| Ironic
as it may seem, it is now safe to say that prison
gang oversight is becoming as sophisticated
as the gangs themselves. The national (and international)
intelligence sharing, technological
surveillance, officer training programs, emergency
preparedness, interagency cooperation, research
and evaluation of Security Threat Groups or gangs
in the prison environment have emerged as a
priority custodial operations and security component
of modern correctional services. Current
security and custody jargon refers to the prison
gang problem as Security Threat Groups (STGs).
Anti-gang policies and procedures have moved to
the forefront of institutional security priorities.
The
U.S. Bureau of Justice Administration's (BJA)
now provides information related to prison gangs,
gang members, and prison gang activities through
its Regional Information Sharing System (RISS).3
It also provides technical assistance and training
on a national basis to correctional agencies and
allied
law enforcement personnel. This network is evolving
into a formal system for the sharing of gang
intelligence data and strategies.
However, these STG control efforts must be carefully
construed. One of the strongest objections to
enhancing the institutional focus on frequent,
violent offenders is that the present system is
already
sharply focused. If correctional agencies are
already concentrating on the most dangerous offenders,
it will do little good and conceivably some harm
to urge still greater concentration. The safety
and
security of those inmates who seek to do their
time and cooperated with institutional programs
are
jeopardized in the process of overarching efforts
solely focused on controlling inmate gangs. The
ability for non-gang inmates to avoid gang involvement
is becoming less tenable. This population of
inmates is seriously in need of primary focus.
They, along with the correctional officers, are
increasingly forced to survive within a security
regime designed solely to control gang-bangers
and
troublemakers.
On the extreme side the gang rules of the street
now apply to the correction facility. The mentality
of the gang "drive-by execution" has
become manifest behind the walls of our correctional
facilities.
Gangs flourish in prisons for protection purposes,
just as gangs flourish in the street for social
reasons
of turf and protection. Just as gang leaders may
"police" neighborhood turf these strategies
often
erupt into assassinations. Inmates and staff are
murdered and mutilated on "orders" from
prison gang
leaders.
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