S.J.R. 2 Enrolled

1

JOINT RESOLUTION ON COMBATING AND
2 REDUCING GANG ACTIVITY
3 2010 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 combat and 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; and
16 . acknowledges sports, arts, academic, targeted counseling, and employment
17 programs as a means to counter gang recruitment.
18 Special Clauses:
19 None
20
21 Be it resolved by the Legislature of the state of Utah:
22 WHEREAS, the limitless potential of children, youth, and adults is jeopardized when
23 they fall prey to gang recruitment and intimidation;
24 WHEREAS, gang activity jeopardizes the civil rights, safety, and well-being of all
25 members of the community, whether individuals are associated with gangs or not;
26 WHEREAS, gangs become chronic and serious problems in communities where key
27 organizations are inadequately integrated and not available to target gang-involved youth;
28 WHEREAS, gang activity should be understood as a complex socioeconomic
29 phenomena that requires political and educational approaches as well as cultural awareness,

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

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