Drug law Los Angeles Benefitting From Lower Gang Activity
Are gangs finally on the decline? In Southern California, at least, it looks that way. A recent article in Pacific Standard magazine notes that in the past five years, gangs have become significantly less visible throughout the area.
Several years ago, 70 or more people were murdered each year in Santa Ana, often for gang-related reasons; such crimes are processed through the system of criminal law Los Angeles. For 2014, the number or murders stood at just 15.
Drug law Los Angeles is feeling the effects of declining gang activity as well; police have noted a 50-percent decline in gang-related crime since 2008. Academics say the overall shift has happened very quickly, and it’s not just in California.
Gangs by the numbers nationwide
Violent crime is declining across the United States, decreasing by approximately 16 percent between 2008 and 2012 alone. The National Gang Center confirms that the prevalence of gangs is down: They’re in about 30 percent of jurisdictions across the country, compared to 40 percent in the mid-1990s. Prevalence has changed the least in large cities and suburbs, and it has decreased the most in rural counties and small cities.
However, the center notes that a better way to gauge overall gang activity is through total number of gangs and gang members. Currently, about 30,000 gangs with 850,000 members exist in the United States, an increase of about 8 percent in the number of members and 11 percent in the number of gangs compared to five years ago.
Most of the increase is in large cities, the center reports. Along with the decline in prevalence of gangs in rural counties and small cities, the increase in gangs in densely populated areas suggests that gang activities are becoming more concentrated in urban areas.
History of gangs
Gangs in the United States date to at least the 1800s, but they started later in Southern California. Beginning after World War II, the high stakes of drugs have increased the prominence of gangs across the nation.
While the growing concentration of gangs in urban areas is good news for small towns, it will require continued vigilance by law enforcement and citizens to keep related crime under control in large cities. To find a drug attorney or criminal lawyer Los Angeles, please contact the law offices of Lawrence Wolf at (310) 277-1707 for a free consultation.
