Youth Gangs
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On this page you can find programs and practices related to Youth Gangs. Select "Search Filters" to narrow down the list by rating, extent of evidence, and many other aspects of the programs or practices. Skip to Practices
CrimeSolutions’ ratings are assigned from standardized reviews of rigorous evaluations and meta-analyses. While we encourage you to learn more about this process, you don’t need to in order to benefit from it. Our clear ratings and profiles can help you determine if a program or category of program is worth pursuing.
| Icon | Rating | Program Rating Description | Practice Rating Description |
|---|---|---|---|
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Effective | Implementing the program is likely to result in the intended outcome(s). | On average, there is strong evidence that implementing a program encompassed by the practice will achieve the intended outcome. |
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Promising | Implementing the program may result in the intended outcome(s) | On average, there is some evidence that implementing a program encompassed by the practice will achieve the intended outcome. |
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No Effects | Implementing the program is unlikely to result in the intended outcome(s) and may result in a negative outcome(s). | On average, there is strong evidence that implementing a program encompassed by the practice will not achieve the intended outcome or may result in a negative outcome. |
Programs
Showing Results For:
Topic: youth gangs| Title | Evidence Rating | Topics | Summary | RCT | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Program Profile: Spotlight Serious Offender Services Unit (Canada) |
|
Youth gangs, Probation, Violent offenders, Comprehensive/wraparound services, Juvenile detention, Juvenile justice, Juvenile (under 18), Gang Crime, Crime prevention, Child health and welfare, Juvenile delinquency | This was an urban-based intensive supervision program in which high-risk, gang-affiliated youths (ages 12–19) were assigned to work with a probation officer who was paired with a paid “street mentor.” The program is rated Promising. Youths in the program were significantly less likely than those in the comparison group to have a new conviction in the follow-up period of up to 3 years and remained offense-free for a longer period. Date Posted: |
None | ||
| Program Profile: Operation Night Light (ONL) (Midwest) |
|
Gang Crime, Youth gangs, Probation, Substance abuse, Underage drinking, Violent offenders, Home visiting, Case Management, Young juvenile offenders, Corrections, Community corrections, Crime prevention, Recidivism, Juvenile detention, Juvenile justice | This is a home-visiting program for youth on probation who are considered at high risk of recidivism. The program is rated No Effects. Compared with the treatment group, the control group was more likely to have completed probation, less likely to have probation revoked due to a technical violation, and committed fewer new crimes during probation; however, they recidivated sooner. There were no differences in the probation revocations due to severity of a new crime. Date Posted: |
None | ||
| Program Profile: Group Violence Reduction Strategy (New Orleans, Louisiana) |
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Gang Crime, Youth gangs, Violent offenders, Surveillance, Community policing, Problem-oriented policing, Policing strategies, Homicide, Crime prevention, Gun violence, Assault, Violent crime | This focused deterrence strategy in New Orleans, Louisiana, aims to reduce gang violence and homicide. The program is rated Effective. There were statistically significant reductions found in overall homicide, firearm-related homicide, gang member-involved homicide, and firearm assault from the pretest to the posttest period. Further, New Orleans showed significantly decreased homicide rates after the program was implemented, compared with 14 cities with similar violent crime rates. Date Posted: |
None | ||
| Program Profile: Comprehensive Anti-Gang Initiative (CAGI) |
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Gang Crime, Gun violence, Homicide, Community policing, Reentry, Corrections, Crime prevention | A crime focused initiative, designed to address gang-related gun homicides in selected cities. The initiative involved a comprehensive model of suppression (enforcement), prevention, and reentry. The program is rated Promising. There was a significant reduction in gun homicides related to gang crime in cities that implemented the initiative. Date Posted: |
