PRISON SUBCULTURE

Every prison has its own personality. The strength of its subcultures depends on the peculiarity of its personality. Prison subcultures make up the components of the prison world.

Listed below are some of the most notable Prison subcultures

Code of Ethics: The code of ethics among convicts is simply mind your own business. Snitching on another inmate can be fatal.

Con Games: Con games are manipulative games that inmates play on staff, volunteers and other inmates. All of these tactics are self-serving to the inmate.

Commissaries: Commissaries are stores that certain inmates operate out of their cells. Each inmate that owns and operates a commissary is in violation of Department of Correction Policy. Normally, inmates make between 75 & 100% profit on each item. Inmates keep their stores stocked by purchasing items from the prison commissary and reselling these items to the general population for twice the cost.

Loan Sharks: Loan Sharks are inmates who make monetary loans to other inmates for high rates of interest. It is customary for a loan shark to get 100% and more for each loan that he makes. Failure to payback a loan could result in some serious complications for the borrower.

Homosexuality: Homosexuality is sexual exchanges between members of the same sex which maybe voluntary or involuntary. Many men and women are lured into traps that are set by more experienced inmates.

Games: Many games are played on new inmates who are indigent upon their arrival into the system. Inmates give food, money, and cigarettes to other inmates in return for sexual gain.

Gang Rape: An inmate is raped by several other inmates.

Drug Cultures: Drugs and drug dealers selling and supplying the prison populations with illegal drugs.

Drugs in its purest forms are brought into prisons for inmates by employees, visitors, and in packages in the mail.

There is no facility within the Department of Corrections, anywhere in the world that is immune from drug trafficking.

Inmates have access to any drug that can be purchased in the community inside, our jails and prisons.

Inmates can attain any brand of alcohol including prison made alcohol.


Return to Top


GANGS

What is a Gang?

  • A group of individuals who may or may not claim control over a certain territory.
  • Engage either individually or collectively, in violent or other form of illegal behavior.
  • Very fluid in nature.

Early Warning Signs of Gang Involvement:

  • Drug use
  • Decline in grades at school
  • Truancy, change of friends
  • Keeping late hours
  • Having large sums of money or expensive items, which cannot be explained.

When Gang Involvement Begins:

  • Can begin as early as elementary school – 7-8 years of age.
  • Behavior may change either suddenly or gradually, but it will follow a pattern.
  • Adopt defiant attitude toward authority figures. The defiance may be expressed by violent behavior at school or home.
  • At school, the child lets everyone know of new status.
  • Wears gang clothing and becomes disrespectful toward teacher and others.
  • May fight others to gain reputation for being "bad".
  • At home, new gang memberŐs defiance may or may not manifest itself in violence. However, if family interferes with the childŐs gang involvement there may be repeated confrontation.

Factors Contributing to Gang Affiliation:

  • Parents should look for change in behavior and lifestyle of their child.
  • Contributing factors include: ineffective parental skills, history of family gang involvement, and evidence of parental abuse or neglect.
  • Poor academic achievement and early anti-social behavior.
  • Will display low self-esteem and may begin experimenting with drugs and alcohol.
  • Isolates himself with others experiencing similar social and personal problems.

Steps Parents and Educators Should Take:

  • Talk to your child or teenager. Discuss the consequences of being in a gang.
  • Involve your child in family and outside activities.
  • Take an active interest in your childŐs schooling and academic progress.
  • Contact government agencies such as the police and juvenile authority. They may have a crime prevention or gang specialist who can give you information.
  • Call community based organizations. Many have experience with gang problems and can give you some valuable advice.
  • Go to your religious leaders for advice. They may have programs to help neighborhood children.
    Report and remove any graffiti in your neighborhood.

What Are Some Signs of Gang Involvement?

  1. Wearing one particular color of clothing, or a particular log excessively.
  2. Wearing sagging pants.
  3. Wearing jewelry with distinctive designs only on the right or left hand of the body.
  4. Drawing gang symbols and using gang handwriting (usually graffiti-like, hard to decipher, and characterized by crossed out, and upside down letters, and gang symbols).
  5. Using hand signs to communicate with friends.
  6. Using strange language or slang, especially when certain letters of words are substituted (like "flue" for blue, in Blood slang).
  7. Having behavior and performance problems in school.
  8. Defying authority.
  9. Becoming anti-social and withdrawing from family.
  10. Listening to gangster rap and/or watching movies about gangs.
  11. Using drugs and alcohol.
  12. Possessing unexplained cash or goods.
  13. Showing signs of physical injury, and lying about event surrounding the injury.
  14. Hanging around friends who also exhibit these signs.

If a child shows some of these signs, it does not necessarily mean he or she is involved in a gang. Because of the popularity, or gang style in popular culture, many children who are not involved in gangs were the style. This trend makes distinguishing who is actually involved in gangs even harder, but usually someone who exhibits all or most of these signs is probably involved in gang activity.

Return to Top