...Since the 1960’s organized gangs in the American Justice System have been a growing problem. Drug trafficking, continued violence, and overrunning prisons are a few of the main challenges that the justice system faces when trying to control these gangs. Based usually on race, these gangs are believed to be some of the most dangerous in the world and are only getting larger. Even though measures are being taken to try and prevent these gangs from growing in size, most attempts fail as the gangs are becoming too prominent and too powerful. Prison gangs by definition are criminal organizations that originated within the penal system and they have continued to operate within correctional facilities throughout the United States. They[Prison gangs] are also considered self-perpetuating criminal entities that can continue their operations outside the confines of the penal system. Typically, a prison gang consists of a select group of inmates who have an organized hierarchy and who are governed by an established code of conduct. These gangs vary in both organization and composition, from highly structured gangs such as the Aryan Brotherhood and Nuestra Familia to gangs with less formalized structure such as the Mexican Mafia. Prison gangs are usually more powerful within state correctional facilities compared to the federal penal system (Trusty). The first recognized prison gang was originated at the Duel Vocational Institution in Tracy, California. It was originally founded by thirteen...
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... “Are All Gangs Equal Security Risks? An Investigation of Gang types and Prison Misconduct” - Ruddel, R., Gottschall, S. (May 5, 2011) To date, there has been very little scholar investigation towards the different types of gangs in Canadian penitentiaries, and their unique contributions to prison misconduct. Gangs in the correctional system are one the biggest problems facing correctional staff and administrators. Does every gang pose the same threat towards the Canadian correctional system? This study is an attempt at comparing the various gang members admitted into the correctional system between January 1, 2006 and August 31, 2009. It examines the offence-related characteristics of 1,636 gang members compared to 1,649 non-gang member counterparts. The 5 distinct types of gangs studied are: Aboriginal, Asian, street, outlaw motorcycle (OMG), and traditional organized crime (TOC). This study revealed that there are, in fact, distinct characteristics to each gangs conduct in the correctional system: Aboriginals have highest misconduct, highest rates of previous incarceration; street gangs were similar in violence but had less previous prison sentences; OMG had lower involvement in violent offences, but had longest sentences. Aboriginal gangs being the most violent, then Asian and street, followed by OMG gangs and TOC as the least. The closer examinations of these security threat groups (STG) suggest that the correctional system should imply different strategies to counter...
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...How would you define prison environment? Prison environment is cramped and confined and a dangerous environment. There are many inmate customs, etiquette or rules to abide by, or a convicted individual may be subjected to physical harm or death. The most obvious characteristic of the prison environment is the absence of privacy. The absence of privacy is a deliberate punishment, lavatories are within the individual cells are within three feet of the individual’s cellmate. It is difficult if not impossible for an inmate to be completely alone during incarceration, there are only three places an inmate can be at any time, his or her cell, the common housing area, or on the yard (Foster, 2006). How does prison environment influence institutional management and custody? There are many cliques in the prison environment generally separated by race or gang affiliation. These cliques influence the institutional management and custody in a variety of ways. General management and daily interaction of inmates must be respectful and sensitive to the race factor. Strategies were developed to combat prison gangs, these strategies include; segregation, isolation of gang leaders, jacketing or labeling and categorizing gang members for intelligence purposes, deprogramming, and placement of gang members in high-security prisons. Special corrections officer response teams were formed to manage inmates. These teams are known as Special Operations Response Team or SORT teams (Foster, 2006)...
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...How would you define prison environment? Prison environment is cramped and confined and a dangerous environment. There are many inmate customs, etiquette or rules to abide by, or a convicted individual may be subjected to physical harm or death. The most obvious characteristic of the prison environment is the absence of privacy. The absence of privacy is a deliberate punishment, lavatories are within the individual cells are within three feet of the individual’s cellmate. It is difficult if not impossible for an inmate to be completely alone during incarceration, there are only three places an inmate can be at any time, his or her cell, the common housing area, or on the yard (Foster, 2006). How does prison environment influence institutional management and custody? There are many cliques in the prison environment generally separated by race or gang affiliation. These cliques influence the institutional management and custody in a variety of ways. General management and daily interaction of inmates must be respectful and sensitive to the race factor. Strategies were developed to combat prison gangs, these strategies include; segregation, isolation of gang leaders, jacketing or labeling and categorizing gang members for intelligence purposes, deprogramming, and placement of gang members in high-security prisons. Special corrections officer response teams were formed to manage inmates. These teams are known as Special Operations Response Team or SORT teams (Foster, 2006)...
