Prison Gangs

Abstract Researching the development and growth of prison gangs in the United States is challenging due to their secretive nature. Further, access to prison gang members and institutional prison gang records is controlled by prison administrators. Prison officials often refer to prison gangs as security threat groups, describing them as self‐perpetuating crime organizations operating within correctional facilities that often continue criminal operations in free society. Membership in a prison gang is often based on racial or ethnic characteristics of an inmate. Prison officials employ several strategies to control prison gangs, both in prisons and in communities.