A guide to provide law 

enforcement leaders with 

an overview of the OJJDP 

Comprehensive Gang Model—

a framework for addressing youth 

gang problems

 

A Law Enforcement 

Official’s Guide to the

OJJDP 

Comprehensive 

Gang Model
OJJDP Comprehensive Gang Model

The OJJDP Comprehensive Gang Model is an evidencebased framework for the coordination of multiple datadriven, anti-gang and violence-reduction strategies to 

address serious, violent, and entrenched youth street 

gang problems. The Model combines prevention, 

intervention, and suppression tactics that reach beyond 

enforcement to address the root causes of criminal gang 

activity within a community. This framework provides 

a mechanism to pull together disjointed, fragmented 

approaches into an organized plan of action.

In 1987, the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency 

Prevention (OJJDP) began supporting a research project 

to design a comprehensive approach for reducing and 

preventing youth gang violence. Directed by Dr. Irving 

Spergel at the University of Chicago, this project resulted in 

the development of the Spergel Model of Gang Intervention 

and Suppression, later renamed the OJJDP Comprehensive 

Gang Model.

INTRODUCTION

Implementation is guided by a Steering Committee 

made up of decision makers from local agencies and 

organizations that hold responsibility for addressing 

a community’s gang problem. The Model facilitates 

community involvement and uses a multidisciplinary 

team, along with street outreach, to directly intervene 

with those gang-involved youth and young adults most 

likely to be involved in violent gang-related behaviors. 

Suppression strategies are focused on addressing the 

most serious crime problems, including violence.

The OJJDP Comprehensive Gang Model provides a response 

to gangs on multiple levels that works by coordinating 

strategies among sectors such as law enforcement, 

education, criminal justice, social services, communitybased agencies, outreach programs, and grassroots 

community groups. The Model has been tested with more 

than 20 years of implementation experience in communities 

large and small and has shown positive results in reducing 

serious gang-related crimes in affected communities. 

PROVEN SUCCESS

» Acknowledge the Problem—if denial is present, it must be confronted 

» Establish a Steering Committee—made up of decision makers from agencies and 

organizations that have responsibility for addressing the gang problem

» Conduct a Thorough Assessment—that specifically defines the problem, offenders, and 

locations 

» Design a Strategic Plan—based on the assessment findings

» Define Relevant Services and Activities—for key agencies

» Establish a Multidisciplinary Intervention Team—to serve as the primary service delivery 

strategy targeting gang-involved youth 

» Plan for Ongoing Assessment and Long-Term Sustainability

Five Core Strategies

Community Mobilization—

community engagement and 

collaboration

Social Intervention—outreach and 

access to provision of services for 

gang-involved youth and their families

Organizational Change and 

Development—development of 

policy for effective use of resources

Opportunities Provision—education, 

training, and employment programs 

Suppression—community policing 

with formal and informal social 

controls and accountability measures

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Essential Elements in Implementing the Model

Comprehensive Gang Model 

Administrative Structure

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
» Encourages communitywide 

acknowledgement of the gang problem.

» Spreads responsibility and accountability for 

the gang problem across the community—it 

is no longer solely a law enforcement issue.

» Connects a wide array of resources into an 

organized system of mutually reinforcing 

strategies

» Supports community-oriented policing 

efforts by fostering partnership, improving 

community safety, and reducing fear. 

» Provides a comprehensive assessment 

that helps focus limited law enforcement 

resources based on intelligence analysis.

ADVANTAGES 

FOR LAW 

ENFORCEMENT

Law Enforcement’s Role

COLLABORATION

Law enforcement plays a critical role in addressing gang problems; however, 

it is important to understand that enforcement alone will never stem the flow 

of youth gang involvement. A community simply cannot arrest its way out 

of serious, violent, and entrenched youth gang problems. Law enforcement 

agencies must collaborate with citizens and organizations to implement 

strategies that address both the immediate threat of youth gangs and the 

conditions that allow them to exist. The OJJDP Comprehensive Gang Model 

provides a structure to guide this process.

