Reduce and Address the Issue on Gang Violence in Chicago - Research Paper Example

Gang Violence in the Chicago Gang violence is a common problem in the United s and it affects major city cities such as Chicago, Los Angeles, Boston, and New York. The gang violence negatively impacts on the economic development of the affected regions and is associated with both direct and intangible costs. Despite being portrayed as violent city, the levels of violent crime in the Chicago city have declined considerably. Although gang violence has reduced both in low and high crime areas, there remain regions where violent crime rate is stile unacceptably high. Some of the gangs specialize in expressive violence while others specialize in instrumental violence. The objectives of this paper it to examine the historical trends and the prevalence of gang violence in the Chicago city and propose possible solutions to the problem. It is also examines how the problem can be addressed by initiating follow-up re-entry programs and community prosecution strategies. Table of Contents Table of Contents 3 1.Introduction 4 2.Scope of problem 4 3.Prevalence of the gang violence 7 5. Literature review 9 5.1 Mobility 9 5.2 Real estate values 11 5.3 City budgets and local residents 12 5.4 Intangible costs 13 5.5 Law enforcement and justice-system and revenues 14 5.6 Gang violence in schools 15 6.Conclusion 16 1. Introduction In 2002 and 2008, Chicago registered the most murders than any other city in America. The rising homicide rate is attributed to the influx of illegal guns and gang violence. Gang violence is connected to disputes and turf wars and it seems that the problem largely affects the geographically and socially isolated neighborhoods. The incidences of gang violence mainly affect those living in the West and the South sides of the city. Although incidences of gang violence have declined considerably, the city is faring badly compared to other gang-infested cities such as Los Angeles and New York. This paper examines the history, prevalence and the solutions to the problem of gang violence in the Chicago city. The paper also examines how gang violence can be reduced through follow-up re-entry programs and community prosecution strategies. 2. Scope of problem The origin of gangs can be traced to the East Coast in 1820s and thereafter, in the Midwestern regions including Chicago and Los Angeles. The problem of gang violence in the United States is as old as humanity itself. The New York City is considered as a haven of the gangs in the country, and the emergence of gang-like groups began in late 1700s. Serious gangs would later emerge in 1820s fueled by large scale immigration. Gang would later spread to other cities such as Philadelphia and Boston. In the Midwest region, gangs first flourished in 1900s but there is evidence of white gangs in the area as far back as 1960s. In the Western region, gangs started appearing in 1890s and the mass immigration of the Mexicans in 1940 to 1970s gave rise to the Mexican-American gangs. Black gangs were formed in towns like Los Angeles and California. The gang groups in the western regions have since increased in numbers, and are a threat to peace and tranquility in the society. The southern region were not spared either by gang violence, and gang activity was first reported in New Orleans, Miami, San Antonio, and Fort Worth as afar back as 1970s. Although gangs in the Southern part emerged later compared to the other regions, the gang activities in the area have since increased. Gangs are formed by a group of people who are perceived to be aggressive and who come together to protect their turfs engage in criminal activities. The Chicago Police Department defines gangs based on several characteristics. Firstly, street gangs have well established geographical territories and have an organized course of criminality. The law enforcement agencies are also able to identify gangs based on symbols and signs, hand signs, language and clothing. The available literature suggests that there are two forms of violence: expressive and instrumental (Cullen & Levitt, 1999). The aim of the expressive violence is to injure the victim and other motives are secondary. In contrast, the objective of the instrumental violence is to acquire financial gains and not hurt the victims. The Chicago street gangs express both types of violence; on one hand the members defend their identity and initiate expansionary policies, and in the process those who resist are killed while on the other hand, gangs use violence to safeguard their financial interests. Gang violence has become a common occurrence in the society. In the Chicago city, the emergence of gangs is often viewed as a by-product of social dis-organization and the inefficiency of the traditional institutions. The pattern and the composition of the Chicago gangs is shaped by race and ethnicity. The emergence of criminal gangs was precipitated by the immigration of the black Americans into Chicago. The mass immigration in the area led to tension and increased bitterness from other races. By 1950s the black community had grown so much, an event that led to the establishment of more gangs in the area. At the time, the famous gangs included the Vicelords, and the Blackstone Rangers. However, in 1960s the local authorities initiated an ambitious war against the gangs, an event that led to the decapitation of street gangs. With tough economic conditions and lack of employment