ABSTRACT
The term “prison gang” is traditionally met with fear, as thoughts of violence and chaos have preceded public perception. While many prison gangs adhere to strict codes of conduct, racial and ethnic division, and criminal activity, prison gangs have also been voices of resistance to inhumane treatment and unfair conditions within incarcerated settings. In order to unpack the term “prison gang”, it must be set in the context of mass incarceration and social inequality that is rampant throughout marginalized communities. Therefore, this chapter investigates the rise of modern prison gangs and resistance within carceral settings and attempts reentry for those affiliated with gangs. This chapter serves as a launching point to discuss the ways the state has proliferated and propagated violence within prisons and expanded these groups through draconian policies and other retributive procedures. Subsequently pursuing prison abolition as a realistic concept moving into the 21st century.