None | ||
| Program Profile: Movimiento Ascendencia (Pueblo, Colo.) |
|
Girls, Gang Crime, Youth gangs, Weapons violations, Assault, Afterschool, Drug abuse prevention and education, Drugs, Crime prevention, Juvenile (under 18), Child health and welfare | A culturally focused, gender-specific program that provides young females, primarily Mexican American, alternatives to substance abuse and gang involvement. The program is rated Promising. The program significantly reduced self-reports of damaging property; stealing more than $50; and buying, selling, or holding stolen goods. However, it had no impact on self-esteem, grades in school, concealing of weapons, and stealing less than $50. Date Posted: |
None | ||
| Program Profile: Project BUILD |
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Youth gangs, Violent offenders, Young juvenile offenders, Alternative schools, School climate, Access to education, Inmate programs, Recidivism, Corrections, Crime prevention, Juvenile detention, Drugs, Substance abuse, Intimate partner violence | This program comprises a violence prevention curriculum, which is designed to assist youth in detention to overcome obstacles such as gangs, violence, crime, and substance abuse. The program is rated Effective. Treatment group youth who participated in the program had lower rates of recidivism and took a longer amount of time to recidivate, compared with control group youth, at the 1-year follow up. These differences were statistically significant. Date Posted: |
None | ||
| Program Profile: Operation Hardcore (Los Angeles, CA) |
|
Gang Crime, Youth gangs, Assault, Homicide, Prosecution, Witnesses, Case Management, Violent crime, Crime prevention, Juvenile detention | This program consists of a judicial intervention, which seeks to improve the prosecution of gang-related crimes. The program is rated Promising. Treatment group cases were associated with a statistically significant greater number of convictions and incarcerations of gang members, and a lower number of case dismissals and rejections, compared with control group cases. However, there was no statistically significant effect on the rate of pleas. Date Posted: |
None | ||
| Program Profile: Little Village Gang Violence Reduction Project (Comprehensive Gang Model) |
|
Gang Crime, Youth gangs, Probation, Community policing, Problem-oriented policing, Young juvenile offenders, Property crime, Crime prevention, Drugs, Violent crime | This is a comprehensive gang violence reduction program designed for the Little Village neighborhood of Chicago. The program is rated Promising. Treatment group youth who participated in the program had statistically significant reductions in total violent crime, serious violent crime, and drug crime arrests, compared with control group youth. However, there was no statistically significant difference in property crime arrests or total arrests. Date Posted: |
None | ||
| Program Profile: Gang Reduction Program (Los Angeles, California) |
|
Gang Crime, Youth gangs, Assault, Gun violence, Youth/peer courts, Violent offenders, Dropout/expulsion, Truancy, Community policing, Problem-oriented policing, Databases, Children exposed to violence, Property crime, Immigrants, Minorities, Case Management, Youth development, Treatment, Juvenile detention, Crime prevention, Juvenile (under 18), Mentoring, Child health and welfare | This is a comprehensive, multiyear program designed to reduce youth gang crime and violence. The program is rated Promising. The target area demonstrated a statistically significant reduction in calls for shots fired and gang-related incidents compared with the comparison area. However, there were no statistically significant impacts on calls for vandalism, incidents of serious violence, gang-related incidents of serious violence, or student attendance. Date Posted: |
None | ||
| Program Profile: Gang Resistance Education and Training (G.R.E.A.T.) |
|
Youth gangs, School safety, Juvenile delinquency, Child health and welfare, Juvenile (under 18), Crime prevention, Gang Crime | This is a school-based, gang- and violence-prevention program, which is designed to teach youth to avoid gang membership and to develop positive relationships with law enforcement. The program is rated Promising. Treatment group students had a statistically significant lower likelihood of being in a gang, compared with control group students, at the 1-year follow up. However, there were no statistically significant differences between groups in delinquency or in violent offending. Date Posted: |
Randomized Controlled Trial | ||
| Program Profile: Operation Ceasefire (Boston, Mass.) |
|
