MISSION STATEMENT
The mission of the Mayor's Anti-Gang Office is to assist youth, young adults, families, and communities in the prevention of gang involvement and juvenile delinquency through partnerships with service organizations, law enforcement and criminal justice agencies, schools, and the general public.

 

OVERVIEW OF THE OFFICE
A division of the Department of Neighborhoods, the Anti-Gang Office develops and implements programs that provide case management, counseling, court based-assessment, gang education and awareness training, job readiness training, truancy reduction, victims' assistance, and information and referrals.

 

The office operates under the premise that gang activity is best addressed through three strategies: prevention, intervention and suppression. Prevention and intervention are offered by service organizations, with suppression addressed by law enforcement and criminal justice agencies.

 

• Prevention: Educating youth on the dangers and consequences of gang membership before they become involved. Educating parents, teachers, and service professionals on how to recognize and address gang involvement. Educating community residents on how to identify and report gang activity in their neighborhoods.
• Intervention: Providing assistance and opportunities for gang involved youth and their families once the youth has made the decision to leave the gang lifestyle behind.
• Suppression: Conducting law enforcement initiatives to target, arrest, and incarcerate gang members who perpetrate crime.

 

Acknowledgement, awareness, and education are critical to the prevention of gang involvement, juvenile delinquency, and victimization in our city. The ability to keep our youth safe relies on the accuracy of information and training about the nature and scope of the issues that threaten them.

The staff of the Mayor's Anti-Gang Office encourages you to become part of the solution towards preventing juvenile delinquency and gang involvement in the City of Houston.

 

 

Understanding Gang Involvement

Gang members are all ethnicities, both male and female, and of all socio-economic backgrounds. Many come from homes with little or no supervision or parental involvement. They are often low academic performers, truants, and cause disciplinary issues at home and school. They tend to have low self-esteem, and are usually indifferent, aggressive, angry, and apathetic because they feel hopeless.

 

 

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