L ittle V illage G ang V iolence R eduction

Abstract

Gangs and gang violence have plagued American cities for decades. The challenge has been to decide what to do with this growing problem and how to combat gang violence. One approach was to create a comprehensive gang model that focused on a collaborative effort by the community, former gang members, social services agencies, outreach (street) workers, and law enforcement officials to address the gang violence in the neighborhood. The program was called the Little Village Gang Violence Reduction Project, which focused on a small Mexican American community on Chicago's west side where two rival gangs were in constant conflict with one another. The project produced some mixed but favorable results, and since then many other cities have implemented the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Comprehensive Gang Model to help reduce gang violence in their communities.