INFO FOR FAMILIES & COMMUNITY MEMBERS |
INFO FOR PROFESSIONALS WORKING
WITH YOUTH & TEENS | LOCAL/NEW JERSEY RESOURCES ON GANGS
FICTION FOR TEENS | NON-FICTION FOR TEENS AND ADULTS
INFO FOR FAMILIES & COMMUNITY MEMBERS
COPS & OJJDP - What Parents Can Do to Prevent Gang Involvement
Community Oriented Policing Services and the Office of Juvenile Justice & Delinquency Prevention produced a quick reference card for parents to help them recognize warning signs of gang involvement. It is available in English, Spanish, Hmong and Vietnamese.
New
Jersey’s Online Gang Free Community
A comprehensive website for NJ gang information
for citizens, law enforcement, educators, and youth
workers. Includes news, links to related websites,
parent resources, NJ’s Enhanced Penalties,
gang signs and symbols, what citizens can do, and
downloadable video and audio files. The library
owns a copy of the video “Gangs, Guns &
Drugs” which cardholders may borrow [DVD 364.1066
Gang].
New York State’s Gang Prevention
Features the NY State Capital Region’s Gang Prevention Center and its resources as a successful community involvement program. Includes a gang prevention database, parent resources, and a link to information on Latino gangs.
Robert Walker’s Gangs Or Us
Currently a gang identification trainer and expert witness, Robert Walker has sixty years in law enforcement and maintains a comprehensive website on the topic of gangs. This site has a personal point of view, but includes many links to other sites as well as gang identifier information, and parent/teacher resources.
Urban Legends Reference Page from Snopes.com
A useful website that explains whether urban legends and rumors have any validity. Search the website using the term “gang” to discover more about rumors pertaining to gangs.
INFO FOR PROFESSIONALS WORKING WITH YOUTH & TEENS
G.R.E.A.T. - Gang Resistance Education and Training Program
The G.R.E.A.T. program is a school-based, law enforcement officer-instructed classroom curriculum. The program's primary objective is prevention and is intended as an immunization against delinquency, youth violence, and gang membership. G.R.E.A.T. lessons focus on providing life skills to students to help them avoid delinquent behavior and violence to solve problems. Five regional training centers provide training to sworn law enforcement officers to teach the G.R.E.A.T. curriculum in elementary and middle schools across the country.
G.R.I.P.E. - Gang Reduction through Intervention, Prevention, and Education
A program sponsored by the East Coast Gang Investigators Association, Inc. (ECGIA) to educate the communities and those entrusted to work with our youth about gangs. ECGIA supports a threefold anti-gang effort including education, prevention and suppression.
The
National Youth Gang Center
The National Youth Gang Center is administered by
the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention
(OJJDP). The purpose of the NYGC is to assist
policymakers, practitioners, and researchers in
their efforts to reduce youth gang involvement and
crime by contributing information, resources, practical
tools, and expertise towards the development and
implementation of effective gang prevention, intervention,
and suppression strategies. Links to gang
information news articles nationwide and a comprehensive
gang model to reduce youth gang violence. The Frequently
Asked Questions information sheet is
a good place to start.
The
National Crime Prevention Council
The National Crime Prevention Council helps people
keep themselves, their families, and their communities
safe from crime. To achieve this, NCPC produces
tools that communities can use to learn crime prevention
strategies, engage community members, and coordinate
with local agencies.Two examples of gang related
publications include “Youth Gangs: Know the
Facts” and “Straight Talk about Youth
Gangs.”
The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention
OJJDP, a component of the Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice, accomplishes its mission by supporting states, local communities, and tribal jurisdictions in their efforts to develop and implement effective programs for juveniles. Website includes programs and resources primarily for youth workers. Click on “Topics” on the left side menu, then choose “gangs” from among the topic choices to view specific publications, programs, etc.
The Phoenix Curriculum
Features the in-school Prevention Curriculum and the after-school Intervention Curriculum elementary to high school. Includes detailed lesson plans, classroom support materials addressing areas such as gang activity, bullying, peer pressure, substance abuse, anger, aggression, and violence. Gender-specific resources and selected materials in Spanish are provided. Includes how the Phoenix Curriculum corresponds to New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards.
The Ocean County Library has purchased the following films from the Phoenix Curriculum:
Due to fair use/copyright protections, these materials are available for in-house use at the Toms River branch only. Contact Judy Macaluso at 732-349-6200 extension 5201 or Elise Weber at extension 5330 for more information.
