1993_03 Insight March 1993

              Page 12
March 24,1993
Gangs,
from page 1.
Garza also said many ethnic gangs have formed only to turn a profit by
specializing in the narcotics and drugs they sell. "The drug of choice of black
gangs is predominantly rock cocaine. For Hispanics, it is crystal PCP
[phencyclidine] and for Southeast Asians it is marijuana and PCP."
Detective Richard Lee, also with the Gang Unit, said the weapons Fresno
Police have seized from gang members during arrests are becoming more and
more deadly, compounding the crisis.
"We've confiscated many pistol-grip shotguns, semi-automatic handguns,
.38 caliber pistols, a number of AK-47s and even a couple of grenades," he
said.
The Gang Unit indicated that keeping track of the names of Fresno's gangs
and distinguishing between them, not to mention identifying individual game
members associated with crimes, is an arduous task to say the least.
"The names of gangs and numbers of gang members change so much, it is
hard for us to keep abreast of what is going on," said Lee." It is real hard to keep
any concrete statistics."
Garza added that while it is nearly impossible to give exact figures, he
"guesstimates" at least 3,000 Fresno youths arc involved with gangs currently.
In fact, the only available statistics which provide a clearer picture of
Fresno's swelling gang problem are those reflecting the steady rise in the
number of juvenile arrests (youihs under 18) for felonies commonly associated
with criminal gang activity.
These serious felonies include auto theft, burglary, assault, robbery, and
even, homicide.
According to the Fresno Police Department statistics, in a single year (from
1990 to 1991), the number of reported juvenile arrests for auio theft increased
47 percenu assault 11 percent, robbery 26 percent and homicide 129 percenL
Also in 1991, youihs under the age of 18 were arrested for almost twice as
many auto thefts as adults and 25 percent of total homicides.
Even though many juveniles arrested for felonies are not known gang
members, the Gang Unit said that a substantial number of minors arrested for
felony crimes are frequently involved with gangs.
Law enforcement experts seem to agree that while origins for the mounting
gang problem arc numerous, deficiencies in certain institutions make matters
much worse.
For example, many allege that the sentencing of minors in the juvenile system
is extremely lenient considering the serious crimes committed and that many
juvenile delinquents, even repeat offenders, spend an insignificant amount of
time in FresnoCounty Juvenile Hall or the California You th Authority (CY A),
the state's top-security detention facility for minors.
Consequently, many gang members under 18 serve little or no time for their
crimes and return right back to the same neighborhood and the gangs they
began in.
"No one agency can take the blame for the problems we have today ."Garza
said. "But the system in juvenile hall is very weak."
Lee said that he knows of a kid who has been arrested 11 times for auto theft,
assault on a police officer, and carrying guns who has still not seen CYA.
"Stories like that are a dime a dozen."
XongVue Yang, a deputy probation officer for Fresno County, said that one
15-ycar-old gang member on his case toad is on his seventh time through the
county juvenile system, for crimes such as auto theft and assault with a deadly
weapon, and is just now being sent to CYA for the first time.
Yang added that it often takes multiple offenses by a juvenile in order to even
be considered for incarceration at any level. "Many first time offenders don't
get committed to juvenile hall at all. They just get probation."
Lee said even if a gang member is inc arc era led in juvenile hall or CYA, unless
he committed a serious felony, he or she might not stay very long.
"We've got one kid who could dam well be classified as a career criminal,"
said Lee. "If they send him to CYA, they could do a 90-day diagnostic test on
him, discover he is not fit for CYA^and send him right back to Fresno, where
he could be right out on the streets again on parole or probation."
Lee also said that he often arrests gang members for felony charges, hears
they arc sent to juvenile hall or CYA, only to arrest those same members for
criminals, they should be treated accordingly. In order to change the system,
you need to either tower the age of being a juvenile or adm inistcr more punitive
Minors arrested for criminal acts
■
a
—
JO    600,
■ j
■   1991
□    1990
■s
2  ,
E
z
rs;   ~   ZZ **..*,*.
