Prison gang - Wikipedia

FORGET the old-fashioned notions of racist, violent thugs grouping together to pick on the weak. Prison gangs are actually a vital tool for social cohesion.

Garrett Roth and David Skarbek, reported on by the The Wilson Quarterly. Roth and Skarbek argue that prison gangs actually keep violence down by creating a stable environment where an internal economy based on contraband can operate.

Fundamentally, the problem is this: For example, if a member of Gang A purchases drugs on credit from a member of Gang B, then Gang A is responsible for the payment of the debt.

This kind of system is especially effective when it is easier to determine the trustworthiness of a group rather than the trustworthiness of an individual. Prison gangs actually keep overall violence down. They provide extralegal governance in social and economic interactions.

The most popular contraband includes drugs, alcohol, tobacco and mobile phones. The rate of inmate homicides and prison riots in the US has actually been declining since the s, at the same time as gangs have proliferated, the authors argue. They cite figures which show the instance of inmate homicides declined 94 per cent between and Contrary to popular belief, these racial divisions are less about actual race than ease of identification, the authors argue: Prison gangs resolve both social and commercial conflicts among inmates.

In the study, a white inmate who served eight years in prison explains how in-group policing is practised by gangs.

Gangs wish to avoid riots and conceal fistfights. Gangs also help allocate scarce prison resources, such as benches and basketball courts, in the face of a shortage of such amenities.

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5 Ways to Deal with Being in Prison - wikiHow

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