During an 18-month long investigation into the gang, police seized firearms, live bullets and a replica grenade.

BBC: Croxteth Crew gang members face jail

Mr Cruz also points out, anecdotally, that of 20 gang members he enrolled in a long-term study in 1996, only five are still alive.

ECONOMIST: Criminal gangs in the Americas

There is every reason to believe that the perpetrators and victims of Chicago's next gang murders would, in a different environment, become prosperous, upstanding, long-lived citizens.

WSJ: Jenkins: Gun Control That Works