Too often in juvenile court, in order to prove that certain crimes are gang-related, the prosecution calls on “gang experts” who are invariably culled from the ranks of law enforcement. These “experts” then offer the opinion that teens join gangs and commit crimes to increase their own status and power, which in turn enhances the gang’s reputation and terrorizes the community. As a result, the story goes, these teens qualify for gang enhancements to their sentences.
It’s a narrative that perpetuates stereotypes and biases about youth from neighborhoods with significant gang activity—leading to harsher sentences for youth from communities of color. And it’s a narrative that has remained largely uncontested by a panel of expert witnesses who are overwhelmingly former law enforcement officers.