Kim woods

BCJ 2002, Theory and Practices of Corrections 1

Course Learning Outcomes for Unit VI Upon completion of this unit, students should be able to:

1. Define terms related to corrections. 1.1 Identify key terms and vocabulary that relate to inmates and their legal

rights.

7. Analyze prison life and the effects it can have on individuals and society. 7.1 Discuss the role of gangs in the American prison system. 7.2 Discuss how a correctional officer can deal with officer safety issues as

they relate to prison gangs. 7.3 Identify the social structures of men and women in prisons.

8. Appraise the legal rights of inmates and the use of capital punishment.

8.1 Match the case law that sets current precedent for the treatment of

incarcerated populations

Unit Lesson The inmate culture of incarceration, either in jails or prisons, is one of finding belonging and protection. Gangs are common in the correctional institution environment. Prison gangs present certain issues to both inmate criminal culture and officer safety. This lecture will focus on prison gangs as a way of separating corrections from other aspects of criminal justice. What makes prison gangs unique is that they originate in prison and continue their criminal activity outside of the institution, as opposed to those gangs that work from the outside and wind up in prison as a result of their criminal activity. Prison gangs are involved in drug trafficking, human trafficking, dealing in stolen merchandise, arms trafficking, extortion and embezzlement, plotting assassinations of public officials, and ambushes of correctional officers and law enforcement. Inside the institution, prison gangs start riots and disturbances, assault other inmates that are involved with rival gangs, and orchestrate assaults on officers as well. The United States Department of Justice (USDOJ) recognizes 13 prison gangs in the American prison system: the Aryan Brotherhood; Barrio Azteca; Black Guerilla Family; Dead Man Incorporated (DMI); Four Horsemen, Tangos, and Tango Blast; Hemanos de Pistoleros Latinos; Mexican Mafia (La Eme); Mexikanemi; Nazi Low Riders; Neta; Nuestra Familia; Public Enemy Number One; and Texas Syndicate (United States Department of Justice, n.d.). The Department of Justice recognizes these prison gangs because of their unique capability for committing crime inside a correctional institution and operating outside of the institution as well. It is somewhat interesting to correctional and law enforcement professionals that these gangs can operate with limited resources and engage in

Reading Assignment Chapter 10: The Inmate W orld: Living Behind Bars Chapter 11: The Legal World: Prisoners’ Rights

Learning Activities (Non-Graded) See information below.

Key Terms 1. Civil liability 2. Deliberate

indifference 3. Deprivation theory 4. Doctrine of sovereign

immunity 5. Frivolous lawsuits 6. Hands-off doctrine 7. Importation theory 8. Prison code 9. Prisoner subculture

10. Prisonization 11. Punitive damages 12. Writ of habeas corpus

UNIT VI STUDY GUIDE

Inmates and Their Legal Rights

BCJ 2002, Theory and Practices of Corrections 2

criminal enterprise. By identifying them as criminal enterprises, prosecuting authorities can apply more serious charges to their criminal activity. This entire list of recognized prison gangs does not exist in every prison system or penitentiary across the United States. To illustrate this point we can look at two of the largest prison systems in the country, Florida and Texas. The Florida Department of Corrections only recognizes a total of seven prison gangs as being active in their state correctional system: Neta, Aryan Brotherhood, Black Guerrilla Family, Mexican Mafia, La Nuestra Familia, and the Texas Syndicate (n.d). The state of Texas has four of these gangs in common with the state of Florida: the Aryan Brotherhood, Black Guerrilla Family, Texas Syndicate, and Mexican Mafia. In looking at these four gangs Texas and Florida have in common, each has a culture unique to their specific gang. One common thread that the Aryan Brotherhood has nationwide is that they are seen as one of the most dangerous gangs in the prison system. The gang originated in San Quentin California State Prison in 1967 and is made up of white males (United States Department of Justice, n.d.). They are referred to as “AB,” and some of their primary activities include the sale, manufacturing, and distribution of heroin, cocaine, and methamphetamine, both inside the prison as a form of contraband, and on the street. They are also involved in assassination plots and murder-for-hire. Their identifiers include shamrocks, swastikas, double lightning bolts, the numbers “666,” and the use of Gaelic symbols to communicate with other members. The Aryan Brotherhood has several enemies in the prison system, including the Black Guerrilla Family, Crips, and Bloods. They also maintain ties to the Mexican Mafia for the purposes of drug smuggling and will align themselves with other white supremacy groups. What is interesting about this prison gang is that even though they are rivals with several predominantly black prison gangs, they will briefly unite with each other to cause institution-wide violence in the form of riots and assaults on correctional officers (Florida Department of Corrections, n.d.). The Black Guerrilla Family was also formed in San Quentin State Prison in California in 1966 by a former Black Panther (Florida Department of Corrections, n.d.). They are the one of the most politically motivated gangs in the prison system and are known for their main goal of wanting to overthrow the United States government. This gang requires a death oath. A death oath means that once you are a part of this gang, the only way out is death. They are identified by tattoos that have cross sabers, shotguns, or a black dragon overtaking a prison tower. The Black Guerrilla Family are enemies with the Aryan Brotherhood, Mexican Mafia, and the Texas Syndicate. They are allied with the La Nuestra Familia, the Black Liberation Army, and black street gangs such as the Crips, Bloods, and the Black Gangster Disciples. Black street gang members are actively recruited into the Black Guerilla Family upon entering the prison system (Florida Department of Corrections, n.d.). The Texas Syndicate (TS) is one prison gang that actively recruits both nationally and internationally. Their members are predominately Mexican-American or Hispanic. They originated in Folsom Prison in 1970 as a response to protection from other prison gangs that were victimizing inmates from Texas (Florida Department of Corrections, n.d). Based on the origin of their location, they have the unique capability to conduct recruiting on an international scale in Mexico and Central America. The membership is rising as a result of a push to recruit from other states, such as Florida, as well as inmates from Cuba, Columbia, and Mexico. The TS has very few recognized alliances in prison. The only two that have been found are with smaller gangs like The Dirty White Boyz and the Texas Mafia. The TS rivals include the Aryan Brotherhood, La Nuestra Familia, Mexican Mafia, Mexikanemi, and the Mandingo Warriors. What makes this group extremely dangerous is that they have an alliance with Los Zetas and as a result have a large network of drug trafficking, human trafficking, and arms trafficking capabilities (United States Department of Justice, n.d). The identifiers of these gang members are the letters T and S that are embedded into