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...There are many criminals who are in America’s prisons. Inside of these prisons are many criminals who are from different races, ethnicities and backgrounds. Because of these backgrounds, there also comes the potential for issues. There are many reasons for this. The most common violent behaviors happen between inmates. There are a lot of gangs that are in prisons. Most of these inmates come from gangs outside of the prisons. But there are also other inmates that form gangs while they are in prison. Gang related violent behaviors are prevalent inside prisons. There are also instances when new inmates come in and behave as if they are in dominant control. The older inmates do not appreciate when this happens and they get into fights. There are also times when violent behavior is between inmates and staff. These behaviors occur when inmates do not agree with the decisions of staff. They may argue or even go so far as the inmate violently attacking the staff. With these violent behaviors of inmates, come many consequences. Each violent behavior affects the length of incarceration. There is a charge that is applied for each behavior. These consequences can span anywhere from solitary confinement for a certain amount of days, to an increase in your overall sentencing. But there are strategies that can be used when there is violent behavior. The best thing for an inmate to do, is to ask themselves if it is really worth going into solitary confinement or potentially having the...
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...violence has become a prominent problem in society. Gangs use violence as a primary operating procedure to gain power and regulate drug sales. Gang violence is a domain expansion of the general social problem of violence. Gang activity is very prevalent in lower income neighborhoods and ethnic ghettos where underprivileged children are often recruited. Economic hardships often fall on families with children under the age of 18. Poverty stricken adolescences commonly resort to gangs because a gang can give youth a sense of control and a way to make money. Youth that are craving a role model can seek this out in a gang. Uniting as a gang is a way many oppressed individuals overcome prejudices. A gang can offer its members a sense of protection and belonging. Many of the inequalities that gang members fight against stem from racism and from the fact that they are of a minority group. In this nation there is a high value placed on being "white". Ore claims that inequality stems from the values we as a society attach to the differences we see between us and other people. The key way that gangs lash out against this inequality is through violence. Violence has become a standard operating procedure with in gangs. "Gang violence appeared to be motivated by a desire for material gain and a related desire to exert control over public facilities and resources." (Miller 1977) The violence has essentially become a culture. Guns give gang members a false sense of power and importance because...
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...Crime Reduction and Prevention Proposal As long as there has been crime and criminals, there have been theories to explain crime and why people commit them, as well as ideas about how to prevent them. Many different methods have been developed to deter crime, such as the death penalty, the “three strike” rule, and lengthy prison sentences. However, although it seems that the number of methods developed to deter crime is bountiful, far fewer of these programs focus on how to help the victims of those crimes. This proposal will offer different ways of preventing and deterring crime and also suggest ideas to ensure that crime victims are assisted in an effective manner. Assisting Victims When considering the assistance that is currently being provided to victims of crime, current programs in place for financial, emotional, and physical assistance are functional. These programs could use a little tweaking to better serve the victims. There are programs in place to help victims financially. These programs include the Crime Victim Compensation Program and the Married Family Domestic Violence Fund. It is recommended that increased monetary financing for these programs be provided so that they may be expanded to help more victims who are in need of financial assistance but may not meet the current criteria or qualify for the current programs. Financial Assistance The Married Family Domestic Violence Fund that is currently available could benefit from additional changes. This program...
