@AliceCooper
Yes , there's heavy sentencing here especially in regards to Drug Trafficking, Robbery, & Child pornography. Gang affiliations are pointed or mentioned but they don't receive additional sentencing for any action/activity that supports the group.

@Gets
It wouldn't make much sense to put it on the book if there's none at all. Mississippi case is the old fashioned Sov-Comm ( everybody should Wikipedia it) tactics that portray a state with little to no gangs but wannabes. We come across it many times and in which gangs grow in the low income section of the city and local government is either downplaying it or stating it doesn't exist ( just copycats/ misguided youth). Also from the law enforcement perspective too. The increase in violence changes their views afterwards and that's when they want to clamp down.

I always found it strange that Jackson HAD a gang unit around the 80s I think but was disbanded during the PEAK of Jackson's Crack era. Now certain other cities have gang units or similar units: Tupelo, Gulfport, Biloxi, Hattiesburg , Meridian ( literally just started a couple years ago), Greenville, & Clarksdale.