Revisiting the Comprehensive Gang Intervention Model: Implementation, Data, and Program Impact in a Chronic Gang Site

• In Event: Juvenile Gangs in America, Europe, and the Caribbean: Quantitative and Qualitative Research

Abstract

A leading model for addressing gang issues in U.S. communities over the past two decades has been the Comprehensive Gang Model (CGM), also called the Gang Reduction Program (GRP). For all of its supposed utility and its widespread implementation, its effectiveness in “chronic” gang sites has not been convincing. One such site where the CGM was originally piloted in the late 1990’s was San Antonio, Texas. Noticeably absent from the official and published evaluation of program outcomes at this site is an examination of self-reported delinquency, a key indicator of program success at the individual-level. We therefore analyze these data to demonstrate some of the challenges to working with this type of gang data and revisit some of the broader program dynamics at the site. We highlight some of the ongoing challenges in gang program evaluation studies and extract some lessons for future gang interventions in chronic gang cities.

Authors

• Mike Tapia, New Mexico State University

• Carlos Posadas, New Mexico State University