Combating Gangs - Admission/Application Essay Example

The gang abatement and prevention act of 2007 The rise of criminal gangs across in the recent years has seen the government implementing a number of strategies to combat the same. All the states across the country have applied various strategies ranging from the formulation of special crime units to deal with these gangs as well the enactment and subsequent implementation of new legislation in the quest to combat these crimes. One of such legislation is the gang abatement and prevention act of 2007.

As the name suggests, the Gang abatement and prevention act was introduced by Congress in January 31st and was passed in September 21st the same year by senate. The Senate passed the legislation with the aim of eliminating gang activity and encourage the youths to avoid gang involvement. To do this, the act stipulated for the enhancement of law enforcement resources committed to investigate and prosecute violent gang and consequently deter and punish gang crimes in the view to protect law-abiding citizens from violent gangs.

The motion to introduce the appeal was introduced by Senator Dianne Fienstein and was co-sponsored by 44 members. The legislation went past three committees of the house; the house education and the workforce, the house energy and commerce, the house judiciary and the senate judiciary (Kinnear, 2009).The introduction of the legislation had a great impact in combating criminal gang activities. For instance, the bill increased funding of for department of justice among other federal government institutions such as the FBI that are integral on the coordination of federal enforcement laws against gang activity.

In particular, in the following year after it was passed, the government authorized at least three million dollars annually. This fund was intended to facilitate the creation of a national training center for training of local law enforcement agencies on the prevention of gang violence. Additionally, the bill authorized for release of $250 million that helped in the introduction of intervention programs for the at-risk youth. The program integrated the High Intensity Interstate Gang Activity Area Program (HIGAA) that facilitated the Federal and State cooperation in the prevention of gang activities.

Furthermore, the bill had instant positive impact on the fight against gang because saw to the expansion of the scope of predicate crimes by authorization of wire, oral and electronic communication to cover the violations related to criminal street gangs. According to Kinnear (2009), the high success rate of the Gang abatement and prevention act of 2007 can be attributed to the fact that assumes the form of a preventive measure in combating gang crimes. In particular, he presents that the act is mainly focused on suppression as its main enforcement tactic.

This is deemed effective, especially since the report by The National Criminal Justice Reference Service reports that incarceration has minimal effect on the reduction of violent activities of gang-affiliated inmates. Nearly 63% of previously incarcerates gang members usually return to their old gang criminal habits more reenergized than before. As a matter of fact, the act’s preventive strategy has saw to the reduction of incarceration sentences due to perceived conceptions that prisons and detention centers usually act as breeding grounds for potential gangs and gang members.

Despite these successes, the act received a lot of opposition from human rights and constitutional watchdogs. One of the downfalls of the act emanated from the fact that most offences in the act did not fall within the federal constitutional reach. For instance, the critics argues that a criminal act committed by a gang may involve instate connection, which does not necessarily justify the involvement of the federal government. Nevertheless, the Law continues to prove significant in the fight against gang activities.

References Kinnear, K. L. (2009). Gangs: A Reference Handbook. Santa Brabara, CA: ABC-CLIO.