Better Gang Prevention

Better Gang Prevention

The Gang Prevention and Deterrence Act was presented by Sen. Orrin Hatch and Diane Feinstein in the winter of 2003. The Act stated an increase in funding for the federal prosecutors and FBI agents needed to conduct coordinated enforcement efforts against violent gangs. There are much better alternatives than trying to pass a law that most people will never even hear about, or increasing funding for prosecutors and FBI agents. Creating new gang-prosecution offences will not prevent teens from getting into gangs. Jeralyn Merritt, a criminal defense attorney in Denver, Co. also suggested sports and mentoring programs. We should not just focus on the children and forget about the adults, help those adults that are already gang involved by actually employing them, but under certain guidelines. If there were more options out there, people would be to mentally and physically busy to even consider joining a gang. Gang Prevention and Effective Deterrence Act would not do any good to assist in the fight against gangs.

Increasing funding to various federal organizations is not the way to prevent teens from joining street gangs. If kids have no extracurricular activities, they end up roaming the streets with nothing to do. They eventually start hanging around the wrong types of crowds, eventually ending up using drugs or joining a gang, for protection or just to belong. They are taught that going to jail is not a big deal and most of them already have relatives who are incarcerated anyway, so what's to fear. The largest street gangs like the Almighty Latin Kings Nation and the Imperial Gangster Disciples have already formed branches in every major prison across the United States. So the government thinks these criminals are suffering behind bars, just think of these prisons as a big get-to-gather. So let's try and catch the problem before it happens. Instead of just punishing these kids for choosing the wrong path, let's help guide them down the right road.

Give the kids and teens after-school programs such as sports and mentoring programs. The government should not waste money funding useless laws, instead it should build more boys and girls clubs in the neighborhoods where gangs are likely appearing to organize. Most people who join a gang are just looking for a sense of belonging. These programs will show them they are smart and talented. It is that sense of belonging when they're in an after-school group. They'll be too busy and focused