunities. In our concept, prevention requires change and development both by the individual youth as well as his or her social environment. Most youth from low-income and social problem- ridden communities are not involved in delinquent gang activities. Finally, we note that a simple prevention model that emphasizes exclusive concern with younger youth may be unsuccessful. Such a model does not take into consideration system effects, including the extensive socialization effects of older youth on "wannabe" or younger youth. All key components of the problem need to be systematically addressed. Approach to the Problem The manuals specify five major lines of action or strategies: community mobilization, opportunities provision, suppression, social intervention, and organizational change and development. These strategies must be combined in different ways depending on the problem context, the specific mission of the organization, and the kind of youth targeted for special attention. 1. Community Mobilization Community mobilization is a necessary and primary strategy in socially disorganized communities. Social disorganization, which contributes to the development of criminal youth gangs, may be characterized by the inability of legitimate institutions such as home, school, and employment, to adequately socialize youth. It may also be characterized by limited networking among agencies or the fragmentation of criminal justice or community service delivery systems, within and across communities. Both local and Federal interests must be mobilized for the development of collaborative community and interagency activities directed at the control and reduction of the youth gang problem. In times of limited local community resources, agency consortia efforts are essential. These should include the full and productive use of combined local, State, and Federal resources; application of moral and political pressures; and participation by the local citizenry. (See also General Community Design and Community Mobilization manuals.) 2. Opportunities Provision The provision of additional social opportunities, i.e., the development of a variety of targeted educational, training, and employment programs, is the second most important component over the long term for the reduction and prevention of the youth gang problem, particularly in chronic contexts. The schools need to provide remedial and enriched educational programs for gang-prone and hardcore gang youths. Education, training, and jobs are especially critical for older youth still in gangs who are not in school but who are at "positive risk" at a certain point in their social maturation for leaving the gangs, or for decreased participation in criminal gang activity. A key objective of these programs should be developing socially competent youth, whether in or out of school. (See School and Employment manuals.) 3. Social Intervention Youth-serving agencies and grassroots community groups must "reach out" and act as a link between gang youth and the conventional world. Staff or adult volunteers of these organizations must develop meaningful relationships with these youth. Community-based youth agencies should facilitate access to pertinent opportunity systems and exercise social controls that contribute to the socialization of gang youth. Special efforts are also required to coordinate services for these youth. (See Community-Based Youth Agency manual.) 4. Suppression Social control procedures, particularly those of criminal justice, but also of community-based agencies, are essential for community protection and the prevention and reduction of the problem. Youth gang suppression involves not only law enforcement but a variety of other agencies and community groups in the targeting, monitoring, supervision, and if necessary, restraint of gang offenders. It also requires the anticipation, prevention, and limitation of the effects of gang crime in particular situations to protect both youth participants and the community. Arrest, prosecution, imprisonment, and close supervision of gang youth are insufficient, however, unless joined with other community- oriented strategies to achieve long-term impact on the problem. This means that community based agencies and local groups must accept and collab- orate with criminal justice agencies in patrol, surveillance, and certain information-sharing under conditions that protect both youth and the community. Police, prosecution, and other criminal justice agencies must develop a variety of social intervention, opportunities, prevention, and community involvement programs to supplement their primary goal of suppressing gang crime. (See especially Police, Prosecution, and Probation manuals.) Furthermore, policymakers, administrators, and practitioners in the criminal justice system have a special responsibility to withstand pressures from the public and other units of the justice system to carry out an exclusive strategy of suppression to deal with the youth gang problem. 5. Organizational Change and Development Finally, the above strategies need to be appropriately organized based on the nature and scope of the problem in the community and the mission of the particular organization. Organizational development and change require better use and reallocation of available resources within agencies and neighborhoods. Common definitions, improved communication, resident involvement, and coordination within as well as across agencies and communities are also required. Both community mobilization and organizational development strategies, whether in emerging or chronic gang problem contexts, should be closely interrelated to create efficient and cohesive system arrangements for dealing with the gang problem. Targeting To conserve resources and most effectively deal with the youth gang problem, it is important to target certain communities, organizational contexts, gangs, and gang members or gang-prone youth. Special emphasis on community mobilization is required in both emerging and chronic gang communities. Opportunity provision must also be emphasized for chronic problem communities and contexts. Neighborhoods and organizations, particularly schools, experiencing serious gang problems, should be priority targets for suppression and intervention efforts. The most serious gang problem youths in the most violent gangs in the highest gang crime rate areas should be targeted first. Certain youth gangs or gang-like groups clearly committed to violent and serious criminal activity should receive priority attention. This is to avoid unnecessary labelling and widening the net of gang delinquency and crime through inappropriate criminal justice and community-based agency attention. It is important to concentrate resources on the heart of the presenting problem. Also, individual youth should be targeted in the following order of priority purposes: o First, leadership and core gang youths--to disrupt gang networks, protect the community, and facilitate the reintegration of these youths through community-based or institutional programming into legitimate pursuits; o Second, high-risk gang-prone youth who are often younger or aspiring gang members who give clear indication of beginning participation in criminal gang activities--to prevent further criminal gang involvement through early intervention, preferably community-based services; and o Third, regular and peripheral gang members--to generally address their needs for control and intervention services. Finally, a caution! The policies, procedures, and steps recommended in the manuals should be viewed as promising but as yet not systematically researched through field testing. Summary The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, U.S. Justice Department, entered into a cooperative agreement with the School of Social Service Administration, University of Chicago, to conduct the National Youth Gang Suppression and Intervention Program. The scope and seriousness of the problem was analyzed from both an organizational and community perspective. Models or prototypes were developed. Technical Assistance manuals were created that focussed on the implementation of policies and procedures in emerging and chronic gang problem communities and contexts. The manuals address the gang problem in terms of critical characteristics of the youth gang, its members, and the way the problem is defined. Focus is on controlling, reducing, and preventing gang- motivated violent and serious criminal youth gang activity. The mission of suppression, and intervention is specified as requiring five key strategies: community mobilization, opportunities provision, social intervention, suppression, and organizational change and development. Key targets of a program should be gang leaders and core members as well as high-risk gang-prone youth. This particular manual focuses on organizing local citizens and groups in a cooperative effort at the point of problem impact. I.S. ------------------------------ CHAPTER 2: PROBATION o The Youth Gang Problem: A View from Probation o Purpose and Content of this Manual o Assessing the Youth Gang Problem o Summary The Youth Gang Problem: A View from Probation Probation departments in small and large metropolitan areas across the nation are increasingly confronted with gang-affiliated youth on their caseloads. These youth gang probationers often pose a serious threat to the community because of their involvement in gang-related violence and drug trafficking. Research also indicates that a significant number of these gang youth are at great risk of becoming career criminals. Probation may be hindered by a number of constraints. In jurisdictions where the gang problem is just emerging, key power brokers such as the police, city officials, and business leaders may deny that a youth gang problem exists. Probation may also not have the expertise or the organizational resources necessary to respond appropriately. In other jurisdictions, where youth gangs have existed for some time, the problem may be so chronic, in terms of the severity of violence and the proportion of hardcore gang members on the streets, that probation's primary approach is crisis management. In both contexts, oversized caseloads, funding restrictions, and uncollaborative interagency relationships may exacerbate the problem. Additionally, probation's confusion over what its primary mission should be regarding youth gang probationers--catching probation violators versus facilitating successful treatment outcomes--may seriously