opportunities, the youths flowed back to the streets. The re-organization of the gang activities saw the rise of the Black Disciples and the Black Gangsters. In the recent times, due to spatial disruption, some of the gangs have been displaced leading to violence and instability in the area. Chicago is recognized as the gang capital of the U.S. and according to an audit performed by the Chicago Police Department the area has more than 600 gang factions with a combined membership of more than 70,000. As the number of the gang groups increase the police have found it hard to control them. The negative impact of the gangs in the city is well noted and just to illustrate, in 2011, a quarter of the homicides in Chicago were gang-related. Currently, one of the common gang groups in Chicago is the Black Gangster Disciples Nation and is renowned for turf wars with the Blackstone Rangers and the Black Disciples. The Latin Disciples operates in the Northwest Side neighborhoods while the Latino Kings s the largest Latino street gang in the entire city. Another influential street gang group is the Vice Lords which was formed in 1950s and operates in the West Side neighborhoods. There are turf-hot-spots in the city where gang-motivated offenses are concentrated. There are also the drug hot spots where the gangs fight over drugs leading to the death of the innocent member of the community and the gang members. The Chicago city grapples with murder and violent crime problem, and aware of this fact the Department of Justice initiated a project dubbed the Project Safe Neighborhoods. The project is one of the major initiatives whose aim was to reduce gun violence at the local level. The project entailed mobilizing funds to support the justice system for the purpose of the enforcement, deterrence and prevention. At the core of the initiative was the prosecution of illegal guns use and illegal gun possession. The increased prosecution of gun-related cases, directly impacts on the activities of gangs in the Chicago cities. The program also sought to improve joint federal-local prosecution case screening capacity, increase police patrols, establish violent offender programs and street-level firearms enforcement teams. The program also sought to educate the public and school-going children about the negative impact of the gang violence in the society. 3. Prevalence of the gang violence The sorry state of the security in Chicago is well captured in an article titled; Chicago homicides outnumber U.S. troop killings in Afghanistan. According to the article, while 2,000 U.S. troops have been killed in Afghanistan since 2001, around 5,000 had been killed by gangs in Chicago (Shapiro & Hassett, 2012). Compared to other cities such as Los Angeles and New York the murder rate is very high and the business community in the area has adversely been affected by the ongoing violence. Instances of youth gun violence are very common in the city, and according to Petersilia (2003) the victims and the perpetrators are disproportionately likely to be black males from poor single-parent households. According to the statistics released by the Chicago police department, gangs are largely blamed for homicides which occur in the city. The available information on gang violence in Chicago illustrates that crime rates occur more frequently in the socially and economically disadvantaged communities. According to Petersilia (2003) incidences of violent related-crime are more concentrated in East and West Park, Englewood and Fuller Park. The crime rates in these neighborhoods are also high compared to up-town residents such as Jefferson Park. According to a study conducted by Cook and Ludwig (2006), Lincoln Square, Lake View, North Park, Jefferson Park and Montclare, are low-crime communities. In recent times, crime and gang-related violence has reduced even in highest crime communities. However, some neighborhoods such as Crack Era still continue to register high incidences of gang violence, although their absolute level of crime has dropped significantly. In a bid to reduce gang violence, the police in the area largely believe in the arresting of the perpetrators and subsequent prosecution. However, over time, once the convicts are released after serving their time in jail, they create a lot of problems in the society. In the recent times, the issue of gang members returning to the community has received attention, as of them lack proper preparation prior to being re-integrated into the society. There is also more reason to worry because; the available literature indicates that returning members largely contribute to the increase in violence among local gangs. This perception is supported by a study that was conducted by Coughlin and Venkatesh (2003). In this study, the sample population was made up of 2,500 adult inmates a quarter of which were identified as gang members. After being released back into the community, more than half of the gang members were readmitted into the Illinois prisons. The outcomes that of this study indicate that gang members are likely to be re-arrested for violent and drug offenses. Based on these findings it follows that the local authorities and the government should target the returning members of the gang. One of the solutions to the problem of gang violence in the community is the use of community prosecution strategy. The community prosecution strategy was born two decades ago. The prosecution works in close proximity with the criminal courts, and