Gang Deconstruction

Brief Review of State Definitions of Gang
National Gang Center Page 7 of 34 December 2016
DEFINITION OF “GANG” BY STATE
STATE TERM(S) GROUPING NUMBER FORMALITY PURPOSE OR ACTIVITY IDENTIFIERS
Alabama
§ 13A-6-26
Alaska
§ 11.81.900
Arizona
§ 13-105
Arkansas
§ 5-74-103
California
Penal Code
§ 186.22
Colorado
§ 18-23-101
Connecticut
§ 29-7n
Delaware
11 Del. C.
§ 616
Street gang Combination,
confederation,
alliance,
network,
conspiracy,
understanding,
or other similar
arrangement
Criminal street
gang
Criminal street
gang
Criminal gang,
organization, or
enterprise
Criminal street
gang
Criminal street
gang
3 or more
persons
Group 3 or more
persons
Association At least 1
person who
is a criminal
street gang
member
Group 3 or more
individuals
Organization,
association, or
group
Organization,
association, or
group
3 or more
persons
3 or more
persons
N/A (a) for purposes of this section, the term “street gang” means any
combination, confederation, alliance, network, conspiracy,
understanding, or other similar arrangement in law or in fact, of three
or more persons that, through its membership or through the agency
of any members, engages in a course or pattern of criminal activity.
N/A “who, individually, jointly, or in combination, have committed or
attempted to commit, within the preceding three years, for the benefit
of, at the direction of, or in association with the group, two or more
offenses under any of, or any combination of, the following . . .
offenses”
Formal or
informal
“members or associates individually or collectively engage in the
commission, attempted commission, facilitation, or solicitation of any
felony act”
N/A “who commit a continuing series of two (2) or more predicate criminal
offenses that are undertaken in concert with each other”
Formal or
informal
Formal or
informal
“having as one of its primary activities the commission of one or more
of the criminal acts . . . and whose members individually or collectively
engage in or have engaged in a pattern of criminal gang activity”
“which has as one of its primary objectives or activities the commission
of one or more predicate criminal acts; and whose members
individually or collectively engage in or have engaged in a pattern of
criminal gang activity”
Gang Group N/A N/A “gang” means a group of juveniles or youths who, acting in concert with
each other, or with adults, engage in illegal activities.
Criminal street
3 or more Formal or
gang
persons informal
Organization,
association, or
group
“having as one of its primary activities the commission of one or more
. . . criminal acts . . . and whose members individually or collectively
engage in or have engaged in a pattern of criminal gang activity”
N/A
“name or identifying sign,
symbol, tattoo or other physical
marking, style of dress, or use
of hand signs”
N/A
N/A
“having a common name or
common identifying sign or
symbol”
N/A
N/A
Common name, or common
identifying sign or symbol