DJJ Gang Prevention Training

In May, Department of Juvenile Justice Commissioner Avery D. Niles ordered that all DJJ employees and staff in contact with youth were required to receive instruction on criminal street gang culture and response by July 1st. Taught by Security Risk Group Coordinator Jay Lewis and Investigator II Ray Ham, the DJJ Gang Prevention Training was held at 16 different locations around the state with over 2,800 employees to date receiving the prevention instruction.

Some of the topics discussed included:

•   Criminal street gang history in America and criminal street gang infiltration in Georgia and in DJJ facilities.
•   Criminal street gang signs, symbols and identifiers and the potential threat of ignoring these gang identifiers.
•   The appropriate response and reporting procedures for criminal street gang activity inside DJJ facilities and in communities.