NCJ Number
85523
Date Published
1981
Length
25 pages
Annotation
The paper analyzes historical trends in and the current nature of prison violence, with emphasis on the role of organized gangs.
Abstract
Correctional administrators are aware of the constant threat of violence in correctional facilities. Several series of riots and disturbances have occurred in an almost epidemic fashion during the past 25 years. While isolated incidents of violence have occurred throughout penal history, the contagiousness and pervasiveness of major disturbances is a recent phenomenon. In addition, the causes of violence have changed from demands for better living conditions and treatment to revolutionary upheavals reflecting the politicization of prisoners. The large numbers of offenders from subcultures which produced this generation's protest movements compound the problem. Prison violence reflects both problems in the wider society and the concentration of the most negative community members in conditions of increased deprivation. The violence at the Pontiac Correctional Center in Illinois and at Attica State Penitentiary in New York are two of the most serious recent incidents. Research in Illinois has revealed that gangs are a major force in prisons because unaffiliated convicts are in perpetual fear for their lives and property. Gangs provide both physical security and material and psychological support for their members. Several Chicago gangs, the Aryan Brotherhood at San Quentin in California, the Mexican Mafia in California, and the Nuestra Familia are among the known gangs. Descriptions of specific gangs and 13 footnotes are included.