hamper the development of a promising probation response. Purpose and Content of this Manual This manual will provide an overview of how a probation department can implement a promising youth gang suppression and intervention program. Its intended audience is the chief probation officer and management staff of a probation department. Its target group is youth and young adult gang probationers who are primarily involved in youth gang violence (see Introduction and appendix B for glossary and a discussion of terms). The probation model put forth in this manual is predicated on the assumption that a multistrategy approach by probation is necessary to fulfill its dual mission of protecting the community and reforming the youth gang probationer. It recognizes that the costs of incarceration are prohibitive and that youth who are jailed will eventually return to their neighborhood of residence. Thus, it encourages probation to adopt a "balanced approach" by carrying out community mobilization activities to suppress youth gang probationer crime and providing counseling, educational, and employment opportunities to the gang probationer and his or her family. As a model, it proposes a comprehensive approach that will have to be adjusted to the political realities and resource constraints of the given jurisdiction. This manual is divided into five sections that cover program design, service implementation, and other organizational activities necessary to conduct a program of this nature. These sections are listed below. I. Assessing the Youth Gang Problem II. Setting Goals, Objectives, and Strategies III. Organizational Development Objectives IV. Program Implementation o Developing Information Systems o Conducting the Presentence Investigation o Performing Probationer Intake and Supervision o Facilitating Interagency Coordination and Community Mobilization o Selecting and Training Staff V. Program Evaluation Assessing the Youth Gang Problem The first step in probation's response to a perceived youth gang problem should be to assess its nature and scope at the probationer, agency, and community levels. This will allow the agency to obtain information useful in planning and implementing a gang suppression and intervention program. At the probationer level, the assessment should determine the extent of gang involvement by probationers. At the agency level, the assessment should ascertain how organizational resources are currently being utilized regarding this population. Finally, at the community level, the assessment should appraise the extent of the youth gang problem within the jurisdiction and how probation and other community organizations are working together to address it. Planning the Assessment Several initial tasks will have to be carried out before the assessment can be conducted. These consist of: 1. Determining the feasibility of an assessment An initial step in assessment planning is to determine whether a problem assessment will be worthwhile. This will depend upon several factors, including the level of support for the assessment within the probation department and other agencies, the political implications of acknowledging the possibility of a youth gang problem, and the amount of agency resources available to carry out the assessment. In order to proceed with the assessment, two conditions may have to be present: o first, consensus by the chief and line probation officers that a potential youth gang problem exists; and o second, approval by the presiding judge of the juvenile court for a problem analysis. A publicized assault, an outcry by citizens or school officials for action from affected communities, or a probation report that documents youth gang activity can be utilized to garner support for an assessment of the problem. Many agencies may be reluctant to admit that a youth gang problem exists and that something should be done to confront it. These agencies may be truly unaware of the problem or lack the expertise or resources necessary to properly identify and assess it. Despite these obstacles, a problem assessment should be conducted in most instances of suspected youth gang activity, since the likelihood of effectively confronting a youth gang problem is much greater when it is addressed in its earlier stages. 2. Establishing an assessment framework Before the assessment process can begin, definitions and the assumptions underlying them will have to be made explicit. We suggest the following terms for this framework and list their definitions in the Introduction and appendix B of this text: o criminal youth gang o youth gang member o hardcore gang member o regular gang member o peripheral gang member o gang-prone youth o gang incident o gang-motivated incident o gang-related incident o delinquent youth group o other types of youth gangs o criminal organization o chronic gang problem context o emerging gang problem context These definitions should be used to classify youth group phenomena and gang problem contexts for the purpose of analysis and planning. 3. Preparing for data collection In most instances, line probation officers will be the primary data collectors. Before proceeding with the data collection process, the coordinator of the assessment should: o conduct a special orientation session to explain the purpose and process of the assessment; o develop simple data collection forms with instructions; and o solicit suggestions from staff on how the planned data collection process can be improved. Probationer-Level Assessment The following data should be collected for probationers identified as youth gang members: 1. name; 2. age; 3. gender; 4. race/ethnicity (e.g., African-American, Puerto Rican, Vietnamese, etc.; crime patterns may be different by race, ethnicity, and generation of arrival); 5. youth gang affiliation; 6. location of gang turf; 7. monikers; 8. identifiers (e.g., tatoos, scars, etc.); 9. criminal history (e.g., types of crime, location of crime, weapons used, modus operandi, group aspect of crime, fellow arrestees); 10. community of residence (including history of residential movement); 11. family circumstances (e.g., single parent, foster care, income level, occupational status, criminal history, etc.); 12. school record (e.g., grades, conduct, attendance); 13. drug use and trafficking pattern, if any; 14. physical and mental health status; 15. employment history (e.g., jobs held, skills acquired); 16. level of probation supervision; 17. services the youth has received on probation; and 18. description of the youth's performance on probation. Data on items 2 through 15, when analyzed, will be of special importance in specifying the scope and seriousness of the problem. Items 16 through 18 will indicate how resources within the probation department are currently being used with respect to youth gang probationers. This data should also be collected for a sample of nonyouth gang probationers for the sake of comparison, if possible. The data collection effort should focus on the current probation caseload and, if resources permit, cases processed by probation within the past two years. While most of this information will probably be found in probationer case file records, collateral contacts with police, school, clergy, community-based youth agency personnel, and others may be necessary to collect and verify data. The assessment at this level should primarily attempt to discover: o the total number of youth gang members and their proportion of probation's total caseload; o the numbers and types of gang-motivated crime these youth have committed in order of their seriousness (i.e., homicides, assaults, drug trafficking, vandalism, graffiti); o particular patterns of crime (e.g., only on weekends, only at a particular time of day); and o whether youth gang probationers differ from nongang youth probationers on any of the above characteristics. Analysis of the data will permit the probation department to determine whether its probationers represent mainly: 1. No youth gang or delinquent group problem, i.e., Youth group involvement in criminal activity such as a fight at a high school football game or a spontaneous act of group vandalism is minor and highly sporadic. Minor or serious delinquencies at the individual level are the norm; 2. Primarily a delinquent youth group problem, i.e., Youth groups, mainly in the juvenile age range, associate to commit crime that is not characterized by turf boundaries, signs, symbols, or concerns about group status or reputation. Conflict relations with other groups of youth are not typical. The delinquent activities of these groups may be of a random, serious, or nonserious criminal nature generally concentrated in the property crime category; 3. Primarily a youth hate group problem, i.e., Youth, sometimes under the direction of adults, engage in bias crimes, for example, verbal and physical attacks on people or the property of people of different sexual orientation, color, status, class, and religious or political beliefs. Examples of this type of group include Neo-Nazi, skinhead, and satanic groups. A commitment to certain signs, symbols, and attire may also be present. 4. Primarily a youth gang problem, i.e., Probationers associate with other individuals on a regular basis to commit crimes related to the interests of a gang (e.g., intergang conflict, retaliation, protection of turf, status, and occasionally drug trafficking). A key indicator of youth gang formation may be the taking of a name by the group (e.g., Neighborhood Thugs, Watts Street Kids). Youth groups may have some commitment to turf, colors, signs, or symbols with concerns about status or reputation. The age of youth in these gangs may range broadly from 14 years or younger to 24 years or older. 5. Primarily youth involvement in criminal-gain groups or organizations, i.e., Youth are involved in gang cliques or criminal organizations whose primary purpose is to profit from illicit activities. A key characteristic of these groups is the division of proceeds related to criminal-gain activities. Examples of crime include extortion, robbery, burglary, automobile theft, and drug trafficking. These groups may be turf-based for the protection market areas, and use group names and symbols. In general, these groups have readily identifiable leadership and a more sophisticated, tightly knit structure than youth gangs. Employer and employee roles may be clearly distinguishable. Conflict relations with other criminal groups may occur to protect or expand market areas. 