the local community for faster delivery of justice. The strategy has proved effective in eradication of drug-related crime, violent crime, juvenile crime, gang violence, prostitution, and truancy. The strategy is best used in the rural and urban areas, business districts and residential neighborhoods. The community plays an advisory role and actively participates in prosecuting the offenders. The strategy has been adopted in many areas including the Lackawanna and Sacramento counties in 2000. In the West Palm Beach, the local authorities initiated a community prosecution strategy to eradicate drug-related crime. The program incorporated the following components: nuisance abatement, drugs eviction, legal education and mentoring sessions. The stakeholders in the program included the community court, law enforcement agencies, state and federal agencies, and schools. 5. Literature review 5.1 Mobility Gangs instill fear in the local residents and as such people are unable to move around and conduct their businesses as usual. The impact of the gang violence in the lives of the local residents is well captured in a study conducted by Ludwig and Cook (2001). In this study, Ludwig and Cook (2001) found out that the community members especially those living in lower-income neighborhoods fear being killed by the gang members. In this study, which was conducted in the Orange County, the respondents avoided some streets while others were unwilling to set up businesses in the gang-ridden areas. These results indicate that gang activities negatively impact on the economic activities in the Chicago areas. Here is a perfect example to further illustrate how gang violence affects the economic development in the area. At one time, the 63rd Street located at the heart of Englewood was a vibrant economic hub and housed many departmental stores such as the Sears. However, due to the frequent incidences of gang violence in the areas, businesses have relocated to other cities. The once vibrant street is now characterized by vacant lots, empty buildings and boarded-up businesses. Other commercial streets and residential areas are too affected. The withdrawal of the investors from the area has increased the unemployment levels in the area. Currently, almost half of the local residents in the area are unemployed. The youths are the most affected and sometimes they have no choice rather than join these gangs in order to earn of livelihood. The withdrawal of the investors from the Englewood has also negatively impacted on the tax base. As a result, the city government is unable to collect enough revenue for provision of the basic services to the local residents. The total social cost of violence in the Chicago city is estimated to be $2.5 billion annually. A study conducted by the Center for American Progress, reports that the city loses $5.3 to the literal and intangible costs of violence (Shapiro & Hassett, 2012). Every year the city spends $1.1 billion in direct costs stemming from gang-related violence which includes policing, arrests and prosecution (Shapiro & Hassett, 2012). While more police are employed to keep the city safer, a lot of pain is endured by the victims and their families affected by the gang violence. The impact of the gang violence in the Chicago city is well captured in a report titled, the economic benefits of reducing violent crime. The report concluded that gang violence imposes concrete costs on the victims who survive (Lesy, 2007). Just to illustrate, if a father is killed by gangs, the children are likely to suffer and are unlikely to access quality education. In addition, killing of the loved one by the gangs causes physical and emotional toll on the surviving members of the family. Given the effects being experienced in the area, there is need to employ various interventions, one of which is to initiate re-entry programs. This initiative should be informed by the similar programs that have been launched in San Diego. According to CDCR (2010) San Diego has one of the highest recidivism rates but the Country Prisoner Re-entry Program ensures that gang members are re-integrated into the society. The transition support begins before release. The process starts with an extensive assessment of the gang member and thereafter the probation department work together with the gang member to develop an appropriate life plan. Such a plan addresses all issues that are likely to impede the prisoner’s successful transition from the prison to the community. Before they are released, the gangs members are assigned a community case manager to refine the pan and address any aftercare needs. The case management of the affected individual continues for one year and the inmates a number of benefits including placement assistance, residential treatment, family re-unification and child support guidance. Giving the former prisoners such a special treatment ensures they do not return to former gang networks. Once they find good jobs, they are effortlessly able to settle down and shun violent tendencies. The San Diego Associate of Governments constantly monitors the effectiveness of this program with the objective of reducing violence in the society. The model has been applied in other states, and has proved effective in the rehabilitation of the formerly incarcerated persons. 