The Mechanism of Gangs in Prison - Case Study Example

Gangs and the Violence They Create in Prison of the of the Gangs have existed in prison systems for a long time and one of the dire consequences of their illegal activities inside the prison is the creation of violence in order to ascertain their supremacy over weaker, non-violent inmates and their rival prison gangs. Even inside the confinement of the prison, they maintain their external contacts with their supporters and affiliates. A number of researches have been conducted in this regard to study their violent behavior inside the prison systems, and a few security loopholes in the prison systems have also been identified. In the light of these studies, correctional officers can understand the mechanism of gangs in prison and take appropriate steps to deter violence in prisons. Keywords: gangs, prison, violence, security threat groups. Gangs and the Violence They Create in the Prison System The existence of gangs in prison poses numerous challenges for the jail authorities because these gangs are involved in creating violence inside prison systems. Gangs in prison are formed usually be former street gangsters and as such, formation of gangs in prison is inevitable because gangsters prefer to associate themselves with gangs because it enables them to continue their illegal activities even inside the prison. Gangs within prison become a source of grouping such inmates that share the same ideas or philosophies; or that share common criminal background. However, the possibility cannot be ruled out that gangs forcibly involve such inmates that were not previously part of any gang. Being a part of prison gang is not a temporary connection. Gangsters must remain loyal to the gangs they join in prison. The reason why gangsters naturally become members of prison gangs is that individual gangsters cannot perform the same way, as they would in a gang. The network of gangs may be affiliated with other networks in and outside the prison. This facilitates their activities inside prison, as a result of which much of the violence is created in the prison systems. Prison gangs are off-shoots of street gangs; however, the working of prison gangs is entirely different from street gangs. In prison, the gangs must operate within the limits of the prison walls and they do not have the liberty to run away or escape. They do not have their secret hideouts to plan and execute their actions. Moreover, due to the strict surveillance in prisons, gangsters cannot communicate or transmit their messages as they would in an open environment. Thus, they need to develop their specific way of communication through various symbols and signs. Using symbolic language is much safer than verbal or other typical means of communication. Therefore, each prison gang develops its own unique symbolic language with which it communicates with other members regarding their various activities or plans. In prison and out, gang members use symbols and signs to communicate group affiliation, such as distinctive colors, hats, hand signals, and tattoos. Among prison gang members and those who are “wise,” there is agreement as to what the various symbols represent. Interactionally competent correctional officers could recognize the gang with which a person was affiliated, the part of the state from which the inmate hailed, and even what street he had lived on and defended (Demello 1993, p. 11)” (Phelan & Hunt, 2011, p.282) This demonstrates that gangs in prison must evolve their peculiar ways of devising, communicating and executing their plans of action. They not only have to keep into account the security mechanism of prisons, but they also have to be wary of the rival prison gangs. In order to ascertain their supremacy in prisons, they must work tactfully and intelligently. Symbolic language is developed by prison gangs to identify their gang members and by communicating through visual symbols, it is easier for the gangsters to interpret and to execute peculiar messages conveyed through colors, tattoos, and hand signals. One of the reasons why members of prison gangs understand symbolic language so easily is because as street gangsters, they have relied on symbolic language to carry out their various missions. This tradition is carried into the prison system where gangs rely on symbolic language to convey their secret messages to other gang members. Such type of symbolic language gives correctional officers an opportunity to study the traits and characteristics of each prison gang. As each gang in prison has different symbolic language, thus correctional officers must study closely the symbolic language of each prison gangs, as it may sometimes give out their complete personal and criminal history. Using symbolic language enables prison gangs to keep their secrets among themselves, unless someone is closely studying them and learning to interpret their symbolic language. In this regard, the prison authorities can counteract the acts of violence in prison systems by understanding the symbolic language of prison gangs. By breaking the secret code of symbolic language of prison gangs, correctional officers may uncover any plan of violence in prison, which is imperative for the safety and security of the prisoners and the prison system itself. Prison gangs are involved to a great extent in creating violence in prisons and there could be many different