ATLANTA (WSAV) — The attorney general’s gang prosecution unit has indicted 50 alleged gang members since it launched last July.
“We are trying to focus on gang recruitment and seeing younger kids getting recruited into gangs or participating,” said Ag. Chris Carr (R-Georgia). “There’s a gang in Albany, Ga that started in the high school. We have a case in Barrow County where the gang came and used ice cream trucks.”
Senate Bill 44 would toughen penalties to tackle Georgia’s 71,000 gang affiliates.
Carr said, “If you are coming after our children – including enhanced penalties including those under 17. The first offense will be 10-20 years mandatory, second offense 15-25 years. I think it is immoral but we are going to make it illegal.”
“For someone to run a meth gang from a cell phone in a prison,” said State Rep. Mark Newton (R-Augusta) “We don’t want admire or associating much less running them from inside the prison.”
Carr discussed the impact of gangs on a community,
“It’s important to understand who are the most impacted by gangs – lower income, immigrant populations,” Carr said. “Georgia’s constitution says it is the paramount duty of government to protect all Georgians no matter who you are and where you live you deserve to be safe.”
The Georgia Anti-Gang Network works with federal and local law enforcement to stop gangs from recruiting kids.
