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Responses from a survey of gang management strategies were collected from U.S. prison systems holding 1.19 million inmates. The results provided insight into the prevalence of gang members in prisons, gang structure, as well as the strategies used to manage the threat that these groups pose. Officials from most prison systems reported an increase in the proportion of security threat group (STG) members over the past five years and that these offenders were more disruptive and sophisticated than five years ago. Despite these challenges, there was no one clear strategy for the investigation or suppression of these groups, nor did most systems evaluate the effectiveness of their current gang management interventions. A lack of rehabilitative opportunities for gang members represents one shortcoming in the range of gang management strategies in most jurisdictions. The implications of these findings are addressed.
2001
A persistently disruptive force in correctional facilities is prison gangs. Prison gangs disrupt correctional programming, threaten the safety of inmates and staff, and erode institutional quality of life. The authors review the history of, and correctional mechanisms to cope with prison gangs. A suppression strategy (segregation, lockdowns, transfers) has been the most common response to prison gangs. The authors argue, however, that given the complexity of prison gangs, effective prison gang intervention must include improved strategies for community re-entry and more collaboration between correctional agencies and university gang researchers on prison gang management policies and practices.
Criminal Justice Review, 2006
This national-level study surveyed the perceptions of 134 jail administrators in 39 states about the prevalence of gang members in their facilities. Consistent with previous empirical work, approximately 13 percent of jail populations were thought to be gang-involved, and while there were no regional differences in these estimates, small jails reported having fewer gang-involved inmates. When asked about the problems that these inmates caused in their facilities, respondents reported that gang members were less disruptive than inmates with severe mental illnesses, but more likely to assault other inmates. The use and efficacy of ten programmatic responses to gangs were evaluated, with respondents rating the gathering and dissemination of gang intelligence as the most effective intervention. Implications for practitioners and gang research are outlined.
American Journal of Criminal Justice, 2011
Examination of the demographic and offense-related characteristics of 1,636 gang members admitted to Canadian federal penitentiaries between January 1, 2006 and August 31, 2009 revealed that there is considerable variation between these groups. Members of Aboriginal, Asian and Street Gangs tended to be admitted at much younger ages than members of Outlaw Motorcycle Gangs (OMG), or members of Traditional Organized Crime (TOC) gangs. Moreover, these younger offenders were more likely to be admitted to prison with a conviction for a violent offense, have higher levels of risk and need, were placed in higher security facilities, and engaged in higher levels of institutional misconduct once imprisoned. Members of TOC gangs, however, had levels of misconduct that were one-third the rate of non-gang offenders admitted during the same era. This study shows that not all gangs pose equal risks to correctional systems, and that gang management or suppression strategies should take their characteristics into account. Keywords Gang inmates. Security threat groups. Prison gangs. Institutional misconduct Despite the fact that correctional systems have invested significant amounts of time and resources in the monitoring, control, and suppression of jail and prison gangs over the past two decades, these security threat groups (STG) remain the bane of correctional staff and administrators. 1 The extant literature has consistently shown
The Prison Journal, 2002
Most of the empirical research and practically all of the fieldwork conducted on gangs has been devoted to street gangs. In this article, Bureau of Prisons automated data were used to evaluate the contribution of prison gang affiliation to violence and other forms of misconduct within prisons. The authors also examined a measure of gang embeddedness to see if, similar to street gang research, it can be shown that core members of a prison gang were more likely to commit violent and other kinds of misconduct than were more peripheral members. Both specific and more generic gang indicators were related to violence and other forms of official prison misconduct. A composite measure of gang misconduct represents the threat that particular gangs pose to prison order. The “threat index” is model based and provides a graphical representation of the relative magnitude and heterogeneity of the threat posed by different gang affiliations.
Journal of Aggression, Conflict and Peace Research, 2011
This article examines a range of issues associated with gangs in incarcerated settings. We begin by examining the similarities and differences between street and prison gangs, and differentiating them from other types of criminal groups. Next, we focus on the emergence and growth of gangs in prison, including patterns and theoretical explanations. Importantly, we draw theoretical linkages between differing perspectives on gang emergence and gang violence. We also present administrative and official responses to gangs in prison. Finally, we discuss the movement from prison to the street, examining the difficulties that former prisoners face when re-entering communities.
2004
An extensive body of literature studies the recidivism of community corrections populations, and factors associated with the rearrest of probationers and parolees. Another, less extensive, literature exists regarding the prevalence of gang membership across various populations, such as prisons. However, relatively little research has formally assessed the relationship between gang membership and recidivism or compared risks and needs of gang and non-gang members under correctional supervision. This paper brings together results from two separate (but similar) lines of inquiry undertaken to examine the prevalence of gang membership among correctional populations (including probationers and those released from prison to parole), the risks and needs of gang members relative to non-gang members, and the relationship of gang membership to recidivism. The paper also discusses the implications of the findings for future research, policy, and practice considerations.
SSRN Electronic Journal, 2017
Today, there is no doubt that incarceration rates have reached exponentially critical levels in our prisons. Although some states are working on reducing prison populations, there are others who are in fact still expanding their systems to house more inmates.
The Palgrave Handbook on Youth Gangs , 2023
Any study of prison gangs should attempt to situate them within the wider context of the penal environment. Prison is inherently characterised by power dynamics, and the imbalance of power between prisoners and the prison as an institution (Foucault 1975). Prisons contain within them ‘captive audiences’ (Skyes 1958) who are unable to escape the prison’s panoptic gaze, as well as the debasements, humiliations and rituals which are intrinsic to captivity (Childs 2015). Sykes (1958) terms these the ‘pains of imprisonment’, with such emotions affecting and texturing the daily interactions and activities of prisoners. Prison gangs can be viewed as being both a reaction to these pains – offering support, protection and camaraderie – as well as being a manifestation of such pains. This chapter presents data that were collected from serving prisoners, the majority of whom were prison gang members. Through conducting qualitative interviews, the study found my research sample to be affected by these deep, powerful emotions arising from the specific conditions of confinement: many prisoners whom I interviewed identified violence, hyper-masculinity and conflict as being amplified by imprisonment, as well as occupying a central role within ‘the gang’. Violence was learnt on the streets and within the street gang, developing with one’s progression within the gang. Such values were then often ‘imported’ into the penal complex.

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