GANG ACTIVITY AMONG YOUTH

This indicator reports the number and rate of gang-related prosecutions of juveniles under the age of 18.1 Gang-related prosecutions involve charges related to active gang membership or committing a crime at the direction of a criminal street gang, with other gang members and/or for the benefit of a gang.2

Data consistently shows that gang members are responsible for a disproportionately high number of crimes committed by youthful offenders. Compared to other delinquent youth, gang members are more extensively involved in serious and violent criminal behavior. Juvenile gang members commit serious and violent offenses at a rate several times higher than non-gang adolescents. Gang crime often involves offenses such as weapons possession, drug trafficking, carjacking, assault and murder.3 According to the 2015 National Gang Report, neighborhood street gangs continue to be a significant threat to local jurisdictions across the country.4 From a societal standpoint, the issue of juvenile gangs is one that requires swift action for both the well-being and safety of communities and the youth who get caught up in gang life. The Orange County District Attorney’s office seeks to reduce juvenile gang crime both by prosecuting those crimes and collaborating with other agencies to prevent juveniles from joining gangs via the Orange County Gang Reduction and Intervention Partnership (OC GRIP). OC GRIP focuses its work on reducing truancy and providing gang prevention and resiliency building curricula. As a result of OC GRIP, in 2017-18, 76% of students decreased truancy and about 60% of students receiving its curricula reported increased well-being and resiliency. 74% of parents who had children receiving services reported an increase in protective factors.

• In 2018, 5.2% of juvenile prosecutions were gang-related, down 63.6% from 14.3% in 2009 but slightly up from 2017 (4.0%).

• Between 2009 and 2018, the total number of juvenile gang-related prosecutions in Orange County decreased 87%, from 889 in 2009 to 116 in 2018.

• The rate of juvenile gang-related prosecutions declined 81% from 140.8 per 100,000 youth aged 10 to 17 in 2009 to 30.1 per 100,000 in 2018.

• Also, the number of unique juveniles prosecuted for gang-related offenses in Orange County dropped 83% from 587 in 2009 to 100 in 2018.

• Older teens accounted for the majority of gang-related activity, with teens ages 15-17 comprising 79% of the total number of juveniles who were prosecuted for gang-related offenses.

• In 2018, Hispanic youth represented the highest percentage of juvenile gang-related prosecutions (92.0%), followed by White (3.0%), Black (3.0%), Other (1%) and Asian (1%).

• The communities most impacted by juvenile gang-related crime in 2018 were Anaheim and Santa Ana, as 68% of the juvenile gang-related filings originated in these cities.

Number of Juvenile Gang-Related Prosecutions and Number of Unique Juveniles Prosecuted for Gang-Related Offenses 10 to 17 Years Old, 2009

Number of Unique Juveniles with Gang-Related Prosecutions and Rate Per 100,000 Youth 10 to 17 Years Old with Gang-Related Prosecutions, by Age, 2009-2018

Percent of Unique Juveniles with Gang-Related Prosecutions, by Race/Ethnicity, 10 to 17 Years Old

• White

• Black

• Asian