S.J.R. 21

1

JOINT RESOLUTION ON COMBATING AND
2 REDUCING GANG ACTIVITY
3 2009 GENERAL SESSION
4 STATE OF UTAH
5 Chief Sponsor: Luz Robles
6 House Sponsor: Ryan D. Wilcox
7
8 LONG TITLE
9 General Description:
10 This joint resolution of the Legislature urges state and local governments to work
11 together to reduce gang activity.
12 Highlighted Provisions:
13 This resolution:
14 . urges state and local governments to take a comprehensive, collaborative, and
15 communitywide approach to combat and reduce gang activity.
16 Special Clauses:
17 None
18
19 Be it resolved by the Legislature of the state of Utah:
20 WHEREAS, the limitless potential of children, youth, and adults is jeopardized when
21 they fall prey to gang recruitment and intimidation;
22 WHEREAS, gang activity jeopardizes the civil rights, safety, and well-being of all
23 members of the community, whether individuals are associated with gangs or not;
24 WHEREAS, gangs become chronic and serious problems in communities where key
25 organizations are inadequately integrated and sufficient resources are not available to target
26 gang-involved youth;
27 WHEREAS, gang activity should be understood as a complex socioeconomic

28 phenomena that requires political and educational approaches as well as cultural awareness,
29 appropriate prevention and intervention, family and community wellness, and gang specialist
30 and police intervention strategies;
31 WHEREAS, the most effective way to address gang violence is through a
32 comprehensive, collaborative, and communitywide approach;
33 WHEREAS, gang activity can be reduced in targeted neighborhoods by incorporating a
34 broad spectrum of research-based interventions to address the range of personal, family, and
35 community factors that contribute to juvenile delinquency and gang activity;
36 WHEREAS, four key concepts for gang prevention and intervention are identifying the
37 needs at the individual, family, and community level and address those needs with a
38 coordinated, comprehensive response; conducting an inventory of human and financial
39 resources in the community and creating plans to fill in gaps in services and leverage existing
40 resources to support effective gang reduction strategies; applying research-based programs
41 across appropriate age ranges, risk factor categories, and agency boundaries; and encouraging
42 coordination and integration of resources at the local, state, and federal levels;
43 WHEREAS, the goal of primary prevention is to focus on the entire population in
44 high-crime, high-risk communities;
45 WHEREAS, the goal of intervention is to focus on active gang members and their close
46 associates to provide a combination of services and opportunities, while holding these groups
47 accountable for their actions;
48 WHEREAS, the goal of suppression is to focus on gang leaders by undertaking
49 aggressive prosecution efforts; and
50 WHEREAS, local, state, and federal resources should be integrated to incorporate
51 state-of-the-art practices in prevention, intervention, and suppression to enhance pro-social
52 influences in the community:
53 NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of the state of Utah
54 strongly urges state and local government agencies, through a comprehensive, collaborative,
55 and communitywide approach, work to reduce gang activity in targeted neighborhoods by
56 incorporating a broad spectrum of research-based interventions to address the range of
57 personal, family, cultural, and community factors that contribute to juvenile delinquency and
58 gang activity.

59 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislature urges communities, civil rights
60 groups, media, elected officials, gang prevention specialists, educational, cultural, and law
61 enforcement organizations, the community, and active gang members to work toward
62 mediating conflict and suppressing gang violence.
63 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislature expresses support for sports, arts,
64 academic, targeted counseling, and employment programs as a means to enhance the future of
65 the community and counter gang recruitment.
66 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this resolution be sent to the Utah League
67 of Cities and Towns, the Utah Association of Counties, the Utah Department of Public Safety,
68 the Utah Commission on Criminal and Juvenile Justice, the Utah State Office of Education,
69 and the Utah Department of Health and Human Services.




Legislative Review Note
as of 2-12-09 9:07 AM

Office of Legislative Research and General Counsel