5.2 Real estate values It is well acknowledged that people do not like living in gang-infested areas. This is the reality in many cities including Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Jacksonville, Philadelphia and Seattle. People no longer want to live in certain neighborhoods, and the low demand for properties in the affected areas has pushed the real estate values down. A report by the Center for American Progress, notes that a reduction in the gang-related violence would generate large revenue gains from the property taxes (Shapiro & Hassett, 2012). The problem it seems is being caused by those arrestees who are being released from different institutions. Once the gang members are released from prisons they face huge challenges including lack of housing and employment opportunities. The recidivism rates are very high among former gang members as most of them re-connect with street gang networks once they are released from correctional facilities (Thompson, 2003). Enrolling such individuals in re-entry programs ensures they do not return to their former gang networks. 5.3 City budgets and local residents It is well know fact that anyone can be affected by the gang violence. Students are affected as they are unable to school and their parents may be forced to work in far places due to lack of adequate employment opportunities in the surrounding areas. The direct costs related to gang arise from the medical costs of treating the injured victims, the municipal spending on police and the establishment of courts and correction facilities. In the Chicago city, the direct cost of gang violence is the highest at $426 per victim and $390 per local resident (Shapiro & Hassett, 2012). The city also suffers from high un-productivity losses which results from the death of the employed residents (Shapiro & Hassett, 2012). The report by the Center for American Progress suggests that a reduction in gang violence would free up financial resources which would then be used for other municipal purposes (Shapiro & Hassett, 2012). While the local government and the victims are affected directly, the members of the society are too forced to buy security devices to protect themselves from gangs. Schools and businesses in located in the city have also been forced to employ more security officers and invest in metal detectors and security cameras. Obviously, buying such equipment costs money and the students and their parents are affected by the way of paying high fees. It is also seems that there is a failure by the police to engage all the stakeholders in order to come with an effective approach to address the problem. As a matter of fact the police actions actually encourage gang violence in Chicago. For the past few decades, the police have been targeting gang hierarchies so that they can des-stabilize them. Once the gangs disintegrate, smaller crews are formed and the levels of violence increases as they to compete against each other for narcotic turf. Having small un-coordinated groups on the streets negatively impacts on the ability of the police to deal with the menace. Based on these findings it seems that large-scale arrests and long-term incarceration of the gang members is not working, hence the need to look for a more proactive approach. One such solution could be providing the youths especially those from minority communities with a sustainable source of income, and engaging the community in order to come with more effective strategies. 5.4 Intangible costs While gang violence direct affects the victims and their families, the government and the local authorities, it also has intangible effects. One of the major intangible effects is the pain suffered by the victims and their families. If parents dies from gang-related violence, their children suffer terribly as they cannot access quality education and other basic needs. Children may be forced to engage in drug abuse and other anti-social behaviors due to lack of proper parenting. The involvement of youths and young ones in gangs is already a reality in the city. To address all these challenges, the city administrators should initiate a re-entry program, like the one in County of Francisco. The County of Francisco has developed an effective model to re-integrate the incarcerated individuals and help them achieve self-sufficiency. Already, the Council has successfully rehabilitated former prisoners from the San Francisco County Jail, CDCR facilities and the U.S. Federal Bureau of Prisons institutions (CDCR, 2010). The council is headed by the mayor and is composed of twenty members including representatives from the police department. Just like the San Diego Country Prisoner Re-entry program, the County of Francisco involves the incarcerated individual in planning and implementing the re-entry initiatives. Engaging the prisoners before they are released ensures that they remain committed to the goal of maintaining to the goal of the program. In addition, the Council adopts a multi-agency approach whereby many institutions are involved in rehabilitating the prisoner. Non-criminal justice system entities are involved to provide the former gang members with basic needs before they can settle on their own. 5.5 Law enforcement and justice-system and revenues The members of the gangs are often hauled in courts to answer charged related to violence. The level of re-arrests is high, police are over-whelmed and a lot of resources are used for policing and arrests. The available statistics released by the Center for the Democracy Congress indicates that the Federal, State, and local justice system incurs an expenditure of $547million in