Gang Crime, Youth gangs, Weapons violations, Gun violence, Homicide, Violent offenders, Warrants, Community policing, Problem-oriented policing, Trauma, Young juvenile offenders, Crime prevention, Assault | This is a problem-solving police strategy, which was designed to reduce gang violence, illegal gun possession, and gun violence in communities in Boston, Mass. The program is rated Effective. There were statistically significant reductions in youth homicide, citywide gun assaults, calls for service, and recovered new guns following implementation of the intervention. Date Posted: |
None | ||
| Program Profile: Cure Violence (Chicago, Ill.) |
|
Gang Crime, Youth gangs, Gun violence, Homicide, Violent offenders, Problem-oriented policing, Violent crime, Crime prevention, Policing strategies, Law enforcement | A violence prevention program that uses a public health approach, using trained street violence interrupters and outreach workers, public education campaigns, and community mobilization to reduce shootings and killings. This program is rated Promising. The program was associated with significant reductions in shootings, killings, and retaliatory homicides and also appeared to make shooting hot spots cooler in some neighborhoods but not others. Date Posted: |
None | ||
| Program Profile: Operation Peacekeeper (Stockton, Calif.) |
|
Gang Crime, Youth gangs, Gun violence, Homicide, Violent offenders, Community policing, Problem-oriented policing, Young juvenile offenders, Crime prevention | This is a focused-deterrence policing initiative designed to reduce gun homicide in Stockton, Calif., by providing gang-involved youth with positive alternatives to violence. The program is rated Promising. The intervention was associated with a statistically significant 42 percent decrease in the monthly number of gun homicides, compared with pre-intervention trends. Date Posted: |
None | ||
| Program Profile: Operation Ceasefire: Hollenbeck Initiative |
|
Gang Crime, Weapons violations, Assault, Gun violence, Homicide, Kidnapping, Robbery, Community policing, Patrol, Problem-oriented policing, Trauma, Crime prevention, Law enforcement operations, Law enforcement | This was a policing initiative that targeted specific gangs in the Hollenbeck area of Los Angeles, California, through aggressive enforcement and problem-oriented policing. The program is rated Promising. There was a statistically significant reduction in overall violent crimes in targeted blocks, compared with matched comparison blocks. However, there was no statistically significant effect on gang crimes or gun crimes. Date Posted: |
None |
CrimeSolutions’ ratings are assigned from standardized reviews of rigorous evaluations and meta-analyses. While we encourage you to learn more about this process, you don’t need to in order to benefit from it. Our clear ratings and profiles can help you determine if a program or category of program is worth pursuing.
| Icon | Rating | Program Rating Description | Practice Rating Description |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
Effective | Implementing the program is likely to result in the intended outcome(s). | On average, there is strong evidence that implementing a program encompassed by the practice will achieve the intended outcome. |
|
|
Promising | Implementing the program may result in the intended outcome(s) | On average, there is some evidence that implementing a program encompassed by the practice will achieve the intended outcome. |
|
|
No Effects | Implementing the program is unlikely to result in the intended outcome(s) and may result in a negative outcome(s). | On average, there is strong evidence that implementing a program encompassed by the practice will not achieve the intended outcome or may result in a negative outcome. |
Programs
Showing Results For:
Topic: youth gangs| Title | Evidence Rating | Topics | Summary | RCT | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Program Profile: Spotlight Serious Offender Services Unit (Canada) |
|
Youth gangs, Probation, Violent offenders, Comprehensive/wraparound services, Juvenile detention, Juvenile justice, Juvenile (under 18), Gang Crime, Crime prevention, Child health and welfare, Juvenile delinquency | This was an urban-based intensive supervision program in which high-risk, gang-affiliated youths (ages 12–19) were assigned to work with a probation officer who was paired with a paid “street mentor.” The program is rated Promising. Youths in the program were significantly less likely than those in the comparison group to have a new conviction in the follow-up period of up to 3 years and remained offense-free for a longer period. Date Posted: |
