Legislation: What the States Are Doing

Gang Participation
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Arizona (view all subjects for this state)
Arizona 13-2308. Participating in or Assisting a Criminal Syndicate; Leading or Participating in a Criminal Street Gang
F. Assisting a criminal syndicate is a class 4 felony. If committed for the benefit of, at the direction of, or in association with any criminal street gang with the intent to promote, further or assist any criminal conduct by the gang, assisting a criminal syndicate is a class 3 felony.
G. A person who violates subsection A, paragraph 1, 2, 3 or 4 of this section for the benefit of, at the direction of or in association with any criminal street gang, with the intent to promote, further or assist any criminal conduct by the gang, is guilty of a class 2 felony.
H. Use of a common name or common identifying sign or symbol shall be admissible and may be considered in proving the combination of persons or enterprises required by this section.
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California (view all subjects for this state)
California 186.22. Participation in a Criminal Street Gang; Punishment; Felony Conviction; Sentence Enhancement; Commission on or Near School Grounds; Pattern of Criminal Gang Activity
(a) Any person who actively participates in any criminal street gang with knowledge that its members engage in or have engaged in a pattern of criminal gang activity, and who willfully promotes, furthers, or assists in any felonious criminal conduct by members of that gang, shall be punished by imprisonment in a county jail for a period not to exceed one year, or by imprisonment in the state prison for 16 months, or two or three years.
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Georgia (view all subjects for this state)
Georgia 16-15-4. Participation in Criminal Street Gang Activity Prohibited
(a) It shall be unlawful for any person employed by or associated with a criminal street gang to conduct or participate in such criminal street gang through a pattern of criminal gang activity.
(b) It shall be unlawful for any person to acquire or maintain, directly or indirectly, through a pattern of criminal gang activity or proceeds derived there from any interest in or control of any real or personal property of any nature, including money.
(c) It shall be unlawful for any person who occupies a position of organizer, supervisory position, or any other position of management with regard to a criminal street gang to engage in, directly or indirectly, or conspire to engage in a pattern of criminal gang activity.
(d) It shall be unlawful for any person to cause, encourage, solicit, or coerce another to participate in a criminal street gang.
(e) It shall be unlawful for any person to communicate, directly or indirectly, with another any threat of injury or damage to the person or property of the other person or to any associate or relative of the other person with the intent to deter such person from assisting a member or associate of a criminal street gang to withdraw from such criminal street gang.
(f) It shall be unlawful for any person to communicate, directly or indirectly, with another any threat of injury or damage to the person or property of the other person or to any associate or relative of the other person with the intent to punish or retaliate against such person for having withdrawn from a criminal street gang.
(g)(1) Any person who violates subsection (a) or (b) of this Code section shall, in addition to any other penalty imposed by law, be punished by imprisonment for not less than three nor more than 15 years or by a fine of not less than $5,000.00 nor more than $10,000.00, or both.
(2) Any person who violates subsection (c) of this Code section may, in addition to any other penalty provided by law, be punished by imprisonment for an additional ten years which shall be served consecutively to any other sentence imposed on such person by law.
(3) Any person who violates subsection (d), (e), or (f) of this Code section shall, in addition to any other penalty provided by law, be punished by imprisonment for not less than one nor more than ten years.
(h) Any crime committed in violation of this Code section shall be considered a separate offense.
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Indiana (view all subjects for this state)
Indiana 31-30-1-4
(a) The juvenile court does not have jurisdiction over an individual for an alleged violation of:
(6) IC 35-42-5-2 (carjacking);
(7) IC 35-45-9-3 (criminal gang activity);
(8) IC 35-45-9-4 (criminal gang intimidation);
Indiana 35-45-9-3. Criminal Gang Activity
A person who knowingly or intentionally actively participates in a criminal gang commits criminal gang activity, a Class D felony.
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Iowa (view all subjects for this state)
Iowa 723A (723A.2). Criminal Gang Participation
A person who actively participates in or is a member of a criminal street gang and who willfully aids and abets any criminal act committed for the benefit of, at the direction of, or in association with any criminal street gang, commits a class "D" felony.
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Louisiana (view all subjects for this state)
Louisiana 15:1403. Criminal Street Gangs and Patterns of Criminal Street Gang Activity: Prohibitions and Criminal Penalties
A. Any person who intentionally directs, participates, conducts, furthers, or assists in the commission of a pattern of criminal gang activity as defined in this Chapter shall be punished by imprisonment for not less than one year nor more than one-half of the maximum term of imprisonment provided for an underlying offense committed in a pattern of criminal gang activity and may be fined an amount not to exceed ten thousand dollars. Any sentence of imprisonment imposed pursuant to this Section shall be in addition and consecutive to any sentence imposed for an underlying offense committed in the pattern of criminal gang activity.