6. A mixed youth group problem that varies according to the neighborhoods and communities within the jurisdiction, i.e., Youth groups with the characteristics of delinquent, hate, youth gang, and criminal-gain groups as described above are present within probation's jurisdiction. The categories described above are clearly defined typologies. In reality, classification of youth group problems may be difficult given the lack of data and their variable nature. For example, the primary activities of a youth gang or one its cliques may be hard to determine. Both may evolve into a criminal-gain group over time. This manual specifies a probation approach for youth gang probationers. However, some of the strategies and procedures presented may be applicable to dealing with gang youth involved in delinquent or criminal activities that are unrelated to the interests of the gang. Probation approaches to criminal organizations will necessarily involve more surveillance, infiltration, and use of special legal tactics (e.g., use of Rico statutes) in conjunction with other criminal justice agencies. Agency-Level Assessment The probation department should assess whether it is fulfilling certain agency level objectives in reference to youth gang probationers. These objectives include: 1. Protection of the Community Probation should assess whether: o youth gang probationers are violating their terms of probation and having their probation revoked at higher rates than nongang probationers; o probation is serving as a greater deterrent to further crime as compared to other kinds of justice system processing, e.g., noncourt referral or sentencing to a training school. The greater the prevalence of youth gang probationer crime, the more critically probation should examine the deterrent and rehabilitative functions of its program approach. 2. Enforcement of Court Orders Probation should ascertain whether it is effectively enforcing court orders for youth gang probationers. The following kinds of data should be analyzed: o the type (i.e., technical vs. criminal) and rate of probation violations by youth gang probationers; and o the nature and intensity of probation's efforts to ensure probationer compliance with court orders based on indicators such as: -- home visits and collateral contacts made by probation officers; and -- descriptions of the level of supervision and other special techniques used (e.g., curfews, urine testing, electronic supervision, etc.). Although difficult to assess, the existence of low intensity supervisory arrangements for youth gang probationers coupled with a high number of police arrests of this group may indicate a problem. 3. Rehabilitation of Youth Gang Probationers Data on the number of referrals and the type of services delivered to youth gang probationers should be analyzed. High probation revocation and recidivism rates may indicate that youth gang probationers are receiving insufficient or inadequate rehabilitative services while on probation. Community-Level Assessment The nature of the overall youth gang problem and probation's interagency and community contacts in reference to it will also have to be assessed. The outcome of this assessment will have implications for how probation structures its organizational response, particularly regarding to whether the gang problem within the jurisdiction is chronic or emerging. These contexts are often situated in ghetto or newcomer neighborhoods. As noted before, they can be described as follows: Chronic gang problem context. This is an area where the problem has persisted, often in serious form, for a number of years, sometimes decades. A large number of gangs and gang members are present. Gang membership among youth and within families may be intergenerational. Patterns of youth gang violence; gang-related drug trafficking; protection of turf; gang signs, symbols, and recruitment; and gang organization are well established. Emerging gang problem context. This is an area where the problem has developed within the past several years. In the initial stages the distinction between ad hoc delinquent groups and youth gangs may be hard to make. Gang names, colors, signs, symbols, graffiti, and turf may not be well developed. Incidents resembling street disorderliness may be present. The number of identified gangs and gang members, some who may have recently arrived from other cities, is relatively small. Distinctive crime patterns found within a chronic context are not persistent, but occasional incidents of gang-related violence and drug trafficking may occur. Denial of the problem may persist within communities and among particular organizations to protect a variety of interests. Contacts will have to be made with criminal justice organizations, community agencies, grassroots groups, and community residents. Questions particularly relevant to each actor include: Police o Does the police department keep statistics on youth gang activity, particularly with regard to the number of gangs, gang members, and gang incidents? How do they define the terms gang, gang member, and gang incident? What are these statistics for the last two years and how have they fluctuated? o What is the police department's approach to gangs and gang youth? Do they have a gang unit? Do officers receive specialized gang training? o Do police and probation provide each other with gang-related information and intelligence? Have they set up regular intelligence networking and other types of cooperative arrangements? o Do the police refer gang youth to other agencies for educational, employment, and other types of assistance? Prosecutor o Do cases involving youth gang members receive any special treatment? Are there special policies (e.g., priority attention, maximum penalties) or procedures (e.g., vertical prosecution) that have been developed? o Does the prosecutor have any data on gang members with regard to: --number of cases involving gang incidents? --number of gang members prosecuted? --results of these prosecutions (e.g., dismissals, plea bargains, reductions)? o Do probation officers and the prosecutors share information on gang-related matters, particularly regarding criminal activity committed by gang probationers? o Do probation officers assist prosecutors in case preparation and filings on gang cases? o Do the prosecutor and probation officer normally identify hardcore, adjudicated gang youth for special probation monitoring and services? o Are youth gang probationers who violate their probation immediately detained and prosecuted? Public Defender o Do the public defender and probation officer cooperate in formulating caseplan recommendations for gang youth brought before the court? The Court o Does the judge or the court as a whole handle cases of gang youth differently than nongang youth (e.g., special probation conditions)? If so, in what way? o Does probation systematically provide judges with information on gang-specific topics such as special sentencing and restitution options and specific gang orders and sanctions for gang-affiliated youth? o Does the court regularly mandate remedial and basic education, vocational training, job placement, and community restitution for gang- affiliated youth? Local and State Correctional Facilities o Are probation and local/State correctional facilities sharing gang-related information, particularly with regard to identifying gang members in detention and those being released from custody? Parole o Are probation and parole sharing gang-related information, particularly regarding the interaction between problematic gang members on their respective caseloads? Schools o Has there been any evidence of youth gang activity on school grounds (e.g., graffiti on school grounds or in school books, wearing of gang dress or colors, flashing of signs, recruitment, harassment, and fights between opposing groups of youth)? o Does the school keep records on gang-related activity? o Do they have any gang prevention or treatment programs? o Do they have special security arrangements? For example, do they have a disciplinary code that prohibits and specifies sanctions for gang dress and graffiti, use of gang gestures, and weapons possession? Do they have special procedures for handling gang incidents at school, specifically with regard to contacting criminal justice agencies and handling public relations? o Are probation and schools sharing information on gang probationers? o Does probation provide crisis intervention services with gang probationers in the school setting? Does probation offer training to school staff on gang-awareness techniques and strategies to control the behavior of gang youth in the classroom? o Is there a special school policy regarding admission and expulsion of gang members? What alternatives are provided? o Does the school system provide gang youth with supportive counseling, special/remedial education, apprenticeship training, and job placement? Community-Based Youth Agencies (CBYA's) o Do CBYA's target gang youth for services? o Does probation refer gang probationers to CBYA's for appropriate services? o Are probation and CBYA's sharing information on gang probationers? o Does probation monitor gang probationers in CBYA settings? Do probation officers provide crisis intervention services to CBYA's with these probationers when the need arises? o Does probation provide gang-related training to CBYA staff? Grassroots Organizations (GOs), Churches, and Residents o Are probation and GOs sharing certain kinds of information on gang probationers, particularly with regard to rumor control and probationer involvement in gang incidents? If so, with whom? o Are GOs and churches providing gang probationers with community service options and volunteer mentors? o Are GOs, churches, and local community residents collaborating in activities designed to control the gang problem (e.g., citizen patrols, mediation activities)? Local Industry and Business o Are local industry and businesses providing gang probationers with training and job opportunities? o Is probation monitoring youth gang probationers on the job? Youth Informants (including probationers) Questions for selected youth should include: o Do you have gangs in your community? How do you know this? What are the activities of the gangs? o Can you identify who is a gang member? How so? o Has anyone from a gang harassed or attempted to recruit you into a gang? o Are you involved in a gang? If so, describe your activities? Why do you belong to a gang? Probation should use this information to