None | ||
| Program Profile: Operation Night Light (ONL) (Midwest) |
|
Gang Crime, Youth gangs, Probation, Substance abuse, Underage drinking, Violent offenders, Home visiting, Case Management, Young juvenile offenders, Corrections, Community corrections, Crime prevention, Recidivism, Juvenile detention, Juvenile justice | This is a home-visiting program for youth on probation who are considered at high risk of recidivism. The program is rated No Effects. Compared with the treatment group, the control group was more likely to have completed probation, less likely to have probation revoked due to a technical violation, and committed fewer new crimes during probation; however, they recidivated sooner. There were no differences in the probation revocations due to severity of a new crime. Date Posted: |
None | ||
| Program Profile: Group Violence Reduction Strategy (New Orleans, Louisiana) |
|
Gang Crime, Youth gangs, Violent offenders, Surveillance, Community policing, Problem-oriented policing, Policing strategies, Homicide, Crime prevention, Gun violence, Assault, Violent crime | This focused deterrence strategy in New Orleans, Louisiana, aims to reduce gang violence and homicide. The program is rated Effective. There were statistically significant reductions found in overall homicide, firearm-related homicide, gang member-involved homicide, and firearm assault from the pretest to the posttest period. Further, New Orleans showed significantly decreased homicide rates after the program was implemented, compared with 14 cities with similar violent crime rates. Date Posted: |
None | ||
| Program Profile: Comprehensive Anti-Gang Initiative (CAGI) |
|
Gang Crime, Gun violence, Homicide, Community policing, Reentry, Corrections, Crime prevention | A crime focused initiative, designed to address gang-related gun homicides in selected cities. The initiative involved a comprehensive model of suppression (enforcement), prevention, and reentry. The program is rated Promising. There was a significant reduction in gun homicides related to gang crime in cities that implemented the initiative. Date Posted: |
None | ||
| Program Profile: Movimiento Ascendencia (Pueblo, Colo.) |
|
Girls, Gang Crime, Youth gangs, Weapons violations, Assault, Afterschool, Drug abuse prevention and education, Drugs, Crime prevention, Juvenile (under 18), Child health and welfare | A culturally focused, gender-specific program that provides young females, primarily Mexican American, alternatives to substance abuse and gang involvement. The program is rated Promising. The program significantly reduced self-reports of damaging property; stealing more than $50; and buying, selling, or holding stolen goods. However, it had no impact on self-esteem, grades in school, concealing of weapons, and stealing less than $50. Date Posted: |
None | ||
| Program Profile: Project BUILD |
|
Youth gangs, Violent offenders, Young juvenile offenders, Alternative schools, School climate, Access to education, Inmate programs, Recidivism, Corrections, Crime prevention, Juvenile detention, Drugs, Substance abuse, Intimate partner violence | This program comprises a violence prevention curriculum, which is designed to assist youth in detention to overcome obstacles such as gangs, violence, crime, and substance abuse. The program is rated Effective. Treatment group youth who participated in the program had lower rates of recidivism and took a longer amount of time to recidivate, compared with control group youth, at the 1-year follow up. These differences were statistically significant. Date Posted: |
None | ||
| Program Profile: Operation Hardcore (Los Angeles, CA) |
|
Gang Crime, Youth gangs, Assault, Homicide, Prosecution, Witnesses, Case Management, Violent crime, Crime prevention, Juvenile detention | This program consists of a judicial intervention, which seeks to improve the prosecution of gang-related crimes. The program is rated Promising. Treatment group cases were associated with a statistically significant greater number of convictions and incarcerations of gang members, and a lower number of case dismissals and rejections, compared with control group cases. However, there was no statistically significant effect on the rate of pleas. Date Posted: |
None | ||
| Program Profile: Little Village Gang Violence Reduction Project (Comprehensive Gang Model) |
|
Gang Crime, Youth gangs, Probation, Community policing, Problem-oriented policing, Young juvenile offenders, Property crime, Crime prevention, Drugs, Violent crime | This is a comprehensive gang violence reduction program designed for the Little Village neighborhood of Chicago. The program is rated Promising. Treatment group youth who participated in the program had statistically significant reductions in total violent crime, serious violent crime, and drug crime arrests, compared with control group youth. However, there was no statistically significant difference in property crime arrests or total arrests. Date Posted: |