Implementing the Model requires a commitment of resources by local, state, and federal law enforcement 

agencies serving an impacted community. Law enforcement officials should commit to taking on a leadership 

role in implementing the Model within their community. Examples of this commitment may include:

AGENCY COMMITMENT

» A personal commitment by the law enforcement 

agency head to serve on a Steering Committee that 

drives the process.

» Potentially serving as the project’s lead agency 

(providing fiscal management and administrative 

support).

» Providing data and analysis to support the initial 

local assessment and ongoing evaluation.

» Providing law enforcement resources to carry 

out suppression activities (investigation and 

enforcement).

» Establishment of a multiagency gang task force. 

» Committing personnel to participate in a 

multidisciplinary Intervention Team.

» Conducting prevention and education programs.

» Supporting community mobilization activities.

GETTING STARTED

Law enforcement agencies should take a leadership 

role in bringing a solution for youth gang problems that 

impact their communities. A chief of police, sheriff, or 

director can help introduce the OJJDP Comprehensive 

Gang Model by taking the following initial steps:

» Visit the National Gang Center’s Web site at https://www.nationalgangcenter.gov/

Comprehensive-Gang-Model to access the following resources:

• OJJDP Comprehensive Gang Model Online Overview

• OJJDP Comprehensive Gang Model Assessment Guide

• OJJDP Comprehensive Model Implementation Manual

» Lead the effort to form a preliminary Steering Committee, consisting of local agency 

heads and decision makers, to review and evaluate the Model.

» Begin an assessment of the youth gang problem following the OJJDP Gang Model 

Assessment Guide.
FAQs

Does the Model work for all types of gang 

problems? 

While many of the strategies contained within the OJJDP 

Comprehensive Gang Model may be effective for a broad 

range of gang problems, the Model is specifically designed 

to address serious, violent, and entrenched youth and young 

adult gang problems.

Our law enforcement agency is 

committed to Community Oriented 

Policing, Problem Oriented Policing, 

or Intelligence-Led Policing. Is this Model 

compatible with these philosophies?

Yes! In fact, the OJJDP Comprehensive Gang Model requires 

that law enforcement agencies develop collaborative 

partnerships with service agencies and the community; 

conduct methodical problem assessment, analysis, and 

response planning; and focus law enforcement resources 

based on intelligence analysis. 

What advantages does the Model hold 

over other gang reduction strategies and 

initiatives?

In a word, it is comprehensive. The Model combines 

prevention, intervention, and suppression strategies to 

reach beyond enforcement to address the root causes of 

criminal gang activity within a community. The Model 

spreads responsibility and accountability for resolving the 

gang problem throughout the community and among its 

service providers—the gang problem is no longer solely a law 

enforcement problem. 

How will the Model work with other 

programs and services already 

established within the community?

During the assessment process, your community should 

identify existing programs and services, as well as gaps 

in existing resources. The Model recommends engaging 

existing programs and services that have been proven to 

work with gang members, rather than duplicating them. 

Cost will vary depending on the size and scope of the 

youth gang problem. Some communities may already have 

the resources necessary to conduct an assessment and 

implement elements of the Model. Other communities may 

need to seek financial assistance with the cost of conducting 

an assessment, hiring program staff, and implementing 

strategies. 

How much does it cost to implement the 

Model?

Often, stakeholders search for quick fixes to address an 

outbreak in gang violence. Although the Model can 

and should be implemented alongside more immediate 

responses, it is not a quick fix. It is important for stakeholders 

to understand that proper assessment and planning are 

essential and will take time. For example, depending on the 

availability of data and research personnel, the assessment 

process can take from 3 to 12 months. 

How long does it take to implement the 

Model?

The National Gang Center provides technical assistance 

and resources to support the OJJDP Comprehensive 

Gang Model. For more information, please contact us at 

 or visit our Web 

site at 

information@nationalgangcenter.gov

www.nationalgangcenter.gov.

For More Information

 

OJJDP 

Comprehensive 

Gang Model

This project was supported by Cooperative Agreement No. 2014-MU-MU-K011, awarded by the Office of Juvenile Justice and 

Delinquency Prevention, Office of Justice Programs. The opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this 

publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the U.S. Department of Justice.