Welcome to the National Gang Center

The National Gang Center (NGC) is a collaborative effort between the Office of Justice Programs’ (OJP) Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) and the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP).

This partnership recognizes that street gang activities transcend ages of the members and that we must consider strategies ranging from prevention through intervention, suppression, and aftercare to combat them. A balanced, comprehensive approach is needed, the nature of which depends upon the seriousness and scope of the gang problem in any community.

This Web site features the latest information about anti-gang programs and links to a wide range of resources. Among these are the National Youth Gang Center™, operated by OJJDP, with many publications and community resources; the Web site for the Gang Resistance Education And Training (G.R.E.A.T.) Program, administered by BJA in cooperation with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and OJJDP; and the National Gang Threat Assessment recently released by the National Alliance of Gang Investigators Associations.

We’re Merging!

Since 1995, the National Youth Gang Center (NYGC) has been operated by the Institute for Intergovernmental Research (IIR), on behalf of the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP). And, since 2003, IIR has also operated the National Gang Center (NGC), funded and directed by the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA). NYGC has traditionally addressed issues involving younger gang members, emphasizing prevention and intervention strategies and a comprehensive approach to community gang problems. The NGC emphasizes services and products targeting street gang members of all ages and focuses on technical assistance and training primarily designed for law enforcement agencies and officers.

Effective October 1, 2009, the two centers will merge. The resulting National Gang Center will be jointly funded by BJA and OJJDP. The functions of both centers will continue, but the consolidation will leverage resources and result in a single, more efficient entity, responsive to the needs of researchers, practitioners, and the public.

With the merger, a new, comprehensive Web site will be published, containing all the features and resources currently available on the separate NYGC and NGC Web sites. In one location, visitors will be able to access publications, tools, electronic discussion groups, and databases and to request training and technical assistance online.

The Latest From the National Gang Center

The Gang Prosecution Manual (Adobe PDF) is now available.
The National District Attorneys Association has released Civil Gang Injunctions: A Guide for Prosecutors (Adobe PDF).
Guidelines for Establishing and Operating Gang Intelligence Units and Task Forces (Adobe PDF) is now available.
Highlights of the 2007 National Youth Gang Survey (Adobe PDF) is now available in the Surveys & Analysis section.
The National Youth Gang Center is providing updates on evaluations of two programs that address gang activity: the Gang Resistance Education And Training (G.R.E.A.T.) Program and CeaseFire, a Chicago-based violence prevention program. View the summaries of the findings here (Adobe PDF).
Brief Review of Federal and State Definitions of the Terms “Gang,” “Gang Crime,” and “Gang Member” (Adobe PDF) describes current federal law and proposed legislation, as well as current state law.
Gang Issues—July 2008 United States Attorneys’ Bulletin (Adobe PDF)
Call for Gang Article Submissions (Adobe PDF) for the National Gang Center.
Gang-Related Witness Intimidation (Adobe PDF) —Discusses types of intimidation, witness-protection programs, and witness-security strategies.

Notice of Federal Funding and Federal Disclaimer

This Web site is funded through a grant from the Bureau of Justice Assistance, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice. Neither the U.S. Department of Justice nor any of its components operate, control, are responsible for, or necessarily endorse this Web site (including, without limitation, its content, technical infrastructure, and policies, and any services or tools provided).