forms and reasons for creating violence in prisons. Violence may be directed at specific inmates on the basis of race, age etc., or at rival gangsters to avenge former grievances. Categorizing the forms of violence is not a simple task but it can be broadly classified under physical assault, rape, and homicide- an extreme form of violence in prison .It has been studied that “… gang affiliated inmates committed more prison violence than inmates not involved in gangs.” (Mandary, 2011, p.82) This clearly demonstrates that violence in prison is not created by individual inmates. In order to break the security system of the prisons, group attack is required. Creating violence in prison is a systematized plan which cannot be undertaken solely by any inmate. It is only possible for a group or a gang to identify the weakness of the security system and to carry out a planned attempt with the help of many gangsters to unleash violence in the prison systems. In order to assert their supremacy over one another, they must display acts of violence as admitted by a gangster interviewed by Yablonski: “In prison, there is no place to go or hide. If you have a problem with someone- you have to resolve it one way or the other. The other, often means, violence and possibly homicide.” (2005, p.95) Thus, severe acts of violence result from the fact that gangsters in prison do not abstain from breaking law even inside the prison systems. They have no other way to resolve their issues with their rivals but to take away their lives brutally. It is not possible to have such organized and systematized way of creating violence in prisons without strong leadership of prison gangs. The organizational structure of gangs in prisons might vary slightly but the basic structure remains the same. A strong leader is responsible for devising and executing a plan of action. He might be supported financially by individuals/groups outside the prison and he should be strong enough to combat the rival prison gangs. Much of the violence in prison gangs is a result of clashes between rival prison gangs. The main leader or supporter of a prison gang may be inside or outside the prison itself. As prison gangs cannot function without financial support, therefore, they must maintain a steady and non-interruptible connection from their supporters outside the prison. “Most Mexican Mafia members previously participated in a street gang, but they must be loyal to the prison gang once they join. The prison gang also requires its members to continue working for it once released.” (Skarbek, 2011, p.704) This reveals that the network of prison gangs is not limited to the prison itself, but its linkages go far and beyond the prison system. This network keeps expanding as more inmates from the prison join the prison gangs, by choice or by threats of violence. Whatever the case may be, the intensification of the network of prison gangs gives them the opportunity to establish their supremacy and continue their illegal activities even inside the walls of prison. The structure and hierarchy of prison gangs is very complex; but the main aim of creating violence in prison is“…to establish the prisoner hierarchy by separating the powerful from the weak. Humboldt State University’s Lee H. Bowker has identified several other reasons for violent behavior: It provides deterrent against being victimized… It enhances self image in an environment that does not respect other attributes, such as intelligence. In the case of rape, it gives sexual relief It serves as a means of acquiring material goods through extortion or outright robbery.” (Gaines & Miller, 2010, p.342) Thus, when studying the cause and root of violence in prison systems, it is predictable on the basis of the above research that prison-gangs spark violence in jails simply to assert power and to establish control on their fellow inmates. The prisoner hierarchy is clearly defined by the degree of strength of each inmate. The strongest inmate has more chances of victimizing the weaker inmates; and getting to the top of the prisoner hierarchy. The degree of violence displayed by gangsters earns them a reputation which enhances their self image in the eyes of other gangsters. It is important to understand that in a criminal setup, few attributes help in the elevation of a person’s rank. High morals and intelligence are not as much respected as acts of violence. Therefore, the urge to victimize other inmates in prison stems from the fear of not being victimized themselves. Unleashing violence in prison systems out of personal fears and insecurities poses a rather disturbing scenario: If the only way of deterring victimization is violent behavior, then all non-violent inmates would continually be victimized and if they also adopt the same strategy of displaying acts of violence, then a never-ending vicious cycle would engulf everyone in the prison system. Other reasons for creating violence in prison systems may be for obtaining special favors from fellow inmates or jail-authorities. For gang members, it is easier to intimidate fellow inmates and even prison authorities with their acts of violence than by any other way. Within the confinements of the prison, gang members turn to violence in order to obtain material gains, which are otherwise prohibited to them in prison. Thus, creating violence rewards prison gangs in so many ways that they have no reason to