Durbin Hosts Roundtable on Gang Violence

Press Release

Durbin Hosts Roundtable on Gang Violence

Anti-gang legislation approved by the U.S. Senate "creates a crucial balance between enforcement and prevention by providing federal resources for local police and prosecutors to investigate gangs and protect witnesses from retaliation, and by enhancing gang prevention and intervention efforts," United States Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) said at a roundtable discussion in his Chicago office.

"Communities in Illinois and across the country deal with senseless gang violence every day," Durbin said. "The bill we passed in the Senate takes much-needed steps towards addressing the persistent problem of gang violence in our communities."

The Gang Abatement and Prevention Act, passed by the full Senate on September 21, 2007, makes a number of gang activities a federal crime, while increasing penalties for existing crimes and increasing funding for prevention and intervention efforts. The House of Representatives Judiciary Committee is working on their version of an anti-gang bill, which Durbin hopes will include many of the same provisions.

The anti-gang bill includes several Durbin-led initiatives, including funding of over $175 million over five years for gang prevention programs. These resources would go to groups on the front lines who are working to prevent gang involvement and violence. The bill also creates "High Intensity Gang Activity Areas" (HIGAAs) that will be set up by the Attorney General. These HIGAAs would receive special funding to increase law enforcement efforts in the form of new Department of Justice block grants.

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