The best approach is the Scottish Public Health approach. It uses proactive policing as a vehicle for early intervention and then focuses everything on Youth Reform. There are a number of things that helped it to work- social workers, housing, the provision of youth clubs and diversion- but the key element was getting buy-in from employers in blue collar type work, to offer economic opportunities to demoralised and wayward youth.
But the key is to not back off or defund proactive policing- you simply need to change everything which happens from that initial point of contact with police onwards. The other thing which is worth considering is short sentences for gang grooming (up to 90 days, with contributing to delinquency the standard). Although the Norwegians have been quite cagey about publishing definitive figures, they have at least admitted that their reform model doesn't work anywhere near as well with gang involvement.
In general though you need to reduce sentencing for drug dealing- down to about 18 to 24 months as a disruption strategy (instead of 71 months as an average), with longer sentences for those at risk of escalating to violent behaviour. The reason for this are simple- by handing out harsh sentences for drug dealing in an unregulated market, you are effectively increasing the number of slots or speed of a conveyor belt of corruption. An unregulated market always gets filled.
90 days for gang grooming is apt, because it deprives drug dealers of around $90K of income for utilising kids as runners, spotters or cut-outs.
The best approach is the Scottish Public Health approach. It uses proactive policing as a vehicle for early intervention and then focuses everything on Youth Reform. There are a number of things that helped it to work- social workers, housing, the provision of youth clubs and diversion- but the key element was getting buy-in from employers in blue collar type work, to offer economic opportunities to demoralised and wayward youth.
But the key is to not back off or defund proactive policing- you simply need to change everything which happens from that initial point of contact with police onwards. The other thing which is worth considering is short sentences for gang grooming (up to 90 days, with contributing to delinquency the standard). Although the Norwegians have been quite cagey about publishing definitive figures, they have at least admitted that their reform model doesn't work anywhere near as well with gang involvement.
In general though you need to reduce sentencing for drug dealing- down to about 18 to 24 months as a disruption strategy (instead of 71 months as an average), with longer sentences for those at risk of escalating to violent behaviour. The reason for this are simple- by handing out harsh sentences for drug dealing in an unregulated market, you are effectively increasing the number of slots or speed of a conveyor belt of corruption. An unregulated market always gets filled.
90 days for gang grooming is apt, because it deprives drug dealers of around $90K of income for utilising kids as runners, spotters or cut-outs.