BCJ 2002, Theory and Practices of Corrections 3

other tattoos and can be hard to notice at a quick glance. The location of their tattoos tend to be on the right forearm or on the outside of the calf and neck (Florida Department of Corrections, n.d). The last prison gang we will discuss is the Mexican Mafia (EME). The gang was formed by a group of juveniles in a California juvenile detention facility from street gangs in L.A. The EME is the Federal Bureau of Prisons’ most active prison gang and is centered on drug trafficking and ethnic unification. However, they have been known to branch out into racketeering, prostitution, and extortion, all inside the prison system. The EME’s list of enemies include the Black Guerrilla Family, Arizona’s New Mexican Mafia, and loosely affiliated black street gangs. The one interesting aspect of this group is that they hold the women associated with the gang members in high regard because they support the gang members activities while they are incarcerated (United States Department of Justice, n.d). Any targeted killing done in prison by this group will be particularly violent and gruesome. This is done to effectively make a point, gain respect, or invoke fear (Florida Department of Corrections, n.d). Now that we have discussed some of the gangs that are prevalent in the prison and some of their characteristics, we can look at how we can apply this knowledge to create a safer environment in the correctional facility for the officer. The first step is to properly classify inmates upon their arrival to the facility. Gangs exist in all levels of security in correctional facilities. Booking or reception officers understanding gang identifiers, and taking quality photographs or making notations in files is the first part of the process. Inmates may have several hundred tattoos on their body. It is important to realize that the only identifier that a gang member may have is on his eyelids and only visible when the inmate closes his eyes. The rest of the tattoos on the body may not have any meaning to gang affiliation at all. Having inmates properly classified by information available to a classification officer that understands gang rivalries and alliances for the purposes of housing is a key component of creating a safer environment in the prison or jail setting. When officers conduct security checks, inspections, or shakedowns in the course of their day, they need to remain alert for signs of gang activity in their cell block or dormitory. Like street gangs, prison gangs have secret handshakes, signs, dances, alphabets, knowledge, songs, slang, and clothing styles. Understanding these aspects of the gang culture will help an officer talk to inmates that are gang members. When an officer does this, careful consideration should be taken, and he or she should not get comfortable with an inmate. An officer confusing gang affiliations can be seen as a sign of disrespect and could cause a conversational encounter to turn violent. If officers are going to make an attempt to talk to an inmate, either in a gang or suspected of being in a gang, they should be cognizant of their surroundings. They should know how many other inmates are around them that may be affiliated with gangs in the prison or affiliated with that specific inmate. It is also important to understand that not all inmates entering a prison are already affiliated with a gang. Some inmates enter the correctional system and realize for one reason or another that they need protection or feel the need to belong to a group or some sort of family. Once they become members of a prison gang, it is generally a lifelong commitment punctuated by the term “blood in, blood out,” meaning that you committed some sort of violent crime to get into the gang, and the only way out is death. Understanding the culture of prison gangs is crucial for officers as it relates to officer safety, institutional safety, and the smooth daily operation of a correctional facility in general. Understanding how to identify, classify, and house inmates appropriately also mitigates liability of the institution from lawsuits resulting from death and injury of inmates due to improperly classifying inmates and their threat level to security. At some point, the gang population may shift, and other gangs may become prevalent in the prison system. Officers need to remain vigilant in understanding the culture and

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identifying inmates with gang affiliations as way to develop intelligence on criminal activity both inside and outside the facility.

References Florida Department of Corrections. (n.d.). Major prison gangs. Retrieved from

http://www.dc.state.fl.us/pub/gangs/prison.html United States Department of Justice. (n.d.). Prison gangs and photos. Retrieved from

http://www.justice.gov/criminal/ocgs/gangs/prison.html

Learning Activities (Non-Graded) Flash Cards For a review of the Key Terms of the unit, click here to access the interactive Unit VI Questions in PowerPoint form. (Click here to access a PDF version.) Non-graded Learning Activities are provided to aid students in their course of study. You do not have to submit them. If you have questions, contact your instructor for further guidance and information.

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