Most incarcerated individuals share several underlying characteristics, including delinquent and criminal histories, poverty, substance abuse, and lack of education, but it is their diversities that are most crucial within prisons. Inmate racial, ethnic, religious, and geographic differences become problematic to correctional administrators when they contribute to the formation or continuation of gangs in prison.
Most researchers describe two primary types of prison gangs, also known as “security threat groups” (STGs). Inmates can import their street gang culture into the prison environment or they can join prison gangs that function mainly inside the prison walls. Entering street gang members may seek to join up with their fellow incarcerated ex-street gang members on the inside. Other entering inmates may join a prison gang because of losing contact with family, friends, or jobs that may have functioned to inhibit street gang membership. These inmates find strength in shared philosophical beliefs, racial or ethnic origins, religious perspectives, or geographical locations advocated by the prison gang. The distinction between street gangs and prison gangs may be misleading, however, because many prison gang members and incarcerated street gang members form alliances, even entering into partnerships to further illegal enterprises within and outside the facility.
Accurate measurement of gang membership is difficult because of differences in measurement methods and definitions. One study estimates 1,625 validated gangs in U.S. prisons, while estimates of the numbers of gang members range from 15,398 to more than 16,000 in just the three states of Ohio, Texas, and California. The largest and most active prison gangs are Nuestra Familia, Aryan Brotherhood, Texas Syndicate, Mexican Mafia, and Black Guerilla Family.
Although gang members are a small proportion of all inmates, they represent a serious threat to institutional management and to the outside world. In 1998, for example, Nuestra Familia members ordered death hits and drug deals, orchestrated extortion rackets, and tampered with witnesses from inside a secure housing unit in Pelican Bay State Prison in California. A complex federal, state, and local investigation called “Operation Black Widow” uncovered these crimes, resulting in the indictments of13 gang members on 24 federal counts.
Prisons employ identification of gang members, suppression efforts, and programming to control gang activities. Identification may occur during the classification process. Outward signs of gang affiliation, such as brands, tattoos, or other identifiers (e.g., cut eyebrows) are systematically documented. Intake officials also ask about current or prior gang affiliation, not only to ensure institutional safety but also to provide for the safety of the entering inmate. Most prison policies try to restrict mixing of inmates from rival gangs to reduce the possibility of violence related to gang rivalries. This de facto racial segregation may be difficult, however, due to a 2005 U.S. Supreme Court ruling (Johnson v. California) banning the long-term racial segregation of inmates.
Bibliography:
- Trulson, Chad R., James W. Marquart, and Soraya K. Kuwacha. 2006. “Gang Suppression and Institutional Control.” Corrections Today (April):26-31.
This example Prison Gangs Essay is published for educational and informational purposes only. If you need a custom essay or research paper on this topic please use our writing services. EssayEmpire.com offers reliable custom essay writing services that can help you to receive high grades and impress your professors with the quality of each essay or research paper you hand in.
See also:
ORDER HIGH QUALITY CUSTOM PAPER
Always on-time
Plagiarism-Free
100% Confidentiality
Special offer!
