A benchmark survey was conducted by MAG and ADOT in December of 2006 to determine initial attitudes and awareness of litter issues in Arizona and to evaluate littering behavior. A follow-up survey was then conducted in July 2008, at the end of the first two years of the campaign, to determine if any changes in awareness, attitudes or behavior were realized. Subsequent follow-up studies focused on Maricopa County residents.

The purpose of this report is to use data from a sample of recently booked arrestees in Maricopa County to examine the scope and nature of Maricopa County’s gang problem. In particular, this report supplements data presented in the bi-annual report on gangs conducted by the Arizona Criminal Justice Commission, which relies on official police data and their occasional white paper on gangs that relies on self-report data from school youth. We organized our analyses around six research questions: (1) what proportion of adult arrestees are involved in a gang, and what are the socio-demographic differences between those who are associated with a gang and those who are not; (2) what are the rituals associated with gang joining; (3) how do gang and non-gang arrestees differ in their experiences with crime, drug use and victimization; (4) what is the organizational structure and composition of gangs; (5) how do members socially identify with their gang; and (6) how and why do members leave their gang?