Civil gang abatement is an innovative remedy employing civil injunctions to combat public nuisance activity by gangs. This strategy has been promoted as a problem-oriented response to gang problems. Allan examines whether the process of acquiring a "gang injunction" incorporates the primary dimensions of problem-oriented responses: flexibility and community involvement. Flexibility is evident in the even distribution of initiatives among three categories: high-drug, high-crime, and high-disorder. Evidence of community involvement is weak, due to the lack of community organizations in gang-plagued neighborhoods, the low-profile nature of the initiatives, and the potential for retaliation against participants. Although the expectation for community involvement in gang injunction initiatives should be tempered, civil gang abatement is an appropriate approach to neighborhood gang problems.

As gang violence continues to rise across the country and the world, police departments, prosecutors, and community members are seeking new methods to reduce the spread of gang-related criminal activity. Civil gang injunctions have become a growing feature of crime control programs in several states across the nation. Gang Injunctions and Abatement: Using Civil Remedies to Curb Gang-Related Crimes examines the effectiveness of this strategy and explores the accompanying constitutional controversies related to freedom of speech, assembly, and other rights. Questions raised by this thought-provoking volume include: What are the costs of gang violence to society? Do civil remedies curb violence in the communities where they are implemented? What factors make a given injunction or abatement more or less effective? What legal and policy issues stand in the way of gang injunctions and abatement? Providing step-by-step instructions on how to establish a successful injunction and abatement program, the book presents comprehensive research on the theoretical basis for the strategy. It includes a legal and chronological progression of actual cases and their outcomes, describing weaknesses and successes in various programs. Supplying succinct guidelines from lessons learned, the book enables prosecutors, police agencies, and the public to take steps toward eradicating gang activities in their communities.

This statutory guidance on injunctions to prevent gang-related violence draws on the experience and knowledge of the police service, local authorities and a wide range of local partners involved in dealing with violent gangs. It has been developed and approved by partners across the Criminal Justice System, as well as local practitioners. It has been produced after consultation with the Lord Chief Justice and the Master of the Rolls, and has been laid before Parliament by the Home Secretary. The Policing and Crime Act 2009 contains provision for injunctions to prevent gang-related violence to be sought against an individual; these were commenced in January 2011. The Crime and Security Act 2010 contains provisions for breach of an injunction to be enforced against 14 to 17 year olds; these will be commenced in January 2012.