Gangs in the Correctional System, Research Paper Example

Abstract

There aren’t just gangs and pseudo-families out on the streets. These families or communities of individuals are all over the place, including jails and prisons. These collective groups have been around for many centuries and have learned to identify themselves through tattoos, hand signals and specific colors. Even still, in and out of prisons, these individuals can be identified by these specific signals and correctional facilities have more on their hands than they ever thought to imagine. This paper will bring light to the definition of gangs and pseudo-families, how the correctional facilities are combatting the violence between these gangs in their facilities, the weaknesses of the facilities to combat the gang violence that still goes on in the prisons, and how the officers and wardens can implement new ideas and strategies to combat the amount of gang violence still being used today throughout their prisons.

Definition

It is easy to see gangs as units of organized crime and that is exactly what they are. However, they did not start out the way we see them today. According to Beth Arthur of the Arlington County Sheriff’s Office in Virginia (2009), gangs and security threat groups or STGs are “a correctional subculture that influences our overall operation as we perform the basic functions of our jobs” (8). These subcultures can include different ethnic, racial, regional, economic or social groups within a given population. “STGs can be defined as a group, gang, or organization that poses a threat to the safety, security and orderly operations of the facility, staff, public, and our community” (Arthur, 2009, p. 8). These gangs and STGs within the prisons are what make the lives of the correctional officers daunting to the outside world.

History

Gangs date back to the early 1800’s. “Those early gangs were harmless and satisfied a very basic need by offering members a place to gather and belong” (Miller, 1996, p. 71). However, the most serious gangs did not emerge until the early 19^th century (Howell and Moore, 2010). A lot of the gang membership deals with migration from one region to the other, individuals coming from Mexico and European countries to be specific (Howell and Moore, 2010). Some of the most popular gangs include the Bloods and Crips that have operated out of Los Angeles, California for many years. Individuals within specific gangs can be identified by specific signals such as tattoos, hand signals that they may use towards other members, colors, beads, and graffiti. They use these signals to identify each other and to identify individuals within other gangs (or rival gangs). The use of these symbols helps them understand who is on their side and who is not. These are just gangs in particular (gangs on the outside of the prison walls). Things are a little different for prison gangs.

Prison gangs and STGs disrupt the conduct in the prison and create more havoc for the correctional officers. Prison gangs and STGs have been around just as long as gangs in general and may even have more leverage than those out on the streets. According to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (2007), these gangs or STGs use protection and financial support as leverage for new recruits (p. 3). There are also others that join these gangs in order to feel accepted and to gain support from others. They find a new family with these gang members when in prison and this helps them cope a little more than they would if they didn’t have anyone (Texas Department of Criminal Justice, 2007, p. 3)

Combatting the Violence

The most productive thing to do in order to combat the violence between gangs and pseudo-families in the correctional system is to form a gang unit for these facilities. There are, however, a few obstacles that need to be addressed first in order to do this. The first of these is whether the facility has the funds to create a gang unit for the correctional system. The second is whether it has the staff to work as gang unit personnel (Marchese, 2009, p. 44). However, if there are the funds and the staff, having a gang unit would be very beneficial for the correctional facility. Joseph J. Marchese (2009) explains this in the journal Corrections Today:

When faced with this task, administrators should demonstrate that the skills of facility gang investigators can be used for other facility functions such as routine intelligence gathering, crisis intervention, hostage negotiations, debriefing critical incidents and staff training (44).

It is important for correctional officers and administrators to understand what is going to keep the facility the safest. These individuals must think about classification, intelligence, mitigating factors, facility disturbances, and staff training in order to combat the violence that prison gangs and STGs enforce in the system. When using the classification function, it is important to look at gang identification, specific associations with gang groups, language barriers and much more (Marchese, 2009). Gang intelligence is probably the most important of the many functions for administrators when dealing with prison gangs. “It must be proactive in nature and used by operations to anticipate and address problems before they occur” (Marchese, 2009, p. 45). Gang intelligence networks are of most importance for these facilities because they help combat the violence before any of it occurs. It is a must. Funds and staff should be provided for this in the budget to keep administrators, officers and other inmates safe. In addition, databases should be used in order to keep specifics up to date. Marchese (2009) explains this more in his article:

Agencies need to develop secure intelligence protocols and databases that compile current, useful and practical information that is relevant to the gang population in each facility. Such information must be routinely updated, analyzed and interpreted to assist facility gang intelligence officers in identifying potential problems (p. 45).

