The case for: The thinking is simple: Gangs have realized that shootings are bad for them. Knowing that police are much more likely to come down on their neighborhoods or organizations if they take part in a shooting, gang members have tried to avoid violence.
The theory: America’s gangs have gotten less violent
”The violence is simply bad for business,” George Tita of the University of California Irvine says. “If one of their friends is part of a shooting, it’s going to make it tougher for them to put money in their pocket.”
The case against: There isn’t good research on whether gangs are getting less violent overall and how much of an impact that’s having on crime. Tita acknowledges this: “No studies have been carefully constructed to give me 100 percent confidence or even 90 percent confidence that any one of these things I’m telling you is true.”
The bottom line: Still unclear. Intuitively, the idea makes sense. But without adequate research, it’s hard to know just how accurate it is.
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