Why are there street gangs

Ivey avoided conflicts with the Aryan Brotherhood — who considered the Royals traitors to the white race — but he also had to stand up to his own black allies. During his time behind bars, Ivey studied Royals literature — 50 pages of policies and history — and started networking.

By the time he returned home in , he had claimed the title of Central Mississippi regional captain. On the outside, Ivey started organizing the Royals. I had their backs, they had mine, no matter what. In , Ivey was locked up for four years for manufacturing crystal meth. In , he returned to a trailer park where a mother of two called Spirit lived and assisted with operations.

They could borrow for a child support payment or to keep their lights on. His members prided themselves on not being racist. His first lieutenant, Kruz, started squabbling with two young members called Smash and Street, whom he suspected were talking to the cops. Soon afterwards, police told Ivey that no Royal better touch their informants. When leaders get locked up is a prime time for violence — which is now more often intra-gang than between different gangs, Northwestern University sociologist and violence expert Andrew Papachristos reports.

Then 32, Ivey was sent to the private Delta correctional facility because of gang activity. There, he gathered the Royals in the yard. Police say the gang traffics guns and narcotics, with some members participating in gruesome violence against snitches.

I thought I was doing something. But the reality they come to know is very different. Kids recruited by a street gang enter a vicious circle of fear, violence, drug addiction, and crime. To stay in the gang, they have to commit violent, illegal, or sexual acts. They become isolated from their other friends and their family. Sometimes they show off distinctive signs, such as clothing or tattoos, and they hang out together in the same area, often at night.

They might also have drugs, money, or arms. Girls are often engaged in sexual activities nude dancing, escort work, prostitution. They may also be involved in recruiting, spying, shoplifting, acting as a lookout during crimes, and transporting arms and drugs. You must have JavaScript enabled to use this form. Enter a valid email address. This feedback form is for issues with the nidirect website only.

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What to do next For queries about your identity check, email nida nidirect. Prosecutors should also consider whether the person has entered voluntarily into the activity or has been groomed; threatened or manipulated. Where coercion, manipulation, or exploitation falls short of the legal defence of duress, depending on the degree, it may still be a powerful public interest factor weighing against prosecution. The public interest will almost always require a prosecution whenever there is sufficient evidence to show that an adult has committed a firearms offence, because of the risk to public safety.

Similar public interest considerations will apply where there is the use of, or threatened use of, other weapons e. When considering the public interest in any case, consideration will be given as to whether the matter can be appropriately dealt with out of court. What is appropriate in the circumstances of each individual defendant will depend on the seriousness of the offence, the results of the offending behaviour, the antecedents of the offender and the likely outcome at court.

Where an out of court disposal offers an outcome appropriate to the circumstances of the case, it should be considered and any relevant guidance taken into account. The views of the victim should, wherever possible, be obtained and considered. In cases referred to a prosecutor for a charging decision, the CPS may recommend the case is dealt with by way of an out of court disposal.

Prosecutors should refer to the guidance about Cautioning and Diversion. When dealing with allegations of gang offending and county lines offending prosecutors should consider the offences in the Modern Slavery Act , particularly where young or vulnerable people have been deliberately targeted, recruited and exploited. Victims and witnesses of gang related offending may not be willing to engage with the police and provide evidence, due to fear of retaliation.

The exploitation carried out through the grooming process often leads them to feeling protective of the relationship they have with their abuser, and they do not consider the grooming to be abuse or control. There will also be cases where the victim has initially engaged but later refuses to give evidence. Vulnerable people are often susceptible to exploitation by gangs carrying out drug dealing activity. In very exceptional circumstances, consideration should be given as to whether it is appropriate to apply for a witness anonymity order.

The Youth Justice and Criminal Evidence Act introduced a range of measures that can be used to facilitate the gathering and giving of evidence by vulnerable and intimidated witnesses.

In cases involving gang offending, prosecutors should consider whether witnesses would benefit from any of the available special measures. Gang offending can have a devastating effect on victims. Victim Personal Statements can be used by the sentencing court to illustrate the affect that the offending has had on the victim, see the Joint Agency guide to the Victim Personal Statement. Community Impact Statements CIS enable the court to consider offences in the context in which they were committed and take account of the harm inflicted on the wider community, see the Community Impact Statement guidance.

A CIS can be used to inform the sentencing court of the impact on the community of the prevalence of gangs.

Part IV of the Policing and Crime Act allows the Police and local authorities to apply for injunctions to prevent gang related violence and gang-related drug dealing activity. Gang injunctions allow Courts to place a range of prohibitions and requirements on the behaviour and activities of a person involved in gang-related violence.

Examples of these conditions are set out under Section 35 and could include prohibiting someone from being in a particular place or requiring them to participate in rehabilitative activities. The CPS does not have the power to apply for gang injunctions but should be consulted to discuss any potential impact on parallel criminal proceedings.

Gang injunctions are a valuable tool in preventing gang-related violence alongside a range of other prevention, detection and enforcement measures. The Code for Crown Prosecutors is a public document, issued by the Director of Public Prosecutions that sets out the general principles Crown Prosecutors should follow when they make decisions on cases. This guidance assists our prosecutors when they are making decisions about cases.

It is regularly updated to reflect changes in law and practice. Help us to improve our website; let us know what you think by taking our short survey. Contrast Switch to colour theme Switch to blue theme Switch to high visibility theme Switch to soft theme. Search for Search for. Top menu Careers Contact. Gang related offences - Decision making in updates 04 November Legal Guidance , International and organised crime , Sexual offences , Violent crime , Drug offences. Urban street gangs Urban street gangs and many other gangs may evolve into organised crime groups OCG.

Denoting or relating to popular dance music associated with black performers. Denoting popular black culture in general. Gang offending Gang offending varies significantly and is not easily defined.

Prosecution of Gang Offences When selecting charges in response to gang criminality prosecutors should have regard to Paragraph 6. Prosecutors should refer to the substantive legal guidance for the relevant offences selected. Evidential Issues Where it may be difficult to prove specific acts of drug supply, consideration should be given to conspiracy charges in order to demonstrate the overall criminality.

Consideration should be given to whether the person has entered voluntarily into the activity, or has been groomed; threatened or manipulated. Further guidance is provided in the Human Trafficking, Smuggling and Slavery prosecution guidance. Gangs sometimes post messages, in different forms, online. This may be intended to promote gang culture, and on occasion is used to glorify violence.