The mitigating factors include outside influences, degree of violence, and transportation issues. Outside influences are a huge factor because this determines how much support prison gangs have on the outside. The degree of violence is also important because some gangs are more violent than others and something needs to be done in order to protect staff and other inmates (Marchese, 2009). Marchese (2009) states “if a gang is willing to threaten staff and their families, administrators must put a threat assessment protocol in place to protect staff” (p. 45). In addition, transporting gang members should be of concern and there should be very stringent security in order to protect the individuals who are transporting these inmates (Marchese, 2009). Finally, staff training is of utmost important in combatting the violence that protrudes from prison gang members. Training, in different forms, for all members is essential for the protection of staff and other inmates. It is important that each person gets the correct amount of training in their area of expertise. “For example, too much information given to line officers may actually cause problems” (Marchese, 2009, p. 46).

New Ideas and Strategies

Beth Arthur (2009) states that it is important for the correctional community to approach gang members or members of this subculture with the idea that they are not bad people, but that they have made bad choices in the life and this is what has led them down the path they have taken. Arthur (2009) states that it is important to develop educational programs that show these individuals that being part of a gang isn’t the best answer and also so correctional officers can work with them to figure out why they went down these paths in the first place. Arthur (2009) states that “how you identify, classify, supervise and share information on these individuals or groups are just the beginning considerations” (p. 8). Using auditing teams is a great new strategy that could help correctional personnel deal with the numerous prison gangs and STGs.

Using auditing teams as a threat management tool is something that could be done in order to manage STGs and gang members in prison. According to Y.N. Baykan (2008), “intelligence systems must continuously scan environments inside the prison to produce information dealing with threats for decision-makers” (p. 50). Having individuals such as an auditing team helps wardens and superintendents prevent specific risks that STGs and gang members can pose to the prison population (Baykan, 2008). However, in order for this strategy and idea to work, it must include structure and technology. The auditing team must be a small unit of trained professionals. There do not need to be too many or too little on this team. The team must “consist of no more than a handful of personnel, the bulk of whom should be uniformed line staff” (Baykan, 2008, p. 51). In addition, technology is of most significance in this type of role. There should be computers to be used in order to analyze material and databases should be readily available for these personnel in order to speed up information flows (Baykan, 2008). According to Baykan (2008), “strategies on how to control security threat groups are very much information-based, and the correctional intelligence systems are tasked with determining how to best gather and manage this information” (p. 52).

Weaknesses

The major weaknesses in implementing new ideas and strategies for correctional facilities are due to funding, staff, and lack of resources. Lack of funding and staff create a major problem because wardens and superintendents cannot develop programs without them. The money has to be there to implement the programs, pay the staff, and hire the staff. In addition, the staff needs to be put into place in order to run the programs and provide information to the correct people. Finally, lack of resources such as time, program materials, and volunteers do not help in creating a positive process in implementing new programs or strategies. Without these things, it is difficult to do anything.

Conclusion

Prison gangs and STGs have been around for many centuries and continue to be a problem for many wardens. However, if the correctional facilities had the funds, staff, resources, and programs to put new strategies into place, there may be just a little less to worry about. It takes time, planning, staff, and collaboration in order to implement these new strategies. They are needed in order to curb the amount of violence that continues to invade our prisons. With a little help from each state, these can be implemented and can help each facility run more smoothly.

References

Arthur, B. (2009). Managing gangs and STGs: Proactive approaches for safety and success. Corrections Today, 8.

Baykan, Y. N. (2008). Managing security threat groups and correctional intelligence: A case of using auditing teams as a threat management tool. Corrections Today, 50-53.

Howell, J. C., & Moore, J. P. (2010). History of street gangs in the United States. Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, 4, 1-25. Retrieved from http://www.nationalgangcenter.gov/content/documents/history-of-street-gangs.pdf

Marchese, J. J. (2009). What wardens and superintendents need to know. Corrections Today, 44-47.

Miller, M. (1996). Coping with weapons and violence in school and on your streets. New York, NY: The Rosen Publishing Group, Inc.

Texas Department of Criminal Justice, (2007). Security threat groups on the inside. Retrieved from website: http://www.tdcj.state.tx.us/documents/Security_Threat_Groups_GRAD.pdf