Terminal Performance Objective
Grounded in the statutory framework of the Official Code of Georgia and delivered through a concise Socratic lecture format, participants will develop the ability to recognize, analyze, and document observable indicators of criminal street gang activity, enabling educators, administrators, youth leaders, and faith-based mentors to move beyond assumptions and apply structured awareness for informed prevention and intervention.
Enabling Objectives
• Articulate the statutory definition of a criminal street gang and criminal street gang activity as cited in O.C.G.A. §16-15-
• Analyze the Criminal Deviance framework by distinguishing Rule Breakers (institutional violations) from Law Breakers (statutory violations) as early indicators of behavioral escalation.
• Interpret the “3rd World Thug Life” dominance-driven attraction of gang culture as a counter-institutional identity structure that recruits vulnerable youth into perceived systems of power and belonging.
• Assess the behavioral patterns of the 3R reinforcement model — Respect, Reputation, and Retaliation — commonly linked to criminal street gang activity.