Assignment:
In 2013, members of the Black Guerilla Family (BGF) prison gang were indicted on racketeering charges. The gang infiltrated several detention centers in Maryland and conspired with some corrupt correctional officers to distribute drugs and launder money. A high-ranking member of the gang, Travon White, was captured on a phone call saying, "This is my jail. You understand that? I'm dead serious. . . . I make every final call in this jail" (U.S. Attorney's Office, 2013, para. 16). An FBI agent who worked on the case echoed this sentiment, suggesting that the BGF prison gang seemed to be running the detention centers.
In this Discussion, you examine the differences between prison gangs and street gangs, factors that contribute to the proliferation of prison gangs, and challenges related to combating prison gangs.
Reference:
U.S. Attorney's Office. (2013, April 23). Thirteen correctional officers among 25 Black Guerilla Family gang members and associates indicted on federal racketeering charges.
Addresses the following:
- What are the differences between prison gangs and street gangs?
- What factors contribute to the proliferation of gangs in prisons?
- Why is it challenging to combat prison gangs?
Institute for Intergovernmental Research. (2009, July). Gang prosecution manual.
Note: Read pp. 60-110 only.
Kirby, S., & Snow, N. (2016). Praxis and the disruption of organized crime groups. Trends in Organized Crime, 19(2), 111-124.
Note: You will access this article from the Walden Library databases.
Lessing, B. (2016, September). Inside out: The challenge of prison-based criminal organizations (Local Orders Paper Series).
Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. (2009, May). OJJDP comprehensive gang model: Planning for implementation.
Note: Scan this resource to identity intervention strategies you could implement in your community and challenges associated with doing so.
Pyrooz, D. C., Decker, S. H., & Fleisher, M. (2011). From the street to the prison, from the prison to the street: Understanding and responding to prison gangs. Journal of Aggression, Conflict and Peace Research, 3(1), 12-24.
Smith, R. G. (2014). Responding to organised crime through intervention in recruitment pathways. Trends & Issues in Crime & Criminal Justice, 473, 1-9.
United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. (2018j, May). Module 11: International cooperation to combat transnational organized crime.
U.S. Department of Justice. (2015, May 11). Prison gangs.