Civil Gang Abatement: The Effectiveness and Implications of Policing by Injunction (Criminal Justice (Lfb Scholarly Publishing Llc).)

300 Pages·2004·1.36 MB·English

by  Edward L. Allan

Criminal Justice
Recent Scholarship

Edited by
Marilyn McShane and Frank P. Williams III

A Series from LFB Scholarly
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Civil Gang Abatement
The Effectiveness and Implications of
Policing by Injunction

Edward L. Allan

LFB Scholarly Publishing LLC
New York 2004
Copyright © 2004 by LFB Scholarly Publishing LLC

All rights reserved.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Allan, Edward L., 1948-
Civil gang abatement : the effectiveness and implications of policing
by injunction / Edward L. Allan.
p. cm. -- (Criminal justice)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 1-59332-041-8 (alk. paper)
1. Gangs--United States. 2. Organized crime--United States. 3.
Injunctions--United States. 4. Nuisances--United States. I. Title. II.
Series: Criminal justice (LFB Scholarly Publishing LLC)
KF9375.A94 2004
345.73'02--dc22

2004011081

ISBN 1-59332-041-8

Printed on acid-free 250-year-life paper.

Manufactured in the United States of America.
Table of Contents

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS.............................................................vii
CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION........................................................1
Conditions in a Gang Injunction Target Area..............................5
Research Design. ......................................................................10
Overview of the Study...............................................................18
CHAPTER II: THEORETICAL PERSPECTIVES..........................21
"Broken Windows" Theory........................................................21
The Problem-Oriented Perspective............................................26
Theoretical Perspectives on Gangs............................................35
CHAPTER III: LEGAL PERSPECTIVES.......................................43
The Expressive Function of Law...............................................43
Constitutional Problems in Public Order Laws..........................47
The Criminal / Civil Law Distinction........................................50
Public Nuisance Law.................................................................53
The Preventive Injunction..........................................................56
CHAPTER IV: THE GANG INJUNCTION...................................63
The Emergence of the Gang Injunction.....................................63
Case Law. .................................................................................67
The Gang Injunction Process.....................................................76
CHAPTER V: THE DIMENSION OF FLEXIBLITY.....................97
Analysis of Descriptive Variables.............................................99
Analysis of Situational Characteristics....................................122
Unpursued Injunction Initiatives..............................................192
CHAPTER VI: THE DIMENSION OF COMMUNITY
INVOLVEMENT...........................................................................197
Analysis of Community Involvement......................................202
Reasons for the Lack of Participation......................................224
A Model for Community Involvement....................................233
CHAPTER VII: POLICY IMPLICATIONS. ................................239
Future Research.......................................................................243
APPENDICES................................................................................245
Appendix A – Injunction List..................................................245
Appendix B – Behavioral Index..............................................246
Appendix C – Assignment of Categories.................................248
ENDNOTES...................................................................................249
REFERENCES...............................................................................265
INDEX............................................................................................287
v
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Acknowledgements

This book would not be possible without the contributions of the
county and city prosecutors who generously shared their experiences in
seeking to acquire civil injunctions against gangs. Their dedication to
the concept of civil gang abatement and their work to resurrect some of
the most dangerous neighborhoods of California is to be commended.

I would also like to thank James R. Acker, Stephen L. Wasby, Robert
E. Worden, Alissa P. Worden, and David E. Duffee of the State
University of New York at Albany for their assistance in making this
book possible.

Grant No. 2000-IJ-CX-0018, awarded by the National Institute of
Justice, Office of Justice Programs, United States Department of
Justice, supported the research for this book. Points of view in this
document are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the
official position or policies of the United States Department of Justice.
vii
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CHAPTER I

Introduction

There is something terribly wrong in Oakwood.
This charming enclave hard by the Pacific Ocean was
once the spiritual embodiment of the California Dream…From
the break of dawn when the first rays freckled the
neighborhood with flickering promises of warmth and renewal
until dusk when the glowing ember of the sun stole silently
beneath the waves, sunshine blessed Oakwood with a spirit of
fun and conviviality, beckoning people from their homes and
into the streets, parks, playgrounds and beaches where they
could bask in its radiant splendor and celebrate their lives and
those of their children.
The sun no longer shines on Oakwood.
It has been blotted out by a poisonous mist of drugs and
violence that has choked off the community spirit and left its
residents nervous and fearful. Streets that once resonated with
the laughter of children now stand vacant and eerily mute but
for the occasional gunshot and the steady rumble of traffic
cruising through to score rock cocaine. Neighbors who once
strolled the streets now hole themselves up in their homes,
afraid to venture out after dusk lest they stumble into a pack of
drug dealers or fall victim to a drive-by shooting.
Camaraderie and goodwill have been replaced by suspicion
and fear. The Oakwood of friendly neighbors, safe streets,
parks, and playgrounds – the very spirit of the community –
has been dashed rudely asunder and left to shrivel and rot in
the mid-day sun. The charm of their neighborhood is now but
a faint memory, a memory that many still conjure as they stare
silently at the melancholy walls of their barred homes. The
good people of Oakwood rarely see the sun anymore, because
they stay inside (People v. Venice Shoreline Crips Gang,
Memorandum of Points and Authorities in Support of Motion
for Preliminary Injunction 1999).
1