Gangs in the Prisons

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Gangs in the Prison System

By Jinja Jones

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Gangs in the Prison System

By Jinja Jones

INF 103 Computer Literacy
Instructor: Lambert Fooks
March 4, 2013
INF 103 Computer Literacy
Instructor: Lambert Fooks
March 4, 2013

Table of Contents

1. What are Gangs? When did gangs come into existence?

2. How do gangs finance/support their groups?

3. Different types of Gangs in the Prison system

4. Percentage of Gangs in Prisons

5. Safety measures in the Prison systems against gangs

6. Summary of gangs in my own words

7. References

Abstracts

In this paper I will explore what is a gang, when they came into existence, different types of gangs, and the safety and security of prison gangs in the jails. I became very interested in this topic after working as a Correctional Officer in the Burlington County Correctional Facility.

What are Gangs? When did Gangs come into existence?
Within our Facility there isn’t a Security Threat Group (STG) or Intelligence Officers, so a lot of times these gang members come in undetected. That is a threat to the security of the prison. As an Officer I would like to change this.gs
Gangs are organized groups of criminals in the Prison System which want protection from other inmates and groups, so they became known for their vicious and violent ways against other inmates to gain power and control. These gangs, like street gangs can be very territorial in each housing unit of the prison.
Prison gangs have developed and evolved in several of the U.S. prison system in 1960’s and 1970’s for a number of reasons. Probably the most common are for protection and control (Valdez, A., 2009). They are responsible for a large amount of criminal activity in prisons. Activities such as drugs, contraband smuggling (contraband is anything not in its original form and is illegal-for example, toilet paper rolls made into headphones, plastic spoon sharpened to a shank, etc.), assault (inmate-on-inmate, inmate-on-staff), staff corruption and rule violations can create serious management problems that extend beyond the facility into the community (Marchese J., 2009) . Once it travels into the community street level gangs, state prison gang members carry a great deal of power, respect and influence. As such, most street-gang members will honor and pay homage to a state prison gang member. Sadly, the prison gang influence is so strong that some street gang members aspire to become prison gang members (Valdez, A., 2009), so they go out to get themselves into trouble and get arrested.

How do Gangs finance/support their groups?
The prison gangs support themselves through a life of crime. These gangs, especially prison gangs turn to drug smuggling, theft, laundering money, kidnapping and killing for money. They also use their women as prostitutes. Different gangs make their money in different ways.
Different Types of Gangs in the Prison System
There are different types of gangs in the Prison System. There are 5 gangs that are prevalent in the Prison System. They are the Bloods, Crips, Latin Kings, Neta and the Black Guerilla Family. The Bloods Gang is a street gang that’s originally known as the Piru Gang. This gang began as an anti-crip in the area of Piru Street in Compton, CA against their rivals the crips. The gang or set as they are known, originated by Sylvester Scott and Vincent Owens. Their color of chose is red. Crips is a gang that originated in Los Angeles in the mid1960’s. The word Crip comes from the word Cripple. Raymond, one of the Crip members, best friend allegedly got shot in the leg and walked with a limp. A crime victim referred to Raymond’s group’s assailant as a “Crip” instead of a “Cripple”. That is how the name came about. The original attire was khaki pants, suspenders hanging down and an earring in his left ear and a cane. This Gang was looking for an “OG” look. That was short lived because the younger member’s weren’t able to afford the clothes. The other gang is a Latin Kings. This gang is a Chicago/New York Street Gang that consist of Spanish speaking or Hispanic members. This gang had to parts Motherhood and the other is called Bloodline. This gang was the most violent in the state of New York. Neta is a gang that originated in the Puerto Rican Prison system (OSO Blanco) and migrated to the United States. The gang claims that much of the work done by their faithful members involves teaching Hispanic culture and education, some of which includes experiences from inside prison, and many members claim they are strictly part of an inmate-rights group. However, this is thought of as just a front, as the gang’s main source of income is retail distribution of powder and crack cocaine, heroin, marijuana and, to a lesser extent, LSD, MDMA, methamphetamine and PCP. They also resort to criminal mischief (Dufresne, D., December, 2011). Black Guerilla Family or BGF is an influential African American prison gang which originated in California and Maryland. BGF members are highly influential within the prison system and are known to recruit correctional facility staff to aid their illegal activities. In addition, BGF is actively involved in drug trafficking, extortion, and violent crimes within the prison system. Cocaine and marijuana sales account for the majority of the gang’s income. Known alliances of the BGF are the Nuestra Familiar and Dead Man Incorporated. No matter what gang a person is attached to they all make sure they will be in the prison system to recruit.
Percentage of Gangs in the prisons
The percentage of gangs in the United States has risen astronomically over the years. Approximately 1.4 million active street, OMG, and prison gang members, comprising more than 33,000 gangs, are criminally active within all 50 US states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. This represents a 40 percent increase from an estimated 1 million gang members in 2009. The NGIC collected intelligence from law enforcement officials nationwide in an attempt to capture the threat posed by national-level Street, prison, outlaw motorcycle, and neighborhood-based gangs in their communities (FBI Reports and Publications, 2011) (see attached chart)

