NCJ Number
157866
Date Published
1993
Length
0 pages
Annotation
This video consists of an interview with and a personal statement by Hector Negrete (known as "Cocoy"), imprisoned for attempted murder in the context of his gang activity, and currently infected with AIDS as he lives out his "sentence of death" at the Vacaville State Prison Medical Facility (California).
Abstract
In response to questioning by an interviewer, Cocoy reviews how he became involved in a neighborhood gang, drug use and drug dealing, and violent crime. He does not blame his parents, since he was neither abused nor neglected, but focuses upon the choice he made to pursue the street life offered by the gang lifestyle of money through drug trafficking and the excitement of warring with rival gangs. He contrasts his choice with that of others in his neighborhood who chose education and the pursuit of a legitimate and valuable occupation that enabled them to support their families and have a stable and relatively safe life within the law. Cocoy also identifies the dangerous consequences of belonging to an established gang that has a hierarchy and rigid bylaws and rules for gang members. Attempts to leave the gang are punishable by death, and failure to carry out the commands of the gang's hierarchy results in various punishments that may include the offending gang member's family. In his personal appeal directly to the viewers, Cocoy encourages them to pursue their education and avoid the gang life. Calling his AIDS infection his "sentence of death," Cocoy advises the viewers to avoid behaviors that put them at high risk for contracting AIDS.