The Violence Institute of New Jersey (VINJ) at UMDNJ
A multi-disciplinary center decidated to the study and prevention of violence.See the VINJ’s helpfultip sheet called “Identifying and Responding to Adolescents Who May Harm Others.”
LOCAL/NEW JERSEY RESOURCES ON GANGS
Gang Hotline: 1-877-SGU-NJSP
Ocean County Prosecutors Office: (732) 929-2027
Gangs in New Jersey - a report summarizing results of the 2004 and 2001 New Jersey State Police Gang Survey of municipal law enforcement officials. View full .pdf version here or the individual sections here.
New Jersey Gang-Related Legislation - a list of state-enacted legislation posted by the National Youth Gang Center. For a list of current bills introduced in the state legislature pertaining to gangs, visit the New Jersey State Legislature website. In the “Bill Search” area of the website (on the right side of the page,) enter the word gang in the keyword search field.
The New Jersey State League of Municipalities (NJLM) is “a voluntary association created to help communities do a better job of self-government through pooling information resources and brain power.” The NJLM has offered workshops for community leaders and government officials and regularly provides updates about news and best practices on dealing with gangs.
FICTION FOR TEENS
Autobiography Of My Dead Brother ~Walter Dean Myers
Jesse uses his sketchbook and comic strips to make sense of his home in Harlem and the loss of a close friendship.
Behind the Eyes ~Francisco Stork
Sixteen-year-old Hector is the hope of his family, but when he seeks revenge after his brother's gang-related death and is sent to a San Antonio reform school, it takes an odd assortment of characters to help him see that hope is still alive.
In The Night, On Lanvale Street ~Jane Conley
While helping a stranger solve the murder of a neighbor, thirteen-year-old Charlie and her younger brother are endangered by what they learn about gangs and drugs in the neighborhood.
Kung Fu High School ~Ryan Gattis
Life at hellish "Kung Fu" High School is narrated by Jen B. who, along with her brother, Cue, belongs to one of two gangs still standing against the puppet principal and the tyrant drug kingpin.
Scorpions ~Walter Dean Myers
After reluctantly taking on the leadership of the Harlem gang, the Scorpions, Jamal finds that his enemies treat him with respect when he acquires a gun--until a tragedy occurs.
The Wall On 7th Street ~Diane
Martineau
After learning of his parents' plans to divorce and moving with his mother and sister to a rough urban neighborhood, thirteen-year-old Toby and his new friend, a homeless man, become magically connected to an ancient Iroquois Indian hero and help the community stand up to a violent gang.
Web of Lies ~Beverley Naidoo
Giving in to pressure to join a violent gang in London, twelve-year-old Femi is caught acting as a drug courier and confesses to the police, endangering his family's request for asylum when Femi's gang attempts to kill his family in retaliation.
NON-FICTION FOR TEENS AND ADULTS
Gangs ~Scott Barbour YA 364.1066 Gang
Presents a collection of articles and questions that debate a variety of topics on the subject of gangs.
Inside The Crips: Life Inside L.A.'s Most Notorious Gang ~Colton Simpson B Simp
The personal memoirs of a surviving member of one of Los Angeles's most dangerous gangs describes the home environment that contributed to his gang membership at the age of ten, his violent confrontations with rival gang members from the Bloods, and his incarceration in Calipatria prison.
Monster: The Autobiography of an L.A. Gang Member ~Sanyika Shakura YA B Shak
One of L.A.'s most notorious gang leaders takes readers inside the world of gang wars, recounting his ascension through the gang hierarchy, surviving attacks by rival gangs, and life in prison.
Once A King, Always A King: The Unmaking
Of A Latin King
Having written about the street gang lifestyle in "My Bloody Life," the author describes how hard it is to escape gang life and the lasting damage of physical & mental abuse.
CAUTION: Be aware that entering gang names in an Internet search engine may bring you to a gang’s recruitment site.
This resource guide is funded through a community collaboration of the:
N.J. Office of the Attorney General, NJ Governor’s Council on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse, Ocean County Health Department, Ocean County Library, Ocean County Municipal Alliances, Ocean County Probation/Juvenile Intake, Ocean County Prosecutors Office
Researched and compiled by E.
Weber & J. Macaluso 8.10.2006 with contributions
from C. Goode 1.17.2007.
|
