In the Beginning…and 35 Years Later: Interviews with a Prison Gang Member

• In Event: The Challenges for Leaving Gangs

Abstract

Prison gang researchers have written about the changes in the prison subculture in recent years. Some have addressed the infusion of younger, more violent, and less disciplined inmates while others have addressed intensified efforts to improve the management of gangs through increased gang suppression programming. This paper examines changes in the culture of the Texas prisons over a 35 year period through a series of interviews with a high ranking prison gang member. Although many elements of change in both the inmate subculture and officer subculture are addressed, many elements have remained constant, begging the question, “Do the more things change, the more they remain the same?”

Authors

• Beth Pelz, University of Houston - Downtown

• Terry Pelz, University of Houston - Downtown