None | ||
| Program Profile: Gang Reduction Program (Los Angeles, California) |
|
Gang Crime, Youth gangs, Assault, Gun violence, Youth/peer courts, Violent offenders, Dropout/expulsion, Truancy, Community policing, Problem-oriented policing, Databases, Children exposed to violence, Property crime, Immigrants, Minorities, Case Management, Youth development, Treatment, Juvenile detention, Crime prevention, Juvenile (under 18), Mentoring, Child health and welfare | This is a comprehensive, multiyear program designed to reduce youth gang crime and violence. The program is rated Promising. The target area demonstrated a statistically significant reduction in calls for shots fired and gang-related incidents compared with the comparison area. However, there were no statistically significant impacts on calls for vandalism, incidents of serious violence, gang-related incidents of serious violence, or student attendance. Date Posted: |
None | ||
| Program Profile: Gang Resistance Education and Training (G.R.E.A.T.) |
|
Youth gangs, School safety, Juvenile delinquency, Child health and welfare, Juvenile (under 18), Crime prevention, Gang Crime | This is a school-based, gang- and violence-prevention program, which is designed to teach youth to avoid gang membership and to develop positive relationships with law enforcement. The program is rated Promising. Treatment group students had a statistically significant lower likelihood of being in a gang, compared with control group students, at the 1-year follow up. However, there were no statistically significant differences between groups in delinquency or in violent offending. Date Posted: |
Randomized Controlled Trial | ||
| Program Profile: Operation Ceasefire (Boston, Mass.) |
|
Gang Crime, Youth gangs, Weapons violations, Gun violence, Homicide, Violent offenders, Warrants, Community policing, Problem-oriented policing, Trauma, Young juvenile offenders, Crime prevention, Assault | This is a problem-solving police strategy, which was designed to reduce gang violence, illegal gun possession, and gun violence in communities in Boston, Mass. The program is rated Effective. There were statistically significant reductions in youth homicide, citywide gun assaults, calls for service, and recovered new guns following implementation of the intervention. Date Posted: |
None | ||
| Program Profile: Cure Violence (Chicago, Ill.) |
|
Gang Crime, Youth gangs, Gun violence, Homicide, Violent offenders, Problem-oriented policing, Violent crime, Crime prevention, Policing strategies, Law enforcement | A violence prevention program that uses a public health approach, using trained street violence interrupters and outreach workers, public education campaigns, and community mobilization to reduce shootings and killings. This program is rated Promising. The program was associated with significant reductions in shootings, killings, and retaliatory homicides and also appeared to make shooting hot spots cooler in some neighborhoods but not others. Date Posted: |
None | ||
| Program Profile: Operation Peacekeeper (Stockton, Calif.) |
|
Gang Crime, Youth gangs, Gun violence, Homicide, Violent offenders, Community policing, Problem-oriented policing, Young juvenile offenders, Crime prevention | This is a focused-deterrence policing initiative designed to reduce gun homicide in Stockton, Calif., by providing gang-involved youth with positive alternatives to violence. The program is rated Promising. The intervention was associated with a statistically significant 42 percent decrease in the monthly number of gun homicides, compared with pre-intervention trends. Date Posted: |
None | ||
| Program Profile: Operation Ceasefire: Hollenbeck Initiative |
|
Gang Crime, Weapons violations, Assault, Gun violence, Homicide, Kidnapping, Robbery, Community policing, Patrol, Problem-oriented policing, Trauma, Crime prevention, Law enforcement operations, Law enforcement | This was a policing initiative that targeted specific gangs in the Hollenbeck area of Los Angeles, California, through aggressive enforcement and problem-oriented policing. The program is rated Promising. There was a statistically significant reduction in overall violent crimes in targeted blocks, compared with matched comparison blocks. However, there was no statistically significant effect on gang crimes or gun crimes. Date Posted: |
None |