determine the extent and seriousness of the gang problem, the availability of resources, and the kind of interorganizational initiatives needed. The location of particular gang turfs by name of gang should be designated on a probation catchment area map. The activities that each surveyed organization is currently implementing in response to the youth gang problem should also be summarized. Summary Guidelines for assessing a youth gang problem from the vantage point of probation are provided in this section. Problem assessment is the first step to developing an effective response to the youth gang problem. In planning an assessment, several issues must be addressed. These include determining the feasibility of an assessment, establishing a viable assessment framework, and preparing for data collection. A comprehensive probation assessment of the youth gang problem will collect and analyze data at three levels. At the first level, data is collected on probationers to determine their involvement in youth gang crime and the nature of the youth gang problem(s) on the caseload. At the second level, information is obtained to assess whether probation is successful with regard to protecting the community, enforcing court orders, and achieving rehabilitative goals with respect to youth gang probationers. At the third level, a communitywide survey is undertaken to ascertain the nature and the scope of the youth gang problem within the jurisdiction, and how probation and other organizations are working together to address it. The results of this assessment then serve as a basis for planning or adjusting probation's response to a youth gang problem, if present. ------------------------------ CHAPTER 3: SETTING GOALS, STRATEGIES, AND OBJECTIVES o Agency Goals o Program Strategies o Organizational Development Objectives o Summary Agency Goals The goals that should guide probation in both chronic and emerging gang problem contexts consist of: --furnishing the court with detailed information and recommendations in youth gang member cases, especially regarding possible sanctions and rehabilitative options; --enforcing the orders of the court and the laws of the State; --providing assistance to criminal justice organizations, community agencies, and grassroots groups in their efforts to control and prevent youth gang crime; and --brokering or developing special school and employment opportunities for youth gang probationers to meet their social development needs. Program Strategies Probation should implement the following strategies to achieve these goals: Suppression A suppression strategy by probation endeavors to deter and control acts of crime by youth gang probationers. The primary purpose of this strategy is to protect the community by imposing controls on youth gang probationers as needed. This strategy primarily employs intensive supervision and probation revocation, if necessary, as well as techniques of intelligence, surveillance, detention, arrest, prosecution, and incarceration. Social Intervention A social intervention strategy attempts to bring about positive behavioral change and social development within the youth gang probationer. The primary purpose of this strategy is to provide youth gang probationers and their families with supportive and developmental assistance leading to a satisfactory termination of probation and the development of a crime-free lifestyle. Examples of social intervention activities include counseling, crisis intervention, street outreach work, advocacy for individual youth, resource referral, and provision of recreational services. Community Mobilization A community mobilization strategy involves probation efforts directed at enhancing community and interorganizational relationships to address the youth gang problem at the individual and program levels. The principal purpose of this strategy is to change the social environment in which the gang youth develops. Examples can include organizing parents and community groups for gang crime prevention or developing advocacy efforts with other agencies to provide opportunities for gang youth. Opportunities Provision An opportunities provision strategy consists of making available or providing referrals to basic competency-building opportunities. The chief purpose of this strategy is to provide youth gang probationers with conventional alternatives to the gang lifestyle. Examples of such opportunities include remedial education, tutoring, job readiness, vocational training, and age-appropriate employment. Organizational Development An organizational development strategy entails changes within the probation department to facilitate the implementation of the above strategies. The chief aim of this strategy is to develop organizational structures and mechanisms to deal with the gang problem. Examples can include vertical case management, specialized gang units, and placement of probation offices in gang-affected areas. The prioritization and use of these strategies will depend on the nature and severity of the gang problem, the objectives of probation, and the amount of resources available in the probation department and community for gang-related programming. Organizational Development Objectives After probation has completed the assessment certain organizational changes will probably be necessary. These changes may entail: 1. Providing more effective supervision to youth gang probationers. Since gang members known to the criminal justice system are often chronic and serious offenders, probation should identify youth gang members on their caseload, target them for increased supervision, and provide them with special assistance to promote proper social adjustment. Changes may be needed in organizational arrangements, staffing patterns, and program procedures, especially within criminal justice agencies. These arrangements will probably vary according to the problem context. In emerging gang problem contexts, a number of options can be considered. The chief probation officer can: --provide appropriate kinds of gang information and training to all probation, especially juvenile officers, and target younger juveniles at highest risk for repeat offenses; and/or --designate a probation officer(s) with specialized gang expertise to handle all of the gang-affiliated probationers within the unit; or --create a specialized detail of probation officers with reduced paperwork requirements, exclusive youth gang probationer caseloads, and community outreach functions. In some instances, more complete training and specialized arrangements similar to those in chronic contexts may be required In chronic gang problem contexts, full-scale specialized gang probation units located in gang- affected areas will probably be required. A specialized gang unit may be in order if some of the following conditions are present: --the probation department has a large enough staff to have specialized functions; --youth gang probationers are highly interactive and mobile across neighborhoods and jurisdictions; --youth gang probationers are committing a large proportion of the violence on probation's caseload; --probation officer duties require special qualifications to effectively supervise youth gang probationers; --the probation department decides to carry out community mobilization activities with respect to the youth gang issue. If the department decides to create a special gang unit, the chief probation officer must be sensitive to several issues. For instance, the role and rationale for the gang unit should be clearly explained to the probation staff at-large, to guard against elitism and to ensure that this unit works cooperatively with other units of the department. In the final analysis, all probation officers in the department must have responsibility for dealing with the gang problem. The advantages of a special gang unit should be carefully explained. For example, it may allow regular probation officers to spend more time doing casework supervision with nongang probationers and networking with service providers in the field. It may also alleviate their fears about officer safety since gang probationers tend to be violence-prone and usually reside in high crime neighborhoods. Guidelines for interunit activities should also be developed and adherence to them regularly monitored by frontline supervisors. The role of a probation gang unit officer should be clearly specified, particularly with regard to the police, so that probation officers do not improperly engage in police functions. To provide for effective supervision of youth gang probationers the design of this unit may need to incorporate several program components. They include: o Vertical case management. This is a case processing approach in which each case is assigned exclusively to one officer who assumes responsibility for the case from intake to termination. o Probation officer assignment to particular communities. Probation officers should be assigned to specific areas of high gang crime activity that have a high density of youth gang probationers to assume intensive supervisory responsibilities. o Intensive supervision. Frequent contacts with hardcore youth gang probationers (at least 1-3 times per day) and collaterals should be mandated at home, school, and employer sites. Given resource constraints, this option should be utilized for only a small percentage of cases, possibly in conjunction with electronic supervision. Caseloads should be limited to a level that allows the probation officer to perform both intensive surveillance and rehabilitative functions. The nature of assigned tasks and travel times should be key considerations in establishing an appropriate caseload. o Gang-specific terms of probation. Application of gang-specific terms or conditions of probation should be recommended to the court in all cases involving youth gang members. Certain appropriate conditions should be applied to the youth gang probationer. o Special probation officer authority. In certain instances, the probation officer should be provided with search and seizure power and have authority to place youth gang probationers in temporary detention subject to the approval of the court. Search and seizure power allows the probation offi- cer access to the probationer's person, household, and other specified areas without a search warrant. Guidelines to protect the constitutional rights of gang youth and govern the use of these powers are essential. o Other court-mandated, supervisory arrangements. Other arrangements designed