abstain from it. Violence in many cases may simply result from the fact that opponent gangsters need to settle down old scores with each other; which is relatively easier in the prison than anywhere else in the world. Outside the prison, the rival gang members may escape easily or they may have better chances of safeguarding them. But once in prison, there is no way out for either of the rival groups but to settle down old grudges then and there through indulging in acts of violence. Sexual assault, according to Bowker is a means of obtaining sexual relief in a place where inmates do not have many choices. As discussed earlier, all kinds of violence are directed towards the weaker inmates that cannot fight back and sexual victimization is one such case. Surprisingly, violence created by gangs in prison involves very little sexual victimization. However, if jail authorities are involved in sexual victimization, then the rates go higher. In terms of generalization, it seems that sexual assault between inmates is a relatively rare occurrence, equilibrating around 2% over a 6-month to12-month period. Rates increase significantly, however, if staff members as perpetrators and abusive sexual contact are included in the measurement of sexual victimization. (Wolff, Shi, Blitz, & Siegel, 2007) Whatever the nature of violence created by prison gangs may be, they cannot operate without thoroughly understanding the loopholes or the weakness of the security and surveillance systems in prisons. They keep a close eye on any security loophole or weakness in order to take advantage of the situation. It is not possible for individual inmates to break security in jails or prisons; however, prison gangs carry out organized raids of violence for various reasons, mostly for asserting their supremacy over the weaker inmates or rival gangs. Security threat groups, or prison gangs, are responsible for the majority of homicides and assaults in prison. Well-organized, highly structured prison gangs have been around for decades. These gangs have strong leaders and exert pressure on other inmates through violence or the threat of violence. They are interested only in providing illicit drugs, alcohol and contraband to other prisoners...” (Carlson & Garett, 2007, p.67) Prison gangs are now widely known as ‘Security Threat Groups’ because their first attack is on the security system of prisoners and the prison itself. Prison gangs have always existed in every prison system because these gangs are simply a by-product of street gangs. Their network spreads and intensifies as newer members join these gangs. The most powerful tool of the leaders of these gangs is violence, which is used to control other inmates. The illegal activities of these gangs continue in prison-systems, which mean that they are supported by their associates that work outside the prison and it is for this reason that they need to keep on expanding their network to facilitate their illegal business in and outside the prison. The reason why gang members in prison are able to carry out their acts of violence is that there are certain security loopholes in the prison system that correctional officers must look into. Despite the constant monitoring and round the clock surveillance system, they manage to break the security and victimize the weaker inmates at their free will. In this battle between the strong the weak, the security of the prison system come under dire threat. A study conducted in this regard concluded that over-crowded prison systems give opportunities to prison gangs to create violence at their will, as physical proximity allows them to communicate easily. As inmates belonging to different criminal and regional backgrounds come together in prisons, the network of prison gangs grows rapidly. “...the clustering of inmates on remand in jails and prisons has in turn contributed to the deepening of gang linkages across the region and an intensification of violence of the ground.”(Shaw, Grant & Cornelissen, 2011. p.348) Thus, there are various reasons for creating violence in prisons by gangs in prison. The behavior of gangsters in prison need further study in order to diminish the rate of violence in prisons, as this is pertinent to the security and safety of all inmates and the prison system itself. References Carlson, M. P., & Garrett, S. J. (2007) Prison and jail administration: practice and theory.(2nd ed.) Sudbury: Jones & Bartlett Publishers. Gaines, K, L., & Miller, L, R. (2010) Criminal justice in action: the core. 5th ed. Belmont: Wadsworth Cengage Learning. Mandery, J. E. (2011). Capital punishment in America: a balanced examination. (2nd. Ed.) Sudbury: Jones & Bartlett learning. Phelan, P. M., & Hunt, S. A. (2011) “Prison gang members’ tattoos as identity work: the visual communication of moral careers”. Symbolic interaction. 21(3) University of Kentucky. Skarbek, D. (2011) “Governance and prison gangs” American political science review. 105(4) Duke University. Shaw, M. T., Grant, A. J., & Cornelissen, S. (Eds.) (2011).The Ashgate research companion to regionalisms. Surrey: Ashgate publishing limited. Wolff, N., Shi, J., Blitz, L. C., & Siegel, J. (2007). “Understanding sexual victimization inside prisons: factors that predict risk”. criminology & public policy. 6(3). The State University of New Jersey. Yablonsky, L. (2005). Gangs in court. Tucson: Lawyers & Judges publishing company Inc. Read More