prosecuting gang violence-related crimes (Shapiro & Hassett, 2012). This figure is way too high compared to what other states spend in prosecuting gang-related violence offenses. According to a report released by the Center for Democracy Congress, a 25% reduction of the gang-related violence crime in Chicago would translate to $1.3 billion in savings and benefits (Shapiro & Hassett, 2012). It is also common knowledge that gang violence creates a bad image. The Chicago city is renowned for housing violent gangs and most the times, the community members do not have the freedom to walk around the city. When sun goes down, the blocks on the South and the West side of the city ring with shots and sirens. Some of the street neighborhoods such as Grand Crossing and Garfield Park are deserted even during the day. Children no longer go outside to play in some neighborhoods and the Chicago Public Housing projects have been abandoned due to the on-going violence. Already the city government is tearing down some of the abandoned projects to prevent them from being used to sell narcotics and weapons. The local authorities have also pledged to employee 500 more officers despite having a city budget deficit of $600 million (Blumstein& Wallman, 2006). With the constant turf wars, tourists are unlikely to visit the city and as such the local government will continue experiencing budgetary deficits. The available literature suggests that lower violence and rates lead to lower insurance rates and premium payments. This means that if gang violence in the city was is reduced, businesses and households would benefits by paying lower rates. In addition, lower violence rates would improve the general economic and business environment in the city leading to higher investment and population gains. 5.6 Gang violence in schools The studies that have been conducted indicate that gang violence encourages serious delinquency problems in elementary and secondary schools. Children in the Chicago city are often exposed to violent-prone environment, which encourages them to try out what they see on the streets. In addition, gang violence in the neighborhood encourages formation of youth gangs in schools and selling of guns and drugs to school-going children. As a result, some of the students drop out of school. Failing to graduate is correlated with negative socio-economical outcomes and the students who join gangs become poor in life, are jailed or end up dying in the course of turf wars. Gun violence has also bee linked to school failure and subsequent imprisonment. Kirk and Papachristos (2011) visited juvenile detainees and established that a large share of them had been expelled for participating in gang activities. Once they are expelled from schools, they get a perfect opportunity to become involved in gang activities. For this reason, there is need to identify high-risk students especially from poor neighborhoods, and enroll them in programs to improve their schooling engagement. It seems that gang violence is a serious problem in Chicago, which can affect the educational outcomes of many students especially those from poor backgrounds. Consequently, there is need to engage the juveniles and the young people in programs where they can participate in positive activities. The literature has observed that gang violence is concentrated in some neighborhoods hence the need for the police and other agencies to tailor their programs to fit the needs of the targeted communities. The report has further established that murder and other violent activities are carried out using guns and lethal weapons hence the need to reduce the accessibility of these weapons. 6. Conclusion From the above literature two interventions can be used to address the problem of violence in the Chicago city: initiating re-entry programs and community prosecution strategies. Of these two, community prosecution strategy is the one that has the most potential of producing cost-justified reductions in crime. The problem of gang violence in the Chicago city is concentrated in poor neighborhoods and so the government should also initiate schemes to empower youths living in those areas. References .Shapiro, R. & Hassett, K. (2012). The economic benefits of reducing violent crime. Center for American Progress Kirk, D., & Papachristos, A. (2011). Cultural Mechanisms and the Persistence of Neighborhood Violence. American Journal of Sociology, 116 (4), 1190-233. Lesy, M. (2007). Murder City: The Bloody History of Chicago in the Twenties. W. W. Norton. Cook, P. J., & Ludwig, J. (2006). The social costs of gun ownership. Journal of Public Economics, 90(1–2), 379–391. Blumstein, A. & Wallman, J. (2006). The Crime Drop in America. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Petersilia, J. (2003). When prisoners come home. New York: Oxford Press. Coughlin, B. C., & Venkatesh, S. A. (2003). The Urban Street Gang After 1970. Annual Review of Sociology, 29, 41−64 Thompson, N. (2003). KINGS The True Story of Chicagos Policy Kings and Numbers Racketeers. The Bronzeville Press Ludwig, J., & Cook, P. J. (2001). The benefits of reducing gun violence: Evidence from contingent-valuation survey data. Journal of Risk and Uncertainty, 22(3), 207–22 Cullen, J. B., and Levitt, S. D. (1999). Crime, urban flight, and the consequences for cities. Review of Economics and Statistics, 81(2), 159–169. CDCR. (2010). 2010 ADULT institutions outcome evaluation report. Sacramento, CA: CDCR Office of Research. Read More