Security Threat Groups and the Prison Protection Market

• In Event: IASOC Presents: A Look at Prison Gangs throughout the US

Abstract

The majority of research that examines prison gangs focuses on vertically configured groups. This article argues that there exist two types of developed prison groups, “first-order” and “second-order” groups. First-order groups are the vertically configured groups that inmates formed in response to their need for protection against an oppressive force. These groups were established and existed in a climate where the prison system either failed or refused to establish control over inmates’ affairs. In time, in Texas and Illinois, the state prison systems did reassert their control over first-order groups by eroding the leadership capabilities of these groups through the targeted prosecution or increased punishment of identified leaders. The resulting leadership deficit negatively impacted the ability of first-order groups to maintain their leadership structure, thereby creating a space in which “second-order” groups could emerge. These second-order groups exhibit a flattened control structure, which is more difficult for prison authorities to target effectively. This new, dominant organizational structure in prisons also affects the social order of the underworld outside prison in that it appears to reduce the influence that incarcerated gang bosses can exert on it.

Author

• Rajeev Gundur, Cardiff University