History of Prison Gangs in America Research Assignment (Research Paper Sample)

Prison Gangs
Name
Institutional Affiliation
Prison Gangs
Introduction
The American prison system imprisons thousands of men and women on a yearly basis as it maintains its reputation for the highest incarceration rate in the world. It is estimated that over two million men and women have gone through the penal system since the turn of the millennium. The growth in the rate of incarceration can only be rivaled by the corresponding rise and expansion of prison gangs. A common description of a prison gang is a criminal organization formed within the penal systems and conducting its operations mainly within the prison facilities, and sometimes even beyond the prison walls. Prison gangs started their growth in various prisons across the united stated and, amazingly, some of them are still existent and fully functional decades later. For this paper, I also spoke to Brandon. He works as a guard in a local prison. He helped me understand some of the issues surrounding prison gangs.
A typical prison gang according to Brandon, “comprises a group of prisoners who are organized under a defined hierarchy and strictly adheres to an established code of conduct.” They vary in terms of both composition and structural organization with most gangs founded on the basis of racial affiliations. Most prison gangs have also established symbols as a means of identifying themselves as belonging to specific prison gangs within the prison system. It is important to note that prison gangs should not be confused for outlawed motorcycle gangs and street gangs, which are also structured along ethnic lines and also use symbols to create a sense of belonging. Prison gangs consist of fewer members than the other gangs and operate mainly within the prison facilities. However, in some cases, prison gangs have been known to absorb street gangs into their operations as a means of expanding their operations beyond the prison walls.
The interview with Brandon combined with extensive research, provided important insights into the authorship of this paper, which will seek to explore the history of prison gangs, how they operate, the challenges they pose, and what is being done so far to curb the menace.
History of Prison Gangs in America
Prior to the 1960s, inmates were considered to have surrendered their constitutional rights upon conviction leading to prisoners being labeled as slaves of the state (Buentello, Fong, & Vogel, 1991). Based on this conviction, prison officials’ administration of prisons and treatment of convicts usually went unchecked for many decades. Consequently, each prison was governed by sets of policies, which were specific for each prison since there were no federal or state processes to approve. Questionable policies born due to the lack of resources and exacerbated prison conditions came to be implemented.
However, in 1964 the US supreme court first displayed a recognition of the constitutional rights of prisoners by establishing the prisoner’s entitlement to seek redress from inhumane treatment through litigation in the case of Cooper v. Pate (Buentello, Fong, & Vogel, 1991). To the present day, over forty prisons prison systems have been forced by the judicial system to correct unconstitutional conditions ranging from poor healthcare to overcrowding. The strengthening of inmates’ constitutional rights through the courts, however, resulted in the subsequent weakening of the legitimate authority of prison officials in achieving correctional goals and institutional safety.
Buentello et al. (1991) give an instance in Statesville where the intervention by courts gave rise to an atmosphere that was dominated by potential civil rights lawsuits by prisoners alongside court mandates. Subsequently, prison personnel found it far much simpler just to ignore misconducts by inmates rather than take appropriate official actions. The lack of absolute control over prisons, as well as negative response by prison officials to reforms, led to a state of crisis within prisons where prisoners began to organize themselves into power dominance and self-protection groups that have risen to be popularly known as prison gangs today.
Types of Prison Gangs
There are several gangs presently operating within the prison system of the United States, each with its own identity, structure, and purpose. Some of them are discussed below.
The Mexican Mafia
The Mexican Mafia, also known as La Eme, is reportedly the most now the most powerful prison gang within the California prison system. It emerged in 1956 in the Deuel Vocational Institute in California when Hispanic inmates banded together for self-protection from predatory inmates (Skarbek, 2011). The gang quickly grew in power and statistics estimate that there are over 400 official members of the gang complimented by over a thousand associates who provide assistance to the organization in carrying out its illicit activities in the hopes on becoming members.
