S.J.R. 2

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 Committee Note:
10 The Judiciary, Law Enforcement, and Criminal Justice Interim Committee
11 recommended this bill.
12 General Description:
13 This joint resolution of the Legislature urges state and local governments to work
14 together to combat and reduce gang activity.
15 Highlighted Provisions:
16 This resolution:
17 . urges state and local governments to take a comprehensive, collaborative, and
18 communitywide approach to combat and reduce gang activity; and
19 . expresses support for sports, arts, academic, targeted counseling, and employment
20 programs to counter gang recruitment.
21 Special Clauses:
22 None
23
24 Be it resolved by the Legislature of the state of Utah:
25 WHEREAS, the limitless potential of children, youth, and adults is jeopardized when
26 they fall prey to gang recruitment and intimidation;
27 WHEREAS, gang activity jeopardizes the civil rights, safety, and well-being of all

28 members of the community, whether individuals are associated with gangs or not;
29 WHEREAS, gangs become chronic and serious problems in communities where key
30 organizations are inadequately integrated and sufficient resources are not available to target
31 gang-involved youth;
32 WHEREAS, gang activity should be understood as a complex socioeconomic
33 phenomena that requires political and educational approaches as well as cultural awareness,
34 appropriate prevention and intervention, family and community wellness, and gang specialist
35 and police intervention strategies;
36 WHEREAS, the most effective way to address gang violence is through a
37 comprehensive, collaborative, and communitywide approach;
38 WHEREAS, gang activity can be reduced in targeted neighborhoods by incorporating a
39 broad spectrum of research-based interventions to address the range of personal, family, and
40 community factors that contribute to juvenile delinquency and gang activity;
41 WHEREAS, four key concepts for gang prevention and intervention are identifying the
42 needs at the individual, family, and community level and addressing those needs with a
43 coordinated, comprehensive response; conducting an inventory of human and financial
44 resources in the community and creating plans to fill in gaps in services and leveraging existing
45 resources to support effective gang reduction strategies; applying research-based programs
46 across appropriate age ranges, risk factor categories, and agency boundaries; and encouraging
47 coordination and integration of resources at the local, state, and federal levels;
48 WHEREAS, the goal of primary prevention is to focus on the entire population and
49 high-crime, high-risk communities;
50 WHEREAS, the goal of intervention is to focus on active gang members and their close
51 associates to provide a combination of services and opportunities, while holding these groups
52 accountable for their actions;
53 WHEREAS, the goal of suppression is to focus on gang leaders by undertaking
54 aggressive prosecution efforts; and
55 WHEREAS, local, state, and federal resources should be integrated to incorporate
56 state-of-the-art practices in prevention, intervention, and suppression to enhance pro-social
57 influences in the community:
58 NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of the state of Utah

59 strongly urges state and local government agencies, through a comprehensive, collaborative,
60 and communitywide approach, to work to reduce gang activity in targeted neighborhoods by
61 incorporating a broad spectrum of research-based interventions to address the range of
62 personal, family, cultural, and community factors that contribute to juvenile delinquency and
63 gang activity.
64 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislature urges communities, civil rights
65 groups, media, elected officials, gang prevention specialists, educational, cultural, and law
66 enforcement organizations, the community, and active gang members to work towards
67 mediating conflict and suppressing gang violence.
68 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislature expresses support for sports, arts,
69 academic, targeted counseling, and employment programs as a means to enhance the future of
70 the community and counter gang recruitment.
71 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this resolution be sent to the Utah League
72 of Cities and Towns, the Utah Association of Counties, the Utah Department of Public Safety,
73 the Utah Commission on Criminal and Juvenile Justice, the Utah State Office of Education,
74 and the Utah Department of Health and Human Services.




Legislative Review Note
as of 11-19-09 8:27 AM

Office of Legislative Research and General Counsel