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...10 Prison Subculture and Prison Gang Influence LEARNING OBJECTIVES: 1. Discuss the prison subculture for inmates and correctional officers. 2. Compare importation theory with exportation theory. 3. Identify different aspects of prison culture that explain how offenders and officers view the world around them. 4. Discuss how professionalization and the diversification of correctional staff have impacted the prison subculture. 5. Discuss the impact that prison gangs have had on prisons, including the traditional prison subculture. 6. Identify the 13 gangs listed in this chapter as the primary prison gangs in the United States. 7. Explain what prison systems do to control gang problems that occur in their facilities. chapter I will stand by my brother My brother will come before all others My life is forfeit should I fail my brother I will honor my brother in peace as in war Aryan Brotherhood Oath INTRODUCTION This chapter provides students with a very unique aspect of the world of corrections. Students will learn that within the institutional environment, there is a commonality of experiences that arise between those who are involved; this is true for both inmates and staff. Indeed, many people may not be aware that, in fact, the mind and the world of the inmate often affect the mind-set of security personnel who work with the inmate. In essence, there is an exchange of beliefs and perspectives that often come together to produce a unique fusion...
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...The specification says ‘explanations’, which means you’ll need to know at least two explanations. 1. The importation model – this explains aggression in prisons. In brief, it says aggression occurs because of characteristics that prisoners bring inside with them. Cheeseman (2003) said that men in prison have a certain way of behaving (probably why they went to prison in the first place!) and they then apply that behaviour to their new institutional setting. Toch (1997) says this: all prisons inherit their subcultural sediments from the street corners that supply them with clients. This suggests that young people can be aggressive both on the street and in prison. Personal and psychological factors that existed in inmates before being incarcerated can affect the level of aggressive behaviour shown in prison. Mills, Kroner and Weekes (1998) studied prisoners admitted to a Canadian prison using the alcohol dependence scale (ADS). Inmates who had higher levels of dependence were associated with more aggression shown in prison. Also, inmates who had greater periods of unemployment, lower levels of education, and a more serious criminal record were more likely to be aggressive in prison (Kane and Janus, 1981). Demographic variables that seem to influence aggression in prisons are race and age. Studies in America have shown that non-whites and younger prisoners are more likely to be aggressive whilst incarcerated. Kane and Janus (1981) say that this is because these groups...
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...someone who committed a serious crime, prison may be a revelation, but for our youth that commit such crimes, the results could be daunting, even detrimental to the development of the youth. In most instances, the youth does not even realize the consequences to their actions. The juvenile justice system began with the concept parens patriae, meaning when a parent is no longer fit to provide for the welfare of a child, the state must step in and embody that role and provide protection for the wayward or troubled child” (St. Mary’s Law Journal, 2013). The juvenile justice system’s core concept is rehabilitation or change of our youth to the right path. The goal of punishment is not one of revenge, but prevention that the crime will not happen again. Putting our youth in adult prisons, making them face the penalties of such crimes, but if we do this, are we just giving up on our youth, believing that they cannot be rehabilitated? We, the people, need protection for the child that does not know better than to join a gang, the troubled child that comes from a broken home, where both parents are absent or abusive. The people of this community need to make a change for these children so that they will have an opportunity to live a morally healthy life instead of a life of crime. Many questions come up with regard to prosecuting those juveniles that have committed a serious crime and how to rehabilitate or punish our youth, juvenile gangs and different rehabilitation programs...
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...How can the police or prison or probation service be seen to be effective? Critically examine measures used and explore alternatives. Introduction: Imprisonment and jailing has been an effective way to protect the society from corrupt people and individuals with criminal tendencies. The theory behind imprisonment is to isolate the wrong-doer from the society as the person can be harmful and dangerous to other people, and also stop him from enjoying civil liberties, thus enhancing the sense of deprivation and lack of freedom as a punishment to deter him from repeating the crime in the future. Although this may sound an ideal way to deal with criminals, the ground realities are quite different from the expected results. As no solution is perfect and without flaws, the same goes with this problem of handling criminal behaviour and controlling uncivil citizens, thus increasing problems inside the prisons and penitentiaries. Prisons hold a complete new world inside them. As the most dangerous people from all over the country or province/state are collected in a single space, the chances of different mishaps and unwanted happenings are increased a hundred fold. Therefore, the prison service or probation service should be capable of handling such situations. Furthermore, the prison service should competent enough to prevent any incidents from happening at all. Containing any undesirable situations, preventing jailbreaks, controlling prisoner riots, thwarting murder attempts...
