Street Gang Terrorism and Prevention Act — Gang Mandatory Minimum Sentences

SB 44, the Street Gang Terrorism and Prevention Act, imposes mandatory minimum sentences for gang-related offenses. The bill expands the definition of gang activity, increases penalties, and limits judicial discretion in sentencing.

GPS opposes this bill because gang enhancement laws have a well-documented history of being applied disproportionately against Black and Latino communities. The broad definitions of "gang activity" can encompass normal social associations, clothing choices, and even music preferences. Mandatory minimums remove judges' ability to consider individual circumstances, filling prisons with people who pose no real threat to public safety while doing nothing to address the root causes of gang involvement — poverty, lack of opportunity, and community disinvestment.