line Summary and Conclusions

An estimated 4,712 cities and counties, more than half of all respondents, reported active youth gangs in 1997.

The 1997 National Youth Gang Survey was the third annual survey administered by the National Youth Gang Center. Almost 5,000 law enforcement agencies throughout the United States were surveyed, representing the largest national gang survey to date. The majority of survey recipients were part of a statistically representative sample that allowed the data to be extrapolated for the Nation as a whole. The 1997 survey used the same sample as the 1996 survey, allowing both comparative and trend analysis. The data collected from these surveys provide valuable information about the extent of the youth gang problem in the United States.

The findings of the 1997 National Youth Gang Survey are summarized below:

  • An estimated 4,712 cities and counties, more than half (51 percent) of all respondents, reported active youth gangs in 1997. This represents a small decrease from 1996, when an estimated 4,824 cities and counties, 53 percent of all respondents, reported active youth gangs. Moreover, small decreases between 1996 and 1997 in the percentage of respondents reporting gangs were found for each area type. Although all of these decreases were small, large cities showed the largest decrease. Large cities continued to have the highest percentage (72 percent) of jurisdictions with active youth gangs, followed by suburban counties (56 percent), small cities (33 percent), and rural counties (24 percent).

  • The prevalence of gangs varied considerably by region. The percentage of jurisdictions reporting active youth gangs ranged from 74 percent in the West to 31 percent in the Northeast.

  • Population also greatly affected the prevalence of active youth gangs in 1997. For all area types, the percentage of jurisdictions with active youth gangs increased as population increased.

  • The estimated number of youth gangs and gang members also decreased between 1996 and 1997. In 1997, an estimated 30,500 youth gangs and 815,896 gang members were active in the United States, compared with an estimated 31,818 youth gangs and 846,428 gang members in 1996. Despite these decreases in the overall number of youth gangs and gang members, the estimated number of youth gangs in small cities increased substantially (20.5 percent) between 1996 and 1997. In addition, the estimated number of youth gang members increased by 38.5 percent in rural counties and 5.7 percent in small cities.

  • The average number of youth gangs and gang members per jurisdiction increased as population increased in both 1996 and 1997. For cities and counties with populations of 1-9,999, there was considerable growth (percentage-wise) between the relatively low numbers of gangs and gang members reported in 1996 and the low numbers, compared with other population ranges, reported in 1997 (please refer back to table 12 in the text). However, the growth of the gang problem in these less populated areas is cause for concern and deserves further attention. Most population ranges, however, showed a decrease.

Nationwide, gang migration increased between 1996 and 1997.

  • An estimated 3,341 member-based youth gang homicides were committed in the United States in 1997, of which 1,880 were motive-based. Large cities accounted for almost two-thirds of the total estimated number of member-based homicides and nearly three-quarters of the motive-based homicides.

  • The crimes respondents most frequently reported as having a high degree of gang member involvement were aggravated assault and larceny/theft (28 percent), followed by motor vehicle theft (27 percent), burglary (26 percent), and robbery (13 percent). However, gang member involvement in all of the above crimes decreased between 1996 and 1997 .

  • Approximately 42 percent of the youth gangs in the United States were involved in the street sale of drugs for the purpose of generating profits for the gang. The average percentage of youth gangs involved in the street sale of drugs was higher in large cities and suburban counties than in small cities and rural counties. Regionally, the average percentages ranged from 50 percent in the Northeast to 30 percent in the West. The percentage of youth gangs involved in the street sale of drugs also varied directly with population.

  • Approximately 33 percent of youth gangs in the country were estimated to be involved in drug distribution for the purpose of generating profits for the gang. The average percentage of youth gangs involved in drug distribution was highest in large cities (31 percent), followed by suburban counties (29 percent), rural counties (29 percent), and small cities (25 percent). Additionally, youth gangs involved in drug distribution were most prevalent in the Midwest (35 percent) and least prevalent in the West (21 percent). Population size had little effect on the percentage of youth gangs involved in drug distribution.

  • Respondents estimated that, nationwide, youth gang members were responsible for 33 percent of crack cocaine sales, 32 percent of marijuana sales, 16 percent of powder cocaine sales, 12 percent of methamphetamine sales, and 9 percent of heroin sales. The average percentages of crack cocaine and heroin sales varied significantly between area types and were highest in large cities and suburban counties. Additionally, sales of crack cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamine by youth gang members varied significantly by region. Crack cocaine sales were most prevalent in the Midwest (38 percent), heroin sales were most prevalent in the Northeast (15 percent), and methamphetamine sales were most prevalent in the West (21 percent).

Despite the slight decrease in gang activity between 1996 and 1997, most respondents felt that the gang problem in their jurisdictions in 1997 was staying about the same.

  • Nationwide, gang migration increased between 1996 and 1997. Eighty-nine percent of respondents indicated that they experienced some gang migration into their jurisdictions during 1997, up from 84 percent in 1996. In addition, approximately 23 percent of youth gang members in the country were estimated to be migrants in 1997, up from 21 percent in 1996. In both years, the average percentage of youth gang migrants was highest in small cities and jurisdictions in the Midwest.

  • The vast majority (70 percent) of respondents cited social factors as reasons why youth gang members migrated to their jurisdictions. Establishing drug markets was the second most cited reason (15 percent), followed by avoiding law enforcement crackdowns (14 percent), participating in illegal ventures other than those related to drugs (12 percent), getting away from the gang life (9 percent), and other reasons (6 percent).

  • Approximately two-thirds of respondents indicated that their agencies had some type of specialized response unit to address their gang problem. Thirty-five percent reported having a youth/street gang unit or officer(s), 18 percent said they had a gang prevention unit or officer(s), and 29 percent indicated they had a unit that combined both types of response. Large cities and jurisdictions in the West were the most likely to have a specialized response unit. In addition, the prevalence of specialized response units increased as population increased.

  • Despite the slight decrease in gang activity between 1996 and 1997, most respondents (45 percent) felt that the gang problem in their jurisdictions in 1997 was staying about the same, 35 percent indicated it was getting worse, and 20 percent felt it was getting better. In contrast, 49 percent of respondents to the 1995 survey believed that their problem was getting worse, 41 percent said it was staying about the same, and 10 percent reported it was getting better. Most suburban and rural county respondents (43 percent) to the 1997 survey felt their youth gang problem was getting worse. Regionally, respondents in the South believed their gang problem worsened in 1997.

The National Youth Gang Center will continue to analyze these data, and subsequent surveys will gather additional information in areas that require further examination. Other researchers also will have access to the NYGC database for analysis.

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1997 National Youth Gang Survey   December 1999