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2005 SESSION

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HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 573 Directing the Virginia State Crime Commission to study the characteristics and makeup of discrete criminal street gangs. Report.

 

Agreed to by the House of Delegates, February 5, 2005 Agreed to by the Senate, February 24, 2005

 

WHEREAS, criminal street gangs are responsible for an increasing amount of violent and drug-related crime in the Commonwealth; and

WHEREAS, this variety of extreme criminal conduct is spreading from urban to rural areas in the Commonwealth; and

WHEREAS, criminal street gangs have identifiable "colors," signs and membership and engage in particularized criminal conduct; and

WHEREAS, criminal street gangs may be easily connected with and named by their "colors," signs membership and conduct; and

WHEREAS, prosecution of criminal gang activity is sometimes needlessly burdened by the necessity of proof of gang affiliation and gang conduct when the gang and its activity are easily determined on the basis of formerly identified characteristics of affiliation and conduct; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the Virginia State Crime Commission be directed to study criminal street gang conduct and characteristics for the purpose of reducing the burden on prosecutors by producing a formal listing of gang names coupled with conduct and characteristics unique to those gangs.

All agencies of the Commonwealth shall provide assistance to the Virginia State Crime Commission for this study, upon request.

The Virginia State Crime Commission shall complete its meetings by November 30, 2005, and the chairman shall submit to the Division of Legislative Automated Systems an executive summary of its findings and recommendations no later than the first day of the 2006 Regular Session of the General Assembly. The executive summary shall state whether the Virginia State Crime Commission intends to submit to the General Assembly and the Governor a report of its findings and recommendations for publication as a House or Senate document. The executive summary and report shall be submitted as provided in the procedures of the Division of Legislative Automated Systems for the processing of legislative documents and reports and shall be posted on the General Assembly's website.