The book's six themes offer broad, strategic actions that can assist in preventing youth from joining gangs. One theme is to build partnerships, since the complex problem of gang-joining has multiple contributing factors. Diverse sectors that deal broadly with public health and public safety issues must cooperate in designing, implementing, and evaluating strategies for preventing youth from joining gangs. A second theme is the importance of using data in order to understand the nature of the gang problem in a community. This involves addressing issues that can affect the accuracy and completeness of data. A third theme is the importance of framing the issue. This means that policymakers and practitioners must frame gang-joining as part of the larger sphere of youth problems that include violence, substance abuse, and criminal behavior. The fourth theme in the book's chapters is the creation of a plan. The principles presented in this book should be considered when planning strategies for preventing youth from joining gangs. The principles focus on addressing risk and protective factors that can build resistance to the attraction of gangs. The fifth theme is the implementation of the plan, which consists of the partners collaborating in securing or aligning resources needed to implement and sustain prevention activities over time. The sixth theme is the evaluation of the effectiveness of strategies in both their implementation and the outcomes they produce. This ensures that financial and personnel resources are not being used to no effect and that the strategy's intended effects are being achieved.
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