the start of the 30-year war on gangs . (11) The city and county of Los Angeles have been dubbed the gang capital of the Nation with an estimated 463 gangs and 38,974 gang members in the city, and more than 1,300 gangs and 150,000 gang members in the county. (12) According to the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, allowing 1 youth to leave school for a life of crime and drug abuse costs society between $1,700,000 and $2,300,000. (13) In the State of California, the average annual cost per inmate is $47,421 for an adult inmate, and $218,000 for a youth inmate. (14) The most recent data on overall State spending on juvenile justice programs reveals that in 1998, States spent nearly $4,200,000,000 on juvenile justice related programs, which was a 65-percent increase from fiscal year 1994. Of those expenditures, 67 percent went towards residential placements, while only 8.4 percent went towards delinquency prevention. (15) Gang and youth violence substantially decreases when governments address the root causes of gang violence and adequately fund community-based programs and practices. (16) Studies continue to prove that community-based gang intervention provides long-lasting, cost-effective results and opportunities for the youth and families most susceptible to gang violence. (b) Sense of Congress It is the sense of Congress that, in developing a comprehensive violence reduction strategy, the United States should acknowledge and address larger, entrenched social conditions and issues such as poverty, homelessness, inadequate educational systems, and limited economic opportunities that give rise to gangs and gang violence. I COMMUNITY-BASED GANG INTERVENTION AGENCIES 101. Community-based gang intervention agencies The Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act of 1974 ( 42 U.S.C. 5601 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following new title: VI COMMUNITY-BASED GANG INTERVENTION GRANTS 601. Purpose The purpose of this title is to offer holistic and comprehensive support for the