B. Any person who is convicted of a felony or an attempted felony which is committed for the benefit of, at the direction of, or in association with any criminal street gang, with the intent to promote, further, or assist in the affairs of a criminal gang, shall, upon conviction of that felony, in addition and consecutive to the punishment prescribed for the felony or attempted felony of which he or she has been convicted, be imprisoned for not less than one year nor more than one-half of the maximum term of imprisonment provided for that offense.
C. Any person who is convicted of an offense other than a felony which is committed for the benefit of, at the direction of, or in association with, any criminal street gang, with the specific intent to promote, further, or assist in any criminal conduct or enterprise by gang members, shall, in addition and consecutive to the penalty provided for that offense, be imprisoned for an additional period of six months.
D. The court may elect to suspend all or a part of any additional mandatory punishment or enhanced punishment provided for in this Chapter only in an unusual case where the interests of justice would best be served, and if the court specifies on the record and enters into the minutes the reasons that the interests of justice would best be served by that suspension of punishment.
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Minnesota (view all subjects for this state)
Minnesota 609.229. Crime Committed for Benefit of a Gang
Subd. 2. Crimes.
A person who commits a crime for the benefit of, at the direction of, in association with, or motivated by involvement with a criminal gang, with the intent to promote, further, or assist in criminal conduct by gang members is guilty of a crime and may be sentenced as provided in subdivision 3.
Subd. 3. Penalty.
(a) If the crime committed in violation of subdivision 2 is a felony, the statutory maximum for the crime is five years longer than the statutory maximum for the underlying crime.
(b) If the crime committed in violation of subdivision 2 is a misdemeanor, the person is guilty of a gross misdemeanor.
(c) If the crime committed in violation of subdivision 2 is a gross misdemeanor, the person is guilty of a felony and may be sentenced to imprisonment for not more than three years or to payment of a fine of not more than $15,000, or both.
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Missouri (view all subjects for this state)
Missouri 578.423. Participating knowingly in criminal street gang activities, penalty-persons between ages of fourteen and seventeen participating to be transferred to courts of general jurisdiction
Any person who actively participates in any criminal street gang with knowledge that its members engage in or have engaged in a pattern of criminal street gang activity, and who willfully promotes, furthers, or assists in any felonious criminal conduct by gang members shall be punished by imprisonment in the county jail for a period not to exceed one year, or by imprisonment in a state correctional facility for one, two, or three years. For any person between the ages of fourteen and seventeen who is alleged to have violated the provisions of sections 578.421 to 578.437 the prosecuting attorney or circuit attorney may move for dismissal of a petition and transfer to a court of general jurisdiction.
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Ohio (view all subjects for this state)
Ohio 2923.42. Participating in Criminal Gang
(A) No person who actively participates in a criminal gang, with knowledge that the criminal gang engages in or has engaged in a pattern of criminal gang activity, shall purposely promote, further, or assist any criminal conduct, as defined in division (C) of section 2923.41 of the Revised Code, or shall purposely commit or engage in any act that constitutes criminal conduct, as defined in division (C) of section 2923.41 of the Revised Code.
(B) Whoever violates this section is guilty of participating in a criminal gang, a felony of the second degree.
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Texas (view all subjects for this state)
Texas 71-02. Engaging in Organized Criminal Activity
(a) A person commits an offense if, with the intent to establish, maintain, or participate in a combination or in the profits of a combination or as a member of a criminal street gang, he commits or conspires to commit one or more of the following:
(1) murder, capital murder, arson, aggravated robbery, robbery, burglary, theft, aggravated kidnapping, kidnapping, aggravated assault, aggravated sexual assault, sexual assault, or forgery;
(2) any felony gambling offense;
(3) promotion of prostitution, aggravated promotion of prostitution, or compelling prostitution;
(4) unlawful manufacture, transportation, repair, or sale of firearms or prohibited weapons;
(5) unlawful manufacture, delivery, dispensation or distribution of a controlled substance or dangerous drug, or unlawful possession of a controlled substance or dangerous drug through forgery, fraud, misrepresentation, or deception;
(6) any unlawful wholesale promotion or possession of any obscene material or obscene device with the intent to wholesale promote the same;
(7) any unlawful employment, authorization, or inducing of a child younger than 17 years of age in an obscene sexual performance;
(8) any felony offense under Chapter 32, Penal Code; or
(9) any offense under Chapter 36, Penal Code.
(b) Except as provided in Subsection c of this section, an offender under this section is one category higher than the most serious offense listed in Subdivision (1) through (9) of Subsection (a) of this section that was committed, and if the most serious offense is a Class A misdemeanor, the felony is an offense of the third degree, except that if the most serious offense is a felony of the first degree, the offense is a felony of the first degree.
(c) Conspiring to commit and offense under this section is of the same degree as the most serious offense listed in Subdivisions (1) through (9) of Subsection (a) of this section that the person conspired to commit.

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