Causes of Gangs in Prison
Influences Imprisoning the Streets
Prison. Gangs. These two words are separate entities, though they are often associated together. This is because of the social view and perception that our society has on both gangs and on prison. Now it is not that this association is wrong or a bad thing. The fact is that in America, there are gangs, street gangs, prison gangs, and prison street gangs, all influencing each other and being influenced by on another. This paper aims to decipher exactly how prison and gangs all relate to each other, whether good, bad, or ugly. This is not necessarily to compare them, but rather to explore the interactions that each has with the other and find out the influence of each on the other.
To start off this paper, the term ‘Gang’ must be defined. This is harder then it may seem, as English has many meanings for the word. It may mean anything a group of school friends in their thirties that have known each other for years. Or, it may mean a violent prison or street gang. For our purposes, when the word ‘gang’ is mentioned, it shall refer to a street gang, unless it is specifically referring to a prison gang. A street gang is popularly defined as a group that qualifies in three different ways. A. It has three or more individuals that meet together; B. It has a distinct name; C. It engages in a pattern of criminal behavior. This definition may be stretched or abused by some in order to classify and or de-classify certain groups as gangs, and ultimately the definition comes down to a judgment called, but for the purpose of this paper, this shall be the definition of a gang. Now, it may seem logical that a prison gang is simply a group inside a prison that falls into the same criteria and meets these three requirements. Basically this is correct, except for one thing; prison gangs don’t officially exist. Traditionally, the term ‘prison gang’ was used to include both traditional prison gangs as well as prison gangs with
Prison. Gangs. These two words are separate entities, though they are often associated together. This is because of the social view and perception that our society has on both gangs and on prison. Now it is not that this association is wrong or a bad thing. The fact is that in America, there are gangs, street gangs, prison gangs, and prison street gangs, all influencing each other and being influenced by on another. This paper aims to decipher exactly how prison and gangs all relate to each other, whether good, bad, or ugly. This is not necessarily to compare them, but rather to explore the interactions that each has with the other and find out the influence of each on the other.
To start off this paper, the term ‘Gang’ must be defined. This is harder then it may seem, as English has many meanings for the word. It may mean anything a group of school friends in their thirties that have known each other for years. Or, it may mean a violent prison or street gang. For our purposes, when the word ‘gang’ is mentioned, it shall refer to a street gang, unless it is specifically referring to a prison gang. A street gang is popularly defined as a group that qualifies in three different ways. A. It has three or more individuals that meet together; B. It has a distinct name; C. It engages in a pattern of criminal behavior. This definition may be stretched or abused by some in order to classify and or de-classify certain groups as gangs, and ultimately the definition comes down to a judgment called, but for the purpose of this paper, this shall be the definition of a gang. Now, it may seem logical that a prison gang is simply a group inside a prison that falls into the same criteria and meets these three requirements. Basically this is correct, except for one thing; prison gangs don’t officially exist. Traditionally, the term ‘prison gang’ was used to include both traditional prison gangs as well as prison gangs with
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