Roundtable: Inside and Out--A Discussion on the Role of Security Threat Groups In and Outside of Prison in Different States and Countries

Session Submission Type: Roundtable Session

Abstract

Security threat groups (STGs), also called prison gangs, are organizations that have been sporadically studied over the past four decades. This panel brings together scholars from an array of perspectives and backgrounds to examine the state of affairs that security threat groups present today in various geographical contexts. This roundtable will discuss STGs’ impact on social control and order not only within prisons but also on the street. In addition, this roundtable will consider the differences that develop in the social order of security threat groups vis-a-vis different geographical and ethnic contexts and how such groups impact prisoners’ lives before, during, and after incarceration. Finally, this panel will consider the potential advantages and disadvantages for allowing STGs to form and how prison administrators, police, and civil society actors can mitigate the problems that emanate from STGs or their disruption.

Sub Unit

• Area XIII: Roundtable Sessions

Chair

• Rajeev Gundur, Cardiff University

Discussants

• Antonio Fernandez, Grow Up Grow Out Inc.

• Kevin M. Gonzalez, California State University, Los Angeles

• Robert Donald Weide, California State University, Los Angeles

• Timothy Lauger, Niagara University

• Gavin Slade, University of Glasgow

• John Hagedorn, University of Illinois at Chicago