Prosecution Manual

Introduction

The National Youth Gang Center estimates that there were approximately 778,000 gang members and 27,000 gangs active in more than 3,550 jurisdictions served by city and county law enforcement agencies in 2007. Gangs remain a serious problem in the United States, and local prosecutors and district attorneys play an important role in addressing gang‐related violence.  The vast majority of violent gang‐related crimes will be prosecuted at the local level by prosecutors in agencies where budgets are tight and resources for training are often minimal. Gang related crimes are, by their very nature, more difficult to prosecute than other sorts of crimes full of interconnected relationships and complex dynamics between rival gangs. Today’s gang member victim may be tomorrow’s perpetrator.  Witnesses and juries may be intimidated by the inherent and implied threat of violence from a gang involved defendant. The awareness and sophistication of court employees and judges in dealing with gangs vary from place to place...