to deter particular youth gang probationers from crime and ensure their compliance with court orders can include curfew, electronic supervision, house arrest, and regular alcohol and drug testing. o Special linkages with police. Mutual relationships should be established with the police to share gang intelligence and probation conditions of gang youth. Probation and police should also provide reciprocal back up to each other in carrying out certain tasks (e.g., curfew sweeps). Police/probation ride-alongs in gang-affected communities may enhance surveillance and enforcement functions. o Special linkages with prosecution. The probation officer should share gang-related information with the prosecutor for case preparation, filing, and trial. Prosecutors in turn should establish a rapid response to probationer violations of court orders that result in immediate processing. A referral system should be established between prosecution and probation for victim and witness protection. Officer safety guidelines and training. o Officer safety guidelines and training programs should be developed because of the dangerous situations in which probation officers may find themselves in chronic gang problem contexts. It should be noted that some of these components may not be feasible due to the political realities and organizational constraints within the jurisdic- tion. In both emerging and chronic problem contexts, probation should pay special attention to establishing a strong community presence. This is one of the most important components of a promising approach to controlling and reducing youth gang activity. This can be achieved through various organizational, staffing, and liaison arrangements. For example, probation can: --set up local probation offices in gang-affected areas that allow probation officers to more readily perform surveillance, supervision, home visit, and crisis intervention activities; --institute flextime options and variable work shifts for staff, particularly during times of high gang activity; and --provide probation liaisons to schools, community- based youth agencies, grassroots organizations, and parent groups. 2. Increasing social support to youth gang probationers, their families, and referral agencies. Probation must provide the social support necessary for a youth gang probationer to move away from involvement in criminal gang activity. To accomplish this, probation can: --establish counseling support for youth gang probationers focused on school performance, job procurement, gang situation avoidance, and other personal problems; --provide parents of gang members with access to gang-awareness and parental-effectiveness training; and --develop a capacity to intervene in probationer and gang crisis situations, particularly in chronic gang contexts. Special counseling and mediation skills will also be required of probation officers to carry out their crisis intervention responsibilities effectively. Emphasis should be placed on building strong links with families, former gang members, school officials, and community-based youth agency personnel to develop an integrated caseplan. 3. Providing better social opportunities to youth gang probationers. Gang youth often have social, educational, and employment deficits that cause them to meet their personal belonging and esteem needs through the gang. To provide these youth with meaningful alternatives to the gang lifestyle, probation should ideally: --implement caseplans that emphasize community service, remedial and basic education, vocational training, and age-appropriate employment; --engage in advocacy and community development activities in conjunction with other agencies and local organizations when these opportunities are not available. Note: The approach to the youth gang problem in most chronic problem cities will probably not be successful in the long term without this component. 4. Developing interagency partnerships and coalitions to improve the agency and community response to the problem. No one agency can address the youth gang problem successfully. Agencies must cooperate and combine resources to effect a comprehensive integrated response to generate the resources and the continuum of supervision necessary to have a positive impact. Probation should take a lead role in this community mobilization process, particularly since it has special links with both the criminal justice and community social service system. Probation's community mobilization efforts should focus on the following objectives: --Encourage the community to acknowledge the problem when denial is present; --Help develop a definitional consensus on key gang terms (e.g., gang, gang member, gang incident); --Establish mutually beneficial interagency partnerships and coalitions related to: o improving the supervision and social support of gang youth in high gang crime areas; o providing pertinent educational and social development opportunities to gang youth including probationers; and o procuring job training and employment opportunities for gang youth including probationers. --Educate the public about the youth gang problem. Summary In this section, a strategy design is presented for a probation response to youth gang crime, particularly with regard to setting appropriate agency goals, program strategies, and organizational development objectives. With respect to youth gang adjudicants and probationers, pertinent agency goals should consist of: 1) furnishing the court with appropriate information and recommendations; 2) effectively enforcing court orders and applicable laws; 3) providing adequate assistance to criminal justice organizations, community agencies, and grassroots groups in their gang control efforts; and 4) brokering special school and employment opportunities for purposes of rehabilitation. A promising probation response to youth gang activity will incorporate a multiple-strategy approach. Strategies of suppression, social intervention, community mobilization, opportunities provision, and organizational development should be implemented by probation to craft a "balanced response" to an identified youth gang problem. More specifically, a response that balances social control and supervision activities for youth gang probationers with the provision of viable social opportunities. To achieve this, certain organizational development objectives and activities to carry them out will have to be developed and implemented. Invariably, these objectives will be concerned with providing more effective supervision to youth gang probationers; increasing social support to youth gang probationers, their families, and referral agencies; providing better social opportunities to youth gang probationers; and developing interagency partnerships and coalitions to improve the agency and community response to the problem. ------------------------------ CHAPTER 4: DEVELOPING INFORMATION SYSTEMS o The Gang Intelligence System o Uses of Intelligence o Probation Officer Resource File o Summary Good information systems can enhance probation's capacity to confront a youth gang problem in terms of suppression and intervention. At the departmental level, a properly organized gang intelligence system can provide the probation officer with information to identify, analyze, prevent, and control gang-related criminal acts. At the community level, it can provide probation with a means to substantiate a gang problem, and possibly obtain funding to address it. A well- developed resource file can also prove invaluable to the probation officer by listing resources available in the community to address the social adjustment needs of gang youth. Proper development and use of both of these systems will be necessary for probation to successfully address the problem. The Gang Intelligence System A probation gang intelligence system should perform three primary functions: --First, provide timely intelligence on the criminal activity of individual gang probationers; --Second, furnish up-to-date information on the probation conditions of gang youth; and --Third, maintain current information on gang activity that may affect individual gang probationer behavior. The design of the intelligence system should depend on whether the jurisdiction is experiencing an emerging or chronic gang problem. Emerging gang problem jurisdiction. In this context the need for data may be somewhat less and the availability of reliable information more limited. The characteristics of gang culture and criminal activity may still be in an evolving state and hard to identify. Other agencies in the community may not be knowledgeable about gang activity and have no information systems set up to collect gang- related data. As a result, the gang intelligence system in emerging contexts should be relatively informal: o Probation officers should note gang-related characteristics of probationers in their file and share the information at staff meetings. o Intelligence sources should be cultivated. Sources of gang-related information will probably be limited to the youth gang probationer, the police, and the prosecutor. o Special care should be taken not to incorrectly identify probationers as youth gang members. o A list of identified gang probationers should be developed and circulated internally so that probation officers are aware of their potential for committing youth gang crime. Chronic gang problem jurisdiction. In this context there may be a greater need for a more formal intelligence system. A computerized, multiple- terminal system that is integrated with the data information systems of local police agencies and the District or State's Attorney's Office to enhance retrieval, exchange, and analysis of large amounts of gang-related information may be required. Intelligence information should be collected with reference to the characteristics of both the youth gang probationer and the gang situation. 1. Data on individual youth gang probationers should include: --individual background information (e.g., name, DOB, address, SSN#, home phone #); --prior sustained charges including history of gang criminality and gang criminal modus operandi; --conditions of probation; --monikers commonly used; --tatoos/identifying features/scars; --gang affiliation; --rival gangs; --level of individual gang involvement (e.g., peripheral, regular, hardcore); --level of individual violence potential (e.g., low, medium, high); --identification of adjudicated gang members with whom the probationer is mandated not to associate; --automobile driven by the gang youth (e.g., make, model, year, license); --types of weapons used in priors (e.g., 45 caliber, 9mm); --mug shot; and --fingerprints. This information should be placed in the individual file of the youth gang probationer and also input into the gang intelligence system. These records will need to be constantly updated since probation conditions and the nature of intelligence will change. A security system should be established where the information is checked for validity and input by probation personnel who have special security clearances to gain access to the system. 