Table of Contents
What is the purpose of prison gangs?
Prison gangs engage in “war making,” or monopolizing on force and occupying the power vacuum of state authority. They eliminate rivals (in the US mostly along racial lines) within their territories, and in doing so they carry out “state making.” Gangs offer protection to their members, affiliates, and clients.
How do gangs form in prison?
Gangs arise because inmates have a demand for what they provide: security, order, and contraband. Therefore, to undermine gangs, officials need to meet the needs for which prisoners turn to them. One way of doing so is to make prisons smaller and safer.
Why is prison good for criminals?
First, imprisonment discourages further criminal behavior. We find that incarceration lowers the probability that an individual will reoffend within five years by 27 percentage points and reduces the corresponding number of criminal charges per individual by 10 charges.
How are prison gangs different from street gangs?
Prison gangs are criminal organizations that originated within the penal system and they have continued to operate within correctional facilities throughout the United States. Prison gangs generally have fewer members than street gangs and Outlaw Motorcycle Gangs(OMGs) and are structured along racial or ethnic lines.
How are prison gangs managed?
While no single gang suppression approach is used in all jurisdictions, many prison systems have developed a common set of strategies, such as staff training, and intelligence sharing, while others have developed more specialized interventions (e.g., isolating STG leaders, transfers, and renunciation strategies).
Why do people go to prison?
Another common reason why people end up in jail is committing offenses against the justice system. These could be offenses such as: failure to appear in court or court-mandated programs, obstructing justice, breach of probation, and perjury. Inmates who fall in this category may have broken the law prior.
What are the biggest prison gangs?
Public Enemy No. 1: A white street and prison gang based in Southern California. They have replaced the NLR in holding the “keys” for the Aryan Brotherhood on the mainline prison population. Dirty White Boys: A white prison gang made up of inmates from Texas, and have a heavy presence in the federal system.