According to the National Youth Gang Center, the Comprehensive Gang Model came about after extensive research with law enforcement, review of the research literature, and "social disorganization" theory.

On its Web site, the National Youth Gang Center explains the model as follows:

"The terms 'youth gang' and 'street gang' are commonly used interchangeably and refer to neighborhood or street-based youth groups that are substantially made up of individuals under the age of 24. While youth in this age group are most likely to be engaged in or at risk of committing serious or violent gang crimes, the OJJDP Comprehensive Gang Model focuses primarily on youth gang members less than 22 years of age, which is based on OJJDP's authorizing legislation. Motorcycle gangs, prison gangs, ideological gangs, and hate groups comprised primarily of adults are excluded from the definition."

The Model holds that the lack of social opportunities available to this population and the degree of social disorganization present in a community largely account for its youth gang problem. The Model also suggests other contributing factors, including poverty, institutional racism, deficiencies in social policies, and a lack of or misdirected social controls. Drawing principally on social disorganization theory to frame the development of the Model, a team from the University of Chicago expected the core strategies of the Model to address gang youth, their families, and the community institutions that purport to promote their transition from adolescence to productive members of society. With this in mind, law enforcement and other agency personnel in 65 cities reporting problems with gangs were surveyed. Analysis of that information, in conjunction with site visits and focus groups, led to a mix of five strategies that address key concerns raised by the theory upon which the OJJDP Comprehensive Gang Model is based:

• Community Mobilization: Involvement of local citizens (including former gang youth and community groups and agencies) and the coordination of programs and staff functions within and across agencies.
• Provision of Opportunities: The development of a variety of specific education, training, and employment programs targeted at gang-involved youth.
• Social Intervention: Youth-serving agencies, schools, grassroots groups, faith-based organizations, police, and other criminal justice organizations "reaching out" and acting as links between gang-involved youth (and their families) and the conventional world and its needed services.
• Suppression: Formal and informal social control procedures, including close supervision or monitoring of gang youth by agencies of the criminal justice system and also by community-based agencies, schools, and grassroots groups.
• Organizational Change and Development: Development and implementation of policies and procedures that result in the most effective use of available and potential resources within and across agencies to better address the gang problem.

These strategies were found to be present -- to a lesser or greater degree -- in the cities with identified gang problems that were having a positive impact on gangs. In addition to data from the surveys, extensive input from expert practitioners and gang researchers made it clear that a community's gang violence problem required attention be paid to both gang-involved youth and gangs themselves. Long-term change would not be achieved without also addressing the institutions that support and control youth and their families.

The OJJDP initially funded five sites in 1995 to implement the Comprehensive Community-Wide Approach to Gang Prevention, Intervention, and Suppression program. Two of the sites, Riverside, Calif., and Mesa, Ariz., had enough promising funding to receive additional OJJDP funding in 1999. In fiscal year 2000, OJJDP launched the Gang-Free Schools Program in four sites (Miami-Dade County, Fla.; East Cleveland, Ohio; Pittsburgh, Penn.; and Houston, Tex.) as a replication of the Comprehensive Model.

In recent years, OJJDP has put more of a focus on emphasizing prevention in the comprehensive approach. In fiscal year 2004, it established the Gang Reduction Program in four pilot sites (Los Angeles, Calif.; North Miami Beach, Fla.; Richmond, Va.; and Milwaukee, Wisc.). Department of Justice officials believe that programs must start as early as possible in children's lives to prevent them from becoming involved in gangs.

Sources:

National Youth Gang Center at http://ww.iir.org/nygc, U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.