NCJ Number
226836
Journal
Corrections Compendium Volume: 34 Issue: 1 Dated: Spring 2009 Pages: 23-37
Date Published
2009
Length
15 pages
Annotation
This article presents data on prison gangs and security-threat groups (STGs) reported by 45 U.S. correctional systems and 2 Canadian provincial correctional systems.
Abstract
The majority of the States are apparently developing sophisticated methods for identifying, tracking, documenting, and managing gang/STG members within their facilities. Many facilities are also focusing on gang prevention. Task forces are in place in 17 of the reporting U.S. systems. Montana reported the lowest percentage of known gang/STG members (0.45 percent), followed by Alabama and Michigan (2.7 percent and 3 percent, respectively). At the other extreme is Oklahoma, which estimates that 70 percent of inmates are gang/STG members. Approximately 36 percent of known gang/STG members are Black; 28 percent are White; 18 percent are Hispanic; 2 percent are Asian; and 5 percent represent other ethnic groups. Reported gang identifiers include clothing, shoes, hair, fingernail color and length, beads, tattoos, jewelry, informants, self-admissions, photographs, mail, phone use, property, and graffiti. Fifteen of the reporting U.S. systems have established separate control units to deal with gangs/STGs. Special rules have been established in 30 of the reporting U.S. systems. Each of the reporting systems indicated that specialized gang/STG training is provided for staff. For those systems that identified gang/STG incidents and actions taken, lockdowns and facility transfers were primarily used. 4 tables