Security measures in the Prison System against Gangs
All Prisons have safety strategies when they deal with gangs. Prisons have tried a variety of overt and covert strategies, including the use of inmate informants, the use of segregation units for prison gang members, the isolation of prison gang leaders, the lockdown of entire institutions, the vigorous prosecution of criminal acts committed by prison gang members, the interruption of prison gang members’ internal and external communications, and the case by-case examination of prison gang offenses. However there is no research stating that these strategies worked. Another strategy is “jacketing” an inmate. This involves putting an official note in an inmate’s file if he is suspected of being involved with a gang. This note follows him in prison and allows authorities to transfer him to a high-security facility. Correctional agencies now use databases to track prison gang members and gang activities. This allows for effective communication between a correctional agency and a state police agency and improves data accuracy because data can be entered as soon as it is gathered (Fleischer, M. and Decker, S (2001) pg. 7). Instead of” Jacketing” Correctional facilities use databases to track gang members and gang activities. Another strategy is sending the gang members to out of state facilities. The other is to put different gang groups on the same work detail or housing units.
Summary of Gangs in my own words
Gangs in the Prison system have increased over the years. A lot of the street Gang members want to have the same respect as the Prison Gangs so they will do what it takes to make their way in prison. Some Officers feel that in order for you to get better knowledge of Gangs you have to join them. Officers as a whole put their lives at risk everyday just to make sure there is order and safety on each unit. As a Correctional Officer you just have to be mindful of things that go on around you. Being careful is an everyday chore.
Summary
This was a journey of information that will help me in my career. I have learned a lot about the different types of gangs and their activities. I also learned how my jails are able to differentiate one gang member from the average inmate. It was very informative and I understand Prison Gangs more.

References 1. Marchese, J. J. (2009). Managing gangs in a correctional facility: What wardens and superintendents need to know. Corrections Today, 71(1), 44-47. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/215706569?accountid=32521 2. Valdez, A. J. (2009). Prison gangs 101. Corrections Today, 71(1), 40-43. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/215706677?accountid=32521 3. http://www.gangsorus.com/bloods_gang.htm

4. http://www.gangsorus.com/crips_bloods_history.htm

5. Washington/Baltimore high intensity drug trafficking area in Cooporation with Prince George’s & Montgomery County gang initiative. Retrieved from http://gangs.umd.edu/Gangs/BLACKGUERILLAFAMILY.aspxm

6. Specter, D, 2005. Making Prisons Safe: Strategies for Reducing Violence. Retrieved from http://law.wustl.edu/Journal/22/p125Specter.pdf

7. Dufresne, D, December. Top 10 Us Prison Gangs. Retrieved from http://listverse.com/2010/12/11/top-10-us-prison-gangs/

8. http://www.fbi.gov/stats-services/publications/2011-national-gang-threat-assessment/2011-national-gang-threat-assessment#GangsandCorrections

9. Fleisher, M. and Decker, S. (2001). Corrections Management Quarter/Winter. An Overview of the Challenge of Prison Gangs, pg. 7

References: 1. Marchese, J. J. (2009). Managing gangs in a correctional facility: What wardens and superintendents need to know. Corrections Today, 71(1), 44-47. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/215706569?accountid=32521 2. Valdez, A. J. (2009). Prison gangs 101. Corrections Today, 71(1), 40-43. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/215706677?accountid=32521 3. http://www.gangsorus.com/bloods_gang.htm 4. http://www.gangsorus.com/crips_bloods_history.htm 5. Washington/Baltimore high intensity drug trafficking area in Cooporation with Prince George’s & Montgomery County gang initiative. Retrieved from http://gangs.umd.edu/Gangs/BLACKGUERILLAFAMILY.aspxm 6. Specter, D, 2005. Making Prisons Safe: Strategies for Reducing Violence. Retrieved from http://law.wustl.edu/Journal/22/p125Specter.pdf 7. Dufresne, D, December. Top 10 Us Prison Gangs. Retrieved from http://listverse.com/2010/12/11/top-10-us-prison-gangs/ 8. http://www.fbi.gov/stats-services/publications/2011-national-gang-threat-assessment/2011-national-gang-threat-assessment#GangsandCorrections 9. Fleisher, M. and Decker, S. (2001). Corrections Management Quarter/Winter. An Overview of the Challenge of Prison Gangs, pg. 7