2. Data to be collected and regularly updated on the local gang situation and kept in a general office file should consist of: --names of gangs, gang rosters with individual member monikers, gang signs and symbols, location(s) of gang turf, and gang criminal modus operandi; --history of each gang within the jurisdiction including alliances and rivalries with other gangs; and --current gang activity and trends including involvement in drug trafficking, kind of weaponry used, and patterns of member recruitment. Within the department, individual probation officers, agency records, and field reports may serve as avenues to collect the above information. Data sources outside the department can include police, prosecutors, court personnel, detention and custody staff, parole, corrections, clergy, community-based youth personnel, grassroots organizations, citizens, and gang members themselves. Reports based on this information should be generated as needed (e.g., daily, weekly, monthly, or quarterly) for intelligence purposes and circulated to administrative and line staff. Information covered by these reports should include: --youth gang probationer characteristics by age, gender, race/ethnicity for each local or district probation office; --general statistical information concerning the gang probationer caseload to give an overview of processing trends. This should include: o number of dismissals, o number of terminations, o number of revocations, and o services delivered. --summary intelligence reports on youth gang activity from each probation office. Uses of Intelligence Regular and crisis routines should be established for intelligence analysis and use. In normal situations, probation officers should be monitoring their caseload, agency intelligence reports, and information from other sources to discern gang activity and trends that could potentially lead their probationers to violence (e.g., recruitment of youth by recently released gang parolees). In gang crisis situations, intelligence can be shared with police to target gang probationers for surveillance and in person contacts to warn against retaliation. Administrative and frontline staff should have access to intelligence information for review. Procedures should be established within legal limits for sharing this information with other criminal justice personnel including police, prosecutors, and State and Federal law enforcement officials. Information from these files can be shared with youth gang probationers under set guidelines. However, youth gang probationers should not be allowed to review their files unless stipulated by court order. Finally, the intelligence gathering process should be regularly assessed to ensure that information is accurate, current, and pertinent to the needs of the probation department. The quality of data retrieval, exchange, and analysis should also be evaluated on a regular basis. Outdated information should be purged according to a set timetable. Probation Officer Resource File The purpose of the resource file is to provide the probation officer with a description of the resources and services available in the community for the reformation of youth gang probationers. To create a viable resource file, each probation officer should assess the needs of youth gang members on his or her caseload and the resources available in or near their community of residence. Community resources can be identified by referring to area social service directories (e.g., United Way Blue Book) or conducting a general community survey. Other possible sources of information include: --the phone book, --local foundations (to see who they fund), --schools, --police associations, --statutorily mandated agencies. The probation officer should also visit as many of these agencies as possible in search of activities and services. It often helps to observe these programs in action whether at police stations, schools, courts, community agencies, and other organizations. This not only gives the probation officer a sense of the service the agency provides, but also the youths who would benefit from them. Once an appropriate service is discovered, the probation officer should negotiate a referral arrangement with the agency and offer followup support. In larger jurisdictions, probation may need to hire a community resource officer to identify, screen, and develop community resources. A typical resource information sheet should list the name and address and phone number of the agency, the contact person, services offered to gang youth, and a description of referral procedures. A good array of service referral possibilities particularly applicable to gang youth will include: --medical services (e.g., learning disabilities, tatoo removal); --counseling, mental health, and substance-abuse programs; --community service opportunities; --remedial and basic education; --alternative or special school programs; job readiness, vocational training, and employment programs; --parental training and support programs; and --supervised recreational opportunities. Information on referral agencies utilized by probation officers should be listed in a general agency resource directory which can be distributed to staff. A notebook format is suggested so that it can be easily updated. It is important to make updating and use of a resource file a basic requirement of the probation officer's job. Otherwise, certain probation officers may only concentrate on suppression activities for gang-affiliated youth on their caseload. Finally, the quality of the services to which gang probationers are referred should be regularly examined through feedback from youth gang probationers and other sources. Summary A framework and procedures for a gang intelligence system and a probation officer resource file are delineated in this section. Both of these information systems may be necessary to effectively monitor the activities and provide for the social adjustment needs of the youth gang probationer. An effective gang intelligence system provides the probation officer with current, accurate information on the youth gang probationer's activity in the community and his or her probation conditions. The design and sophistication of the system should depend on whether the jurisdiction has an emerging or chronic gang problem. Data concerning the youth's background, involvement in the gang, and violence potential should be collected. Reports on youth gang probationers, youth gangs, and gang activity in the jurisdiction should be generated as needed. Appropriate system safeguards to protect the rights of the probationer and the validity of the information will need to be established. The resource file provides a listing of resources and services available in the community that the probation officer can use to effect intervention with the youth gang probationer. A good resource file will list a broad range of pertinent resources and service options for youth gang probationers related to physical and mental health, community service, education, employment, parental training, and recreation. ------------------------------ CHAPTER 5: CONDUCTING THE PRE-SENTENCE INVESTIGATION (PSI) o Content of the PSI o PSI Recommendations o Summary The primary purpose of the presentence investigation report (PSI) is to provide the judge with pertinent and complete information about the adjudicated youth gang offender so that an informed sentencing decision can be made. The PSI can serve several other purposes: --the probation officer can significantly influence the judge's sentencing decision by means of a comprehensive and well-written PSI; --the PSI can provide a basis for a plan of supervision; and --the PSI can educate judges who are not well informed about specific gang issues and dispositional options. Content of the PSI The probation officer should include both general and gang-specific information in the PSI about the adjudicant. These include: --physical, psychological, and health information including drug and alcohol use; --a careful appraisal of the youth's academic, vocational, recreational, and work history; --an assessment of the youth's social maturity and competence; --an overview of family circumstances, especially the family's ability to supervise and assist the youth to improve his or her behavior; --a history of the youth's delinquent and criminal activity, particularly gang-related, including a review of the seriousness of the incident(s) for which he or she is presently in court; --the youth's position in and level of commitment to the gang; and --the current state of criminal activity of the youth's gang. PSI Recommendations Before the probation officer can make an informed dispositional recommendation to the judge concerning a gang youth, he or she will have to answer several key questions: o What is the effect of the gang offender's act on the victim? o Is the offense the youth committed serious enough to warrant confinement in a secure setting? o What are the risks posed to the safety of the youth and the community if he or she returns to the gang and the neighborhood? More specifically, what is the current and future likelihood that the youth will become engaged in criminal, especially violent, activity? o Will incarceration harden the youth's commitment to the gang? o Where does the gang youth have the best chance of receiving the supervision and services necessary for him to adopt a law-abiding lifestyle? o What community-based alternatives are available? Some youth may benefit from detention while others may be sincere about leaving the gang, if permitted to remain in the community. To make an informed decision, the probation officer will have to be familiar with the conditions of incarceration and the quality of supervision and services that can be provided to the youth in the community. In instances where the probation officer advises the court to allow a gang-affiliated youth who has committed a serious offense to remain in the community, certain recommendations should ordinarily be made as a part of standard operating procedure. These include: 1. Mandating special conditions of probation such as: --nonassociation with specific gang members; --prohibition of gang dress and other insignia; --nonpossession of drugs or weapons; --strict curfew; --alcohol and drug testing; and --probation officer search and seizure authority, if necessary. The special gang terms should serve as a deterrent to future gang activity. Other conditions, such as drug testing or search and seizure, should be warranted by the special circumstances of the case. Alcohol and drug testing should be applied in cases where the youth is a serious offender or has a history of drug involvement or drug-related crime. Search and seizure should be mandated when the offender has a history of drug involvement and possession of weapons and contraband. The prosecutor should present and read these special "gang terms" into the court record and the youth should sign the sheet listing the probation conditions. 