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  • Essay / Gang Reduction Program - 1411

    In 2003, in response to communities with large and growing numbers of youth gangs, the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), a branch of the U.S. Department of Justice, launched the Gang Reduction Program (GRP) (U.S. Department of Justice, 2008). Gang formation is seen as a response to system failures and community dysfunction. As a result, one of the OJJPD's anti-gang initiatives is to make communities safer and create a prosocial environment (U.S. Department of Justice, 2008). Additionally, OJJDP plans to provide economic and social opportunities that gangs often promise to new recruits and which are often obtained illegally and dangerously (U.S. Department of Justice, 2008). The OJJDP believes that the GRP is capable of addressing the issues underlying the increasing popularity and intensity of gang activity in some suburban and rural neighborhoods (U.S. Department of Justice, 2008). The program takes an integrated approach to addressing the issue of increasing gang membership and participation. The following will discuss the program's purpose, theoretical basis, methods of operation, and overall effectiveness. After reviewing these key aspects of the GRP, I will personally evaluate the value of this program and determine whether the evidence supporting its effectiveness is strong enough for me to recommend its implementation. In response to a growing gang problem in specific communities, OJJDP has refined the Comprehensive Gang Model to better address today's gang issues. The GRP incorporates several new aspects into the pre-existing overall gang model. The revamped program was tested in four communities: East Los Angeles, California; Milwaukee, W...... middle of newspaper ......prosecutions causing an increase in popularity and intensity of youth gang activity in targeted neighborhoods. This program took a bold and integrated approach to addressing the issue of increasing gang membership and participation. Research findings on this program support the idea of ​​its success and hypothesize its continued success in the future. The program has proven to be of great value to participants and is expected to continue to receive support and funding from government agencies and community members.BibliographyU.S. Ministry of Justice. Best Practices for Resolving Community Gang Problems: OJJDP's Comprehensive Gang Model. Washington, DC: Government Printing Office, 2008. U.S. Department of Justice. OJJDP Gang Reduction Program Evaluation Results. Washington, DC: Government Printing Office, 2010.