As a result of their efforts, twenty-two members were indicted on various charges (U.S. Department of Justice, 1994-1996). In Rhode Island, A Federal and State task force conducted an investigation into the "Latin Kings" gang, resulting in an eighteen-count indictment against eleven Latin Kings (U.S. Department of Justice, 1994-1996). It is apparent that many states are fed up with the rising trend in juvenile and gang related violence, and as a result, have established various programs and enacted laws that move away from the rehabilitative era that was developed in the 1960's and 1970's and more towards a punitive system. This is particularly evident in California's voter approved proposition 21.
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Overview of Proposition 21.
Tehachapi, California currently houses 98 violent children in its prison. These children are doing adult time for their crimes along side more than 5,000 adult male felons. Their crimes include murder, rape, robbery and various other serious offenses. It appears that the courts that sent them there believe that they are hardened criminals, beyond rehabilitation--even though not one of them has reached the age of maturity. (http://www.childrennow.org/newsroon/news-01/ra-7-15-01.html) On March 7, 2000, California's voters overwhelming passed proposition 21, the Gang Violence and Youth Crime Prevention Act of 1998. Proposition 21 was represented as a juvenile crime law, but at least half of its provisions on gangs pertain to adults as well (Implementation Guidelines For Proposition 21, 2000). The primary focus of proposition 21 is the ability to try juveniles, without a fitness hearing, as young as fourteen in adult courts for violating any offense as outlined in the Welfare and Institutions Code Section 707(b). These offenses include, but are not limited to the following: murder, arson, robbery, rape with force, sodomy by force, kidnapping, car jacking, drive by shootings, attempted murder, manufacturing of narcotics, and several other serious offenses.