Brandon mentions that “the Mexican Mafia has members both within prisons and within the streets. Most of its members were formerly street gang members but had to be loyal gang once they joined.” The gang also expects its members to continue working for its benefit even after being released thereby becoming the single most organized criminal enterprise in America according to Skarbek (2011). The gang’s main activities can be divided into two distinguished groups. The first category involves conventional crimes such as murder, robbery, and distribution of narcotics. The second category involves the administration of a system of governance institutions geared towards the facilitation of an illicit market exchange by adjudicating disputes among gangs and gang members, enforcing agreements, and protecting property. Its other activities include the control of gambling and prostitution within the correctional system.
The symbols used by the gang include a tattoo of the Mexican flag with an eagle or snake, a print of the words EME or of the number 13 that signifies the letter M which is the thirteenth letter of the alphabet.
Nuestra Familia
The Nuestra Familia also originated within the California prison system in the late 1960s. It is still not yet clear whether it originated in the Soledad prison or the Deuel Vocational Center (Carlie, 2002). It emerged as a rival gang to the increasingly popular Mexican Mafia following a perceived level of abuse towards Latinos from the rural areas of Northern California. Like the Mexican Mafia, the Nuestra Familia also has formal rules and administrative structure. A board of governors or governing body, referred to as La Mesa, forms the topmost hierarchy.
Brandon mentions that “this gang is extremely violent and mainly consists of Mexican-American convicts from the central and Northern California region.” According to the Federal Bureau of Investigations, the gang also has a significant presence in the New Mexico, Texas, Arizona, and Colorado prison systems. It is estimated to have about two hundred and fifty members, alongside over a thousand associates. The Nuestra Familia earns its income from extortion, contraband smuggling the distribution of narcotics such as methamphetamine, marijuana, and heroin within the Pacific prisons and other outside communities. It is also often involved in homicides and robberies. The gang has a loose alliance with the Black Guerrilla Family due to their mutual rivalries with the Mexican Mafia and Aryan Brotherhood prison gangs.
Black Guerilla Family
The Black Guerilla Family gang emerged in 1966 in Quentin. It was founded by Black Panther George Jackson who managed to unite the black groups such as the Weatherman Underground Organization, Symbionese Liberation Army, and the Black Liberation Army to form the Black Guerilla Family (Carlie, 2002). The gang was highly organized under a supreme leader and a central committee. Its primary locations of operations are in the California and Maryland.
The gang adopted a Marxist-Leninist philosophy thus building itself a reputation as one of the most politically charged revolutionary gangs that terrified both the public and the management of the prisons. It still promoted anti-government philosophies funded by income from distribution of marijuana and cocaine obtained from Mexican drug traffickers, notably the Nuestra Familia. The gang is also involved in auto thefts, burglaries, drive-by shootings and homicides outside prison walls.
The gang recruits from other black street gangs upon imprisonment. Estimates reveal that the gang has about a thousand identified gang members and associates.
The Aryan Brotherhood
The Aryan Brotherhood is a prison gang born of white supremacy notions in San Quentin prison, California, in 1967. White inmates in the prison wanted a front to combat the racial threat posed by Hispanic and black inmates, as well as counter their organization and activities. The Aryan Brotherhood had distorted perceptions of the blacks, and most of its members were of the opinion that black prisoners were exploiting white inmates sexually thus the need to gang up (Carlie, 2002). Brandon adds that “the gang has an organized structure that requires one to undergo a six-month probation period before joining. To complete the initiation process, a member is required to kill someone.” The gang utilizes a three-member council of high-ranking members.
The Aryan Brotherhood has about twenty thousand members and is mainly active in the Pacific regions and Southwestern of the United States even though its reach goes beyond that. According to the Federal Bureau of Investigations, even though the gang makes up less than one percent of the population in prison, it is credited with up to eighteen percent of federal prison murders. Like the other gangs, it generates incomes from the distribution ...