Functional Family Therapy–Gangs: Adapting an Evidence-Based Program To Reduce Gang Involvement

Gang-involved youth are responsible for a disproportionate share of crime in communities. Successfully tackling gang involvement and associated criminal activities should result in a substantial reduction of crime — including violent crime — in affected neighborhoods. To that end, many programs and strategies have been developed to prevent gang involvement, reduce the criminal activities of gang members, and help individuals disengage from gangs.

Yet gang crime and violence remain pressing problems. It is clear that meaningful inroads on gang-related crime will require, among other initiatives, investments in rigorous research and evaluation studies to identify effective anti-gang programs and strategies that can be readily implemented.