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...Chapter 1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY A fraternity is an organization, formed chiefly for social purposes having secret rites and name consisting of Greek letters. Fraternities get a lot of bad publicity as with that hazing problems at many colleges and universities, but there is another side to fraternities that many people do not see. Fraternities do have plenty of social events, service projects and other school and community related events. There are several factors such as personal, social, emotional and community factors that influence students to join fraternities. In order to join a fraternity, a neophyte has to undergo different rites or servicing in order to be accepted. The frequent reason that students join fraternity is for brotherhood and a place to belong. A special bond is formed between fraternity brothers. They will be there and will do almost anything for each other. Whether these set of friends make or break the student’s academic career, maybe hard to differentiate if a member is having too much fun. It sometimes depends on the individuals on how they will handle their selves as they join fraternities. But regardless, a fraternity is like any other group: what you get out of it depends on who you are and how you handle it .The problem focused on the involvement population/students in fraternities. Presently, the school/community does not recognize the presence of fraternities in the campus/population and have implied rules concerning this matter. But then...
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...Jail and Prison Paper Tameki Reed CJA/204 05/31/11 Robert White Jail and Prison Paper When it comes to jail and prison, there is a distinctive set of differences. Jail is a place of incarceration that is locally operated, while prisons are conducted by the state government or the federal government. Within the United States, there are about 3,600 jails but there are only about 100 federal prisons or rehabilitation facilities. Jails house inmates who have been convicted of a misdemeanors and their sentence is no greater than two years. In addition, a person may be held in jail while awaiting trial, has an unpaid bond, or was recently jailed. If a person is convicted of a state crime he or she will serve their sentence in a state prison as opposed to federal crimes which lands offenders in federal prisons. A jail’s amenities are very limited because of the light sentence and short periods of time spent there. A county jail offers work release, substance abuse programs, and may provide basic necessities to inmates. Prisons also offer work release programs, vocational training, halfway houses, as well as recreational facilities. Inmates at prisons will serve decades within the facility while others have to serve lifetime sentences behind bars. A major concern of prison staff and administrators is disruptive and violent behavior. Their concerns pertain to the safety of inmates as well as employees of the prison facility. Disruptive and violent behavior is not tolerated in...
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...Within the prison system there are various key issues that surrounded the operations of the daily activities as well as the administration of the judicial system. Some of these key such as prison violence, prison rape and the drug policy issues are negative and does affect the prison. On the issue of prison violence, over the years, prison violence has been on the rise. This has causes major changes within the prions system, such as implementing strategies to control the prisoners and their criminal behaviors. Prison rape also has continues to rise. This issue has been will probably continue to exist. This is because the prison officials have yet to be able to control this kind of activity. Another issue that has been affects the prison system is the sentencing that are being handed out for drug charges. This has cause the prisons to be overcrowded. Prison Violence on the Rise Prison violence is on the rise, many prison conditions are a recipe for violence, by being overcrowded, understaffed, insufficient staff training, excessive solitary confinement, insecure facilities, mistreatment of mentally ill inmates, policies that weaken family ties, a culture of disrespect between staff and prisoners, and little accountability for wardens. These facilities are causing concern not only for inmates but, for those employed to supervise the convicted offenders. Inmate population continue to grow, staffing levels in most facilities either have stopped or decreased. Violence has increased...
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...more likely to commit crime when they are older. Children who were younger than 12 when they were exposed to the violence or crime are the most likely to commit crimes later in life. (United States Department of Justice) Children who face violence at home are also more likely to become a runaway, which makes it much easier to run into the wrong crowd. There is an increasing amount of children in abusive homes who end up trying to become vigilantes towards the abuser in order to make the abuse stop. A majority of female offenders had been either physically or sexually abused during their childhood. The second main cause of childhood crimes is the group in which the kid is trying to fit into. Kids in rougher neighborhoods may join gangs for protection and thus are exposed to crime and required to prove that they are worthy of the gang’s help. In 2011 an estimated 48% of violent...
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