Source: Fresno Police Department
other felonies months later.
Tom Cruz, supervising parole agent for CYA, said that of all the juveniles
released from CYA, 62 percent will eventually return to CYA or a California
Department of Corrections facility.
"If a gang member is already hard-core, he or she will fantasize about being
back in their gang while in CYA," he said. "Many gang members go straight
back to the same dysfunctional family or neighborhood environment they
started in."
"Chances are if a gang member goes through the system and doesn't see the
light," said Garza, "He or she will come out a harder core gang member."
"The (juvenile) system needs some serious attention," said Wonhington
Vogcl, chief deputy for the District Attorney's juvenile division.   .
"Adult criminals arc in a system that is punitive in nature. In contrast, the
juvenile system treats you very leniently in the beginning and only then
gradually increases to hard punishmcnL By the time many youths get to the
punitive stage, they have already gotten away with loo much.
"It's an outdated concept. Many gang members arc hardened criminals by the
time they get to CYA."
Garza said, "The kid has to realize that when they commit a crime they are
going to do the time. The juvenile system is no longer a deterrenL"
Vogel added, "Once minors arc found to be criminally active and behave like
"The system needs to separate delinquents from criminals."
In addition to shortcomings some believe arc inherent in the system, another
perennial problem is the shortage of housing space for detaining delinquents,
which often results, as Lee said, in Tads getting off easy."
Because of insufficient funding, both the state of California and local
governments are unable to devote funds to the building of new detention
facilities.
Lee said housing considerations for delinquents arrested for property crimes
arc virtually ignored because there arc so many delinquents arrested for more
violent crimes against persons. After housing these juveniles, there is not
enough room to house kids with less serious felonies on cither the state or local
level.
"Are you going to use space in juvenile hall to house a kid for stealing cars
when you have another committing assault or murder?" he said.
However, law enforcement experts claim that ultimately rising gang violence boils down to the absence of parental supervision and discipline in
families themselves, which has allowed young children to become influenced
by older siblings in gangs. It is at this early age many future gang members
begin their criminal behavior.
"I've seen 10-year-old kids writing graffiti in notebooks and a 4-year-old
making hand signs," said Garza.
"I wouldn't blame the gang phenomena of the past five years on the lenient
judicial system as much as I would the family breakdown," he said.
Lee added that when many kids arc not punished in the home nor in the
juvenile system, they will just continue committing the same crimes.
Because of the seemingly impossible task of reforming gang members
already entrenched in criminal activity, law enforcement agencies arc now
concentrating on preventive measures to curb the problem through educating
the public and youngsters about gangs.
For example, Yang said that the county probation department recently
received the C.A.R.E. (Comprehensive Automated Reduction Effort) Grant
from the Office of Criminal Justice Planning.
Although the grant was designed to assist Southeast Asian gang members,
C.A.R.E. funding is also being used to send four probation aids to six local
elementary schools to educate at risk children.
Mike EllioL a one of the probation aids, said, "Basically. I act as sort of a
counsclor-slash-cop. I make weekly contact with at risk kids and tell ihcm the
danger of being in gangs."
Cruz said that he is implementing a new program through CYA called the
"Transfer of Knowledge Workshop." The program will develop a curriculum
for incarcerated fathers to develop parenting skills and dissuade their children
from joining gangs.
"Our aim is to teach fathers how to deal with children and break off this
generational pattern," he said.
The Gang Unit has also held a scries of workshops for educators in the Fresno
Unified School District. In the workshops, teachers and coaches arc taught
how to identify gang warning signs, recognize graffiti, clean marked up walls
and report possible criminal suspects to the police department.
"You're never going to stop gangs completely in the city of Fresno." said
Garza."Wherever you have drugs, you are going to have gangs.
"But, the answer to gang crime is prevention— from the elementary school
to the home itself. The key to solving any problem is prevention."
Lee said that society should not rely upon the juvenile system to do what
parents should be doing all along— disciplining their kids.
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