and the Mexican mafia control the smuggling of the drugs that come into the prisons. Since both are rivals of Nuestra Familia they watch each other’s back. The Black Guerrilla Family is also one of the the enemies that they have in common. Througout the years the A.B. has perfected crime and has sent a strong message to both the prison guards and law enforcement officers.
In this situation, social structure is the most logical explanation for the behavior of the inmates and the remaining criminal behavior. It is believed many of the individuals had hard struggles before entering the prison, hence the need to rely on gang interactions. The Pelican Bay State Prison was an environment to prove yourself to other gang members and represent the gang. You had to acquire strength, determination, and overall a violent nature. Many fights broke out in that prison, and most prisoners left with more strength and potential to continue in gang violence upon release from the prison.
Gangs in prison is not a new phenomena, gangs in prisons have been prevalent since the 1960’s and continue to have a major role in the corrections system today. To understand why gangs continues to have such a high impact on the system we must look at the history and types of gangs, how they developed in the corrections system and the impact these gangs have on the violence in the prison. What actions are being taken to deplete these gangs of their power and organizations in prison today? First, what is the definition of “gang”? One definition is “a group of criminal or hoodlums who band together for mutual protections and profit”.
There are STG’s that were created outside of the prison walls and were formed on the inside as those members became incarcerated. There are STG’s that are active both inside and outside of the prisons. No matter what kind of gang it is, every gang presents serious problems and concerns for the prisons and for law enforcement outside of the prisons. Of the numerous gangs that operate in the prison systems today there are a few that are larger and better known then others. Some of those larger gangs include, The Aryan Brotherhood, The Black Guerilla Family and The Mexican Mafia.
These new gang chapters sometimes become rivals to the original gang (Major Prison Gangs). Prison gangs are responsible for a wide varity of illegal activities. Along with offering protection to its gang members, prison gangs handle the drug, tobacco, and alcohol trafficking inside the prison. They are able and often bribe or scare other inmates and staff to “look the other way” as they commit their crimes. Larger prison gangs can even influence organized crime outside of prison.
Northern cliques may have conflict with other Norteno gangs on the streets, yet in prison they will bond together for protection under the leadership of the Nuestra Familia. The Nuestra Familia has a chain of command that oversees every Norteno gang in California. Nortenos have been identified in nearly every state in the United States of America. Nortenos have continued to be heavily involved in murders, felony assaults, thefts and drug sales. Northern gangs are bitter enemies to the EME and Southern street gangs.
The Division can hold up to 1,250 maximum security male detainees it is a four-story building is divided into eight blocks.That is just one of the many division that they have,Division II was Built in 1955 and it is designed to hold 870 detainees in a dormitory setting.Division III Annex,is also a minimum and medium security dormitory setting, houses the jail’s gang free and veteran’s tiers. Division III is building that is set up to house minimum and medium male detainees during population spikes at the jail. Division IV is designed to hold up to 704 inmates, it is a two story 16-wing building it was built in 1975, and currently houses the jail’s female general population, and The building also contains a stage and main recreation center.Division V was Built in 1978 it is a two-story building with 24 wings and a capacity to hold up to 992 detainees. In 2008, this medium and minimum security facility was converted to a Transitional Housing Unit which also includes the jail’s main administration offices, as well as the records department, and the Receiving Classification Diagnostic Center.Division VI is a two-story building with 24 wings and a capacity to hold 992 men. it was Built in 1979,it provides Protective Custody and Disciplinary wings for medium and minimum security classified detainees and a school wing for Medium and Minimum classified
The influx of prisoners poses issues such as gang rivalries, and violent confrontations, not only among the prisoners themselves but also between them and the prison guards. At Corcoran State Prison, on “gladiator days” officers forced rival gang members to fight, and shot them both for entertainment(Schlosser). In private Juvenile detention centers such as YSI facilities, staff often choose to not report most assaults and major fights to avoid scrutiny for violating their contracts and the rules of the Department of Juvenile Justice. Overcrowding also leads to inconveniences such as double-bunking, which urges aggression, violence, and stress-induced mental disorders. The incarceration system in the United States has inflicted much damage on societal well-being, caused by privatization of prisons, war on drugs, and overcrowding of prison cells.
Prison gangs often seek to intimidate the other inmates, pressuring them to surrender their food and other resources. This is a way to gain psychological control in jail, and most often rape happens in jail also. Rape is not only a physically and psychologically damaging experience, inmate’s experiences some form of pressured or coerced sexual conduct while incarcerated. They also murder or kidnap other inmates to show a psychological gain and control of other convicts. This is a feeling of control and authority and power in jail.
The rise of gang membership has divided the shared system into contending groups, which amplifies the potential for violence. During daily interactions, general management needs to show respect as well as sensitivity to the different ethnic groups. Procedures were established to battle gangs in the system, which include; segregation, isolating the leaders of the gangs, classifying, and labeling members of the gangs who have been in general population. Special corrections officer response teams were formed to manage inmates, which are the Corrections Emergency Response Team (Cert), Special Operation Response Team (SORT), and Special Response Teams (SRT’s) to help deal with fights; those that refuse to follow orders, and those who assault members of staff. To secure the prison a sally port (vehicle control) controls traffic coming and going.