2. Requiring participation by the youth in specific educational, employment, and community service programs such as: --diagnostic, counseling, and treatment services; --social skills and support; --remedial and basic education, including literacy training; --placement in an alternative school; --vocational training; --job readiness and placement programs; --full- and part-time employment; and --graffiti removal and community clean up. The need for and the intensity of these services will vary according to each gang probationer. A careful assessment should be made to determine their applicability. 3. Recommending gang-awareness and parent- effectiveness training for the youth's parents. This should be recommended in cases where there is clear evidence that the parent is in need of information about gangs and how to deal with their child's behavior; for example, when parents state that they are totally unaware of the child's involvement in youth gang activity and want to learn more about its nature; or when the youth is totally out of control and the parent(s) does not know what to do. This training should be sensitive to the culture and ethnicity of the family and the neighborhood, if possible. Special care should be taken not to set the youth up for failure by imposing conditions with which he or she cannot possibly comply. Supervisors of probation officers should systematically check PSI reports on youth gang adjudicants to ensure that the required gang- related information is being addressed and communicated appropriately to the court. Summary Guidelines pertaining to the content of the PSI and suggested dispositional recommendations for youth gang adjudicants are stipulated in this section. The PSI is important for many reasons including its ability to influence judicial decisions, its utility for developing a supervision plan, and its capacity to educate judges on gang-related topics. Beyond the regular information contained in the PSI, the probation officer should report on information related to the youth's gang activity, the youth's position and level of involvement in the gang, and the gang's current state of criminal activity. Questions concerning the impact that probation, incarceration, and other dispositional alternatives will have on the youth's commitment to the gang lifestyle should also be addressed. Certain recommendations by the probation officer should be made as a part of standard operating procedure when dealing with youth gang adjudicants. These include: 1) mandating special conditions of probation including nonassociation with specific gang members and prohibition of gang dress and other insignia; 2) requiring participation of the youth in specific educational, employment, and community service programs; and 3) recommending gang-awareness and parental-effectiveness training for the youth's parents, when appropriate. ------------------------------ CHAPTER 6: PERFORMING INTAKE AND PROBATIONER SUPERVISION o Performing Intake o Assessing Risks and Needs o Initiating the Supervisory Relationship o Developing and Implementing a Caseplan o Enforcing Conditions of Probation o Handling Probation Violations o Emerging and Chronic Contexts o Summary An effective supervisory relationship is the basis for any promising probation approach to the youth gang problem. The goals of this relationship are twofold: 1) to control the risks the youth poses to himself or herself and the community; and 2) to develop a caseplan to meet the social and personal needs of the youth. This section will cover the primary functions and organizational arrangements necessary to supervise the youth gang probationer. Performing Intake Intake may be the most critical component of a probation gang program because it is where gang youth are actually identified and targeted for appropriate court processing and case planning. Intake officers should be able to: --identify youth gang members and gang-motivated crime; --make recommendations to the prosecuting attorney on whether the case should be filed; and --make decisions, according to set guidelines, on which gang youth should be detained, released to the custody of their parents, or diverted. Intake officers should be specially trained to identify indicators of youth gang affiliation and crime; and have close working relationships with police, the prosecutor, and juvenile detention staff for purposes of information-sharing and decisionmaking on gang-related matters. Gang youth should be placed in detention pending their hearing when: --their safety is in jeopardy (e.g., threat of retaliation); --they are a threat to the community; or --there is a risk that the youth may flee the jurisdiction. Overcrowding in the detention facility may impact greatly on probation's ability to meet these objectives. In these instances, probation may have to develop detailed intake criteria to deal with this constraint. When home detention is used prior to a hearing, it is important that the intake or the probation officer clearly explain the conditions of this status to the youth and his or her parents. Finally, if the intake officer should decide to divert a particular gang youth from the justice system, it should be to a specific agency or community-based program. Criteria and guidelines for diversion should be carefully developed and implemented. A mechanism to ensure that the youth reports to the referral agency may be appropriate. Additionally, probation may want to consider the use of memoranda of understanding with agencies concerning the exchange of certain types of information about the youth. The parents and youth will have to sign permission forms to allow this to take place. Assessing Risks and Needs After intake, each youth gang probationer should be assessed by the probation officer assigned to the case to determine the level of supervision and the nature and intensity of services that should be provided. The risk/needs assessment should cover the following dimensions: --prior record --history of institutional commitment or out of home placement --drug/chemical abuse --alcohol abuse --parental control/influence --school discipline/employment problems --learning/academic performance problems --runaway/escape behavior --negative peer influence/gang association. Information to assess these dimensions can be obtained from many sources including intake files, court and police reports, interviews, and record checks. Levels of supervision for youth gang probationers should range from least to most restrictive (e.g., low, medium, high) and be periodically adjusted according to the probationer's success in adhering to his or her probation conditions. The following principles should be applied: --the level of supervision set for the youth gang probationer should be proportional to the risk the youth poses to himself or herself and the community; --youth gang probationers who remain arrest-free for a substantial period of time should be considered for the next lowest level of supervision; and --the type and intensity of social services should vary according to the needs of the individual youth. A followup risk/needs assessment should be conducted six months after initial intake. Initiating the Supervisory Relationship A number of activities will have to be performed by the probation officer in the course of supervision: o The initial meeting should take place at the probation department and be formal in nature. The probation officer should clearly explain the conditions of probation and the consequences of their violation to the youth, his or her parents, or other family members in a manner they will understand (e.g., their native language). Each condition of probation should be read aloud by the youth or probation officer and explained in detail. Opportunities to raise questions about the conditions should be provided to the youth and his or her parents to make sure that they clearly understand their meaning. It may be helpful to ask the youth to explain the terms of his or her probation in his or her own words. Each party should get a copy of the court order and sign it to acknowledge receipt. o If circumstances permit, the probation officer should attempt to talk separately with the youth and members of his or her family such as a parent, spouse, or relative. The youth should be asked why he or she thinks he or she is there and why he or she has become involved in illegal activity. The officer should try to obtain insights into the developmental needs of the youth and his or her level of remorse. His or her gang affiliation and the negative ramifications of it should be discussed. The probation officer should convey to the youth that he or she is familiar with the dynamics of gang culture and able to detect continued involvement. Strategies to avoid gang involvement and potential conflicts should be discussed. o With regard to the parent(s) or family members, the probation officer should try to determine what factors are contributing to the youth's involvement in gang activity (e.g., current or former gang affiliation of family members). Their denial of his or her gang affiliation should also be assessed. The probation officer should stress that the conditions of the youth's probation will be firmly implemented and explain how they can aid in their enforcement. For example, the parent or other family member may have to make sure the youth goes to school or work. They should notify the probation officer when the youth