To determine if your state has gang-related legislation please click onto the link below. The state statutes and municipal laws contained in the above link do nothing to serve the law abiding public if the laws are not applied in a criminal court of law. In many jurisdictions, where gang crime represents a large portion of the court docket, Special Prosecution Units have been established to handle the caseload. These teams of experts, consisting of prosecutors and gang investigators have made great strides in the prosecutions and convictions of individual gang members. In some instances entire gangs have been convicted and dismantled.
Prosecutors encounter many problems when prosecuting gang members.
Too often juveniles, acting on the orders of the gang leader, commit the crimes. Many times, witnesses, through fear or intimidation, are reluctant to provide information and refuse to testify in a court of law.