G

One of the most significant developments in American prisons in the last two decades has been the emergence of inmate gangs. Committing almost every type of infraction of institutional policy, gang members are five times more likely to be involved in institutional violence than are other inmates. In some prisons, gang members have imported the identity and power of their street gangs. In others, inmate gangs with no prior outside affiliation have developed. Although prisons across the country cannot agree on a common label (“security threat group,” or “disruptive group”) and many administrators feel politically pressured to deny the existence or true impact of gangs, gangs exist in every prison system and major jail.