violates curfew restrictions or other conditions of probation. o In certain situations, the juvenile may have a nonsupportive parent(s) who is personally dysfunctional, has a history of gang affiliation, and views authority with contempt. Establishing rapport in these instances may be difficult, if not impossible. The probation officer should explain the parent's responsibilities regarding the youth and stress that the parent's lack of cooperation may threaten the safety of the child. Parents should be encouraged to participate in efforts to break the youth's ties with the gang. The probation officer should warn that sanctions may be forthcoming (e.g., contempt findings, fines, making the child a ward of the court) if parental responsibilities are not fulfilled. o Accountability should be the hallmark of the probation officer's relationship with gang probationers, their parents, and significant others. The probation officer should display a high level of professionalism in his or her contacts with them. He or she should show respect and display sensitivity. Moreover, the probation officer should always follow through on his or her commitments and avoid making statements that cannot be backed up with action. Developing and Implementing a Caseplan Developing the social competency of the youth gang probationer should be at the heart of the supervisory process. The probation officer should spend a great deal of time planning and implementing an academic, social, and vocational plan for and with the probationer. The primary goal of the caseplan should be to improve the interpersonal, educational, and employment skills of the probationer. To achieve this goal, the caseplan of the youth gang probationer should incorporate the following components: Diagnostic, counseling and treatment services. Youth gang probationers should receive a complete physical and mental health diagnostic assessment when the probation officer suspects or identifies any problems that might hamper the youth's social development, especially with respect to his or her interpersonal capacities and learning skills. Examples of such problems include stuttering, physical deformities, hearing and eyesight problems, learning disabilities, and substance abuse. Referral options should be developed for these services. Social skills and support. To avoid future gang activity and violence, the youth gang probationer should have access to counseling and training on the following topics when appropriate: --gang avoidance techniques --conflict resolution --anger management --other practical problem-solving skills (e.g., appropriate decision-making, stress management). Counseling and training on these topics can be provided either by the probation officer, school, or social service staff. The probation officer should also inform the youth on how he or she can receive assistance if a personal crisis arises. Toward this end, probation should develop an on- call system whereby a specific probation or duty officer can be reached 24-hours-a-day. Education. The probation officer must make a viable education for the youth gang probationer a top priority. Probation officers should make an attempt to meet with the teachers and counselors of youth gang probationers to assist in developing a pertinent academic program. Tutoring and remedial education opportunities need to be identified. Placement in an alternative school with planned transition back into a regular school setting may be the best option for youth gang probationers who are particularly disruptive or far behind in their studies. Vocational training and employment. The world of work can serve as a viable alternative to the gang lifestyle. Therefore, the probation officer or a job developer hired by the department should identify job readiness, vocational training, and employment resources for referral purposes. These resources are particularly essential in developing a caseplan for younger youth who have limited academic ability and interests as well as for older youth who are ready for full-time employment. Government-sponsored (e.g., JPTA, military service) and local private sector programs may be a good starting point. Close collaboration with the family, the workplace, and other agencies is important, especially with regard to the youth's attending work regularly, handling conflicts with his or her job supervisor, and avoiding intimidation of fellow workers. Probation officers should consider placing older youth gang probationers in second- or third-shift jobs to keep them off of the streets during periods of peak gang activity. Probation officers should also be sensitive to rival gang turfs in job placement decisions. Family assistance. The probation officer must broker services to the parent(s) or significant family members to improve the youth's chances for successful social readjustment. The probation officer needs to be especially sensitive to the parent's or significant other's personal problems. He or she should assist them with referrals to relevant social services including public aid, housing, legal services, mental health and drug treatment, and training and employment. At a minimum, he or she should attempt to persuade the parent(s) or spouse to attend support groups and gang relevant education such as parent- effectiveness or gang-awareness training. Community service and recreational activities. Com- munity service can be used to hold youth accountable for their illegal behavior by providing restitution options. Activities that can provide the youth with opportunities to develop relationships with mentors and acquire skills (e.g., graffiti removal, public housing renovation, and community cleanup programs) are particularly useful. Supervised recreational activities can also provide gang probationers with alternatives to hanging out with the gang. Note: Caseplans that mandate participation in well- structured activities coupled with a curfew at night can be particularly effective. The intent of the caseplan, particularly with hardcore gang members, should be to minimize the time the youth has available to become involved in criminal and gang-related activity. Enforcing Conditions of Probation Legally appropriate special authority and use of sanctions will have to be available to probation officers to deter youth gang probationers from future criminal activity and to ensure that they are adhering to their terms of probation. Recommendations include: Special gang terms. These terms consist of prohibitions on dress that signifies gang affiliation and association with specified gang members. Prohibitions on gang dress can be rationalized on the grounds that it intimidates the citizenry and makes the youth a target of rival gang members. Restrictions on association with members of the youth's gang, should be somewhat flexible, and subject to the discretion of the probation officer. The youth in question should be allowed to associate with other gang members at school provided the youth does not engage in criminal activity. The key consideration should be that the youth not be allowed to "hang out" with gang peers in unsupervised situations, particularly those with whom he or she had been arrested earlier. The probation officer should check to make sure that the department's gang rosters are current and that he or she knows all of the youth's fellow gang members. Curfew. This restriction can also be used to deter probationer involvement in criminal activity. The probationer should be mandated to remain at home between 8 p.m. and 5 a.m., particularly to prevent him or her from becoming a victim of retaliatory gang-related violence. Curfew can be combined with electronic supervision (see below). Search and seizure power. This should be requested in instances where the youth gang probationer has a history of weapons and contraband possession. The probation officer should inform the youth and his or her family that he or she has authority to search for and seize illicit items on the youth's person, at his or her home, or in other specified areas. Probation officers should receive training in the use of this procedure. Guidelines and complaint mechanisms should be developed to safeguard against abuse of this authority. Mandatory drug testing. This should be authorized when the youth gang probationer is a serious offender or has a verified history of drug use and trafficking. Spot testing should be conducted on a regular basis. A portable testing unit should be available to carry this out. Home visits and collateral contacts. The probation officer should make home and school visits as well as contact employers, community agency personnel, and others who know the youth. At the initial meeting with the youth gang probationer, the probation officer should schedule a followup home visit within ten days, where he or she should observe the social circumstances of the youth. Some of his or her later visits should be unscheduled and conducted at variable times. Repeat visits during the same shift should be made occasionally. Home detention and electronic supervision. These options should be considered for high-risk, particularly older youth gang probationers who have a history of drug trafficking or serious gang violence. Communication networks with other supervisory agencies. A communication network can be created with other supervisory agencies--police, school, community-based organizations--to exchange information on probationer compliance with court orders. This can be a useful monitoring tool and also provide a means for a probation officer to intervene in crisis situations. In emerging gang problem contexts, these contacts should be of an informal nature. In chronic gang problem contexts, regular weekly meetings should be held to share information related to the supervision of youth gang probationers. Handling Probation Violations Consequences for violations of probation should be imposed immediately. The principle of holding the youth accountable for his or her actions should be adhered to; each significant violation should result in some form of consequence. However, the probation officer should also be sensitive to the fact that families are sometimes overwhelmed with the difficulties of setting up appointments, transportation, and childcare arrangements to comply with court-ordered services. Thus, the probation officer should provide assistance to the family and youth as necessary to ensure that noncompliance is not a function of poverty or an inability to navigate the bureaucracy. The issue of what