DOI: 10.3886/icpsr02753.v1
title: Evaluating Anti-Gang Legislation and Gang Prosecution Units in Clark and Washoe Counties, Nevada, 1989-1995
title: Version 1

description: In response to several high profile, violent crimes by
 minority males, which were reported by law enforcement officials as
 being gang-related, Nevada lawmakers enacted an array of anti-gang
 legislation, much of it drafted by law enforcement personnel. This
 study attempted to provide answers to the following research
 questions: (1) How often and under what specific conditions were the
 various anti-gang statutes used in the prosecution of gang members?
 (2) How had the passage of anti-gang statutes and the development of
 the gang prosecution units influenced the use of more conventional
 charging practices related to gang cases? and (3) Did specialized gang
 prosecution produce higher rates of convictions, more prison
 sentences, and longer prison terms for gang offenders? Court
 monitoring data were collected from both Clark and Washoe counties to
 document the actual extent and nature of gang crime in both
 jurisdictions over several years. Variables include the year of the
 court case, whether the defendant was a gang member, total number of
 initial charges, whether all charges were dismissed before trial,
 whether the defendant was convicted of any charge, the length of the
 prison sentence imposed, whether the defendant was charged with a gang
 enhancement statute, and whether the defendant was charged with
 murder, sexual assault, robbery, kidnapping, burglary, auto theft,
 larceny, a drug offense, a weapon offense, or assault. Demographic
variables include the race, sex, and age of the defendant.
description: This project was an evaluation of one state's
 response to street gangs. During the late 1980s and early 1990s, the
 two major cities in Nevada -- Las Vegas (Clark County) and Reno
 (Washoe County) -- experienced what could be characterized as a "gang
 panic." In response to several high profile, violent crimes by
 minority males, which were reported by law enforcement officials as
 being gang-related, Nevada lawmakers enacted an array of anti-gang
 legislation, much of it drafted by law enforcement personnel. Police
 gang units were created or augmented and tough suppression strategies
 were employed. Special prosecutorial units were developed within
 district attorneys' offices to prosecute gang crimes more effectively,
 with higher conviction rates and more severe sanctions for gang
 members who commit crimes. This study attempted to provide answers to
 the following research questions: (1) How often and under what
 specific conditions were the various anti-gang statutes used in the
 prosecution of gang members? (2) How had the passage of anti-gang
 statutes and the development of the gang prosecution units influenced
 the use of more conventional charging practices related to gang cases?
 and (3) Did specialized gang prosecution produce higher rates of
 convictions, more prison sentences, and longer prison terms for gang
offenders?
description: Court monitoring data were collected from both
 Clark and Washoe counties to document the actual extent and nature of
gang crime in both jurisdictions over several years.
description: Variables include the year of the court case,
 whether the defendant was a gang member, total number of initial
 charges, whether all charges were dismissed before trial, whether the
 defendant was convicted of any charge, the length of the prison
 sentence imposed, whether the defendant was charged with a gang
 enhancement statute, and whether the defendant was charged with
 murder, sexual assault, robbery, kidnapping, burglary, auto theft,
 larceny, a drug offense, a weapon offense, or assault. Demographic
variables include the race, sex, and age of the defendant.
description: Response Rates: Not applicable.
description: Presence of Common Scales: None.
description: Datasets: 
DS1: Evaluating Anti-Gang Legislation and Gang Prosecution Units in Clark and Washoe Counties, Nevada, 1989-1995
description: All court cases in Clark and Washoe counties, Nevada,
between 1989 and 1995.
description: (1) No other data from this grant were submitted to
 ICPSR. (2) The user guide and codebook are provided by ICPSR as a
 Portable Document Format (PDF) file. The PDF file format was developed
 by Adobe Systems Incorporated and can be accessed using PDF reader
 software, such as the Adobe Acrobat Reader. Information on how to
 obtain a copy of the Acrobat Reader is provided on the ICPSR Web
site.