Criminal Crews, Codes, and Contexts: Differences and Similarities across the Code of the Street, Convict Code, Street Gangs, and Prison Gangs

This chapter investigates the composition of prison gangs, their effects on the prison environment, and their relationships with street gangs. Through conducting an ethnographic study of an adult men's prison in England, the chapter attempts to articulate the experiences of prison gang members, as well as prisoners exposed to high levels of gang activity. The results illustrate the established role gangs play within English prisons, but also the relevance of other groups, collectives and “sets” within the penal environment. Through analysing the gathered data, I aim to show the important - but not defining - role gangs play within an English prison. Moreover, when compared to the American prison system, gangs are far less entrenched in English prisons; this can partly be attributed to the deeper historical roots of American prison gangs, as well as their highly racialized dimensions. The chapter begins with two case-studies, the subjects of which are prisoners from the research site.

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Prison Gangs, Street Gangs: A Critique of Theories of Prison Violence and Prison Research Methodologies: Very Rough Draft

SSRN Electronic Journal ◽

10.2139/ssrn.3060649 ◽

2017 ◽

Author(s):

Mark Fleisher

Keyword(s):

Street Gangs ◽

Research Methodologies ◽

Prison Violence ◽

Prison Gangs ◽

Rough Draft

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‘If You’re Down With a Gang Inside, You Can Lead a Nice Life’: Prison Gangs in the Age of Austerity

Youth Justice ◽

10.1177/1473225420907974 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 20 (1-2) ◽

pp. 128-145

Author(s):

Dev Rup Maitra

Keyword(s):

American Literature ◽

Gang Membership ◽

Street Gangs ◽

Gang Members ◽

Prison Violence ◽

Staffing Levels ◽

Prison Gangs ◽

Unintended Effect ◽

First Time ◽

Gathering Data

In many countries, there has been growing academic attention towards the activities of street and prison gang members. However, while much of the American literature explores the experiences of prison gang members, such investigation has been notably absent in the English context. This article seeks to address this deficit in the literature. Through gathering data from interviews with active prison gang members, it shows how reduced staffing levels in English prisons has led to an increasingly ‘ungovernable’ prison space. This, in turn, has led to an increase in levels of gang membership. Most notably, the high numbers of street gangs ‘imported’ into prisons has had the unintended effect of creating several ‘in prison’ gangs, which form for the first time in prison, with their members seeking protecting from more established gangs. This proliferation of gangs has had a significant impact on rates of in-prison violence, and how prisons are managed.

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