ATLANTA (WSAV) — Georgia’s attorney general says the state can count around 71,000 gang members
That’s why the governor and state lawmakers say combating gangs in Georgia is a top priority to reduce crime and violence.
Georgia Governor Brian Kemp recently signed Senate Bill 44 into law the street gang terrorism and prevention act which toughens penalties for gang crimes.
It adds a mandatory 5 years prison sentence for criminals convicted of gang crimes, and 10 years for gangs recruiting minors.
“You will find gangs are an access to a lot of crimes. When you say gangs a lot of people think of people on the corner selling drugs. They are involved in a lot in so much of our violent crime and human trafficking and even white collar crimes.”
State lawmakers have made it harder for some criminals to get bail and increase penalties for those failing to report human trafficking.
“Gangs need members to flourish. If they utilize individuals under a legal age, they are juveniles and won’t get the jail time that an adult would do,” said GBI Director Michael Register
The GBI says gangs target children by offering them money and a sense of belonging.
Register said, “Children would go there after school and we found gang recruiters are the local libraries.”
Georgia’s attorney general says they have indicted 63 gang members in less than a year since the state launched a new gang prosecution unit.