Over the last decade there have been marked increases in certain problems related to gangs and STG’s in prisons. The current research points to modest increases in the overall scope of the gang problem in prisons and draws attention toward new and potentially explosive problems with gangs and STG’s in prison environments. An overview of gang demographics is offered and recommendations on how to combat the problem are presented. Survey questionnaires were distributed to any and all adult correctional facilities known to exist in the 50 States during the first 6 months of 2004. Respondents returned 193 surveys from 49 States. Most questions used in the survey were previously used in surveys by the National Gang Crime Research Center (NGCRC). New survey items focused on White racist extremists and their religious practices in prison. The majority of respondents believed that tougher laws were needed to control the prison gang problem; that prison is a recruitment ground for new gang members; and that Federal agencies should play a greater role in prosecuting gang crimes. Survey data allowed the generation of the “Top Ten American Prison Gangs” which include the Aryan Brotherhood, Aryan Nation, Skinheads, and the Ku Klux Klan. The survey also revealed that an astonishing 53.2 percent of prison officials did not know what the “Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act” (RLUIPA) is; RLUIPA extended new religious rights to inmates, some of whom quickly used these rights to organize gang activity. Activities controlled by gangs in State prisons included drugs (87.8 percent), protection (76.2 percent), gambling (73.2 percent), and extortion (70.1 percent). Factors differentiating gang riots, race riots, and religious riots are considered. Respondents identified segregated housing and intelligence gathering as among the most innovative solutions for combating the gang problem in American prisons. Bibliography
Problem of Gangs and Security Threat Groups (STG's) in American Prisons Today: A Special NGCRC Report
NCJ Number
207764
Journal
Journal of Gang Research Volume: 12 Issue: 1 Dated: Fall 2004 Pages: 1-76
Date Published
2004
Length
76 pages
Annotation
This study presents national survey data on the problem of gangs and security threat groups (STG’s) in American prisons.
Abstract