Prisons, Gangs

Angela D. Crews

Most incarcerated individuals share several underlying characteristics, including delinquent and criminal histories, poverty, substance abuse, and lack of education, but it is their diversities that are most crucial within prisons. Inmate racial, ethnic, religious, and geographic differences become problematic to correctional administrators when they contribute to the formation or continuation of gangs in prison. Most researchers describe two primary types of prison gangs, also known as “security threat groups” (STGs). Inmates can import their street gang culture into the prison environment or they can join prison gangs that function mainly inside the prison walls. Entering street gang members may seek ...

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