Genesis of Gangs in the Prison

Genesis of Gangs in the Prison

Introduction

There are various definitions for prison gangs, but a generally accepted description is that a prison gang operates within the prison system as a criminally oriented entity that threatens, or is perceived to threaten, the orderly management of a prison. Inmates belonging to a prison gang will often have similar norms, values, and language and have a distinct code of conduct among its members. Many prison officials use the term security threat group (STG) to identify a gang. Prison gangs are usually informally organized along racial or ethnic lines, mimicking and often overlapping the organization of street gangs. Inmates often join gangs as either a means to secure personal protection from other inmates or for economic gain, often relying on gang members as surrogate family members.

Among prisoners, violence is often a means by which to gain status from other inmates, and gangs provide both a means to perpetuate this violence and protection from either unaffiliated prisoners or from rival gang members. Some forms of prison violence include assault, sexual assault, riots, and homicide. Much of the violence that occurs in prison remains unreported, making it difficult to address on an individual victim level. Correctional facilities often use various types of segregation techniques to reduce or punish different forms of violence. They may also rely on education on both gangs and violence in an effort to reduce their prevalence.

History

In the U.S., the phenomenon of prison gangs has long been familiar and new: they exist to protect its members. Usually, they are created on the basis of race or ethnicity. (This is why many U.S. federal prisons by representatives of different races do not live in the same cell). Originally, the motives were simple to create: White defended the other white counterparts, and black - black. Over time, these gangs have grown, become stronger and become major syndicates.

The activities of these bands varied, but most of all is the delivery and sale of drugs, tobacco and alcohol in prisons. In addition, they participate in a variety of attacks, kidnappings, murders, and are sometimes involved in pimping activities. This all occurs most often in the area (an attack on other detainees in order to steal money or prison food) or indirectly in the wild. The truth is that prison gangs have enormous influence outside the prison, which is pretty hard to imagine, for example, an order for delivery of drugs. In the 1980s, the war against drugs started in the United States. As a consequence, it not only increased profits from the drug trade, but also the number of inmates in prisons. And prison gangs began to consciously work on the use of his influence behind the bars: to control and profit from the drug trade in the street. This is logical because the prison is very often getting drug dealers, and sometimes even whole families. Through control of the sale of drugs, prison gangs have been able to control the prison ...