One of the most important areas for future development is to accurately assess
the repercussions these programs have on the community, the citizens, and the
offenders. It cannot be emphasized enough how important it is to seek the help
and support from many agencies in order to successfully combat the problems that
face the youths of today. Programs and relationships need to be developed with
social service organizations in order to provide effective services to juveniles.
The police have the ultimate responsibility of enforcing the laws that govern
juvenile offenders. With the help of social service organizations, such as youth
service bureaus, the school system, recreational facilities, and welfare agencies, cou-
pled with parental involvement, truancy interdiction programs can help keep kids
in school as well as prevent future serious crimes. Jill's case presents a very tragic
and real example of how truant behavior and juvenile delinquency led one person
to confront the criminal justice system.POLICING JUVENILE GANGS
Introduction
As juvenile gangs grow in size and become increasingly violent, the community and
media pressure for law enforcement officers to suppress gang activity and member-
ship has become intense. The threat of gangs is no longer just an inner-city problem.
Juvenile gangs have permeated every size of community, even branching out into
rural areas (Owens & Wells, 1993). Communities are demanding action from law
enforcement, and the police have had to take a more aggressive stance in their fight
against gang activity. Antigang policing tactics such as gang-tracking databases and
civil gang injunctions are being created and employed around the country in an
attempt to suppress gang activity. If granted by the court, a civil gang injunction is
a lawsuit that limits conduct by members of a gang that would otherwise be con-
sidered lawful. However, enforcement strategies alone fail to address the root causes
of the juvenile gang epidemic. According to Brantley and DiRosa (1994), under-
standing the factors that drive youths to join gangs is the first step in confronting
the problem.
Supporters of such strategies maintain that they are effective forms of gang
control while opponents hold that these tactics infringe upon youths' civil liber-
ties, particularly ethnic minorities (Siegal, 1997). It is argued that aggressive tactics
broadly applied to law-abiding youths encourage negative attitudes toward officers
to flourish in areas where a fragile police—community relationship already exists.
Police officers have the challenge of implementing these strategies without tar-
geting juveniles who are not affiliated with gangs. Consider the following case
illustration.