Revisiting the Relationship Between Gang Membership and Misconduct in Prison: Do Self and Official Reports Tell the Same Story?

• In Event: Gangs and Prison: Emerging Evidence on Misconduct, Gang Organizational Structure, Criminal Careers, Gang Embeddedness, and Recidivism from the LoneStar Project

Abstract

The relationship between gang membership and offending ranks among the most established findings in the field of criminology. However, the research designs of the studies associated with generating this body of knowledge are based almost exclusively among youth in non-institutional settings. There is sound theory and some empirical evidence based on official records to suggest that this relationship may not be as robust in prisons. Drawing on data from the LoneStar Project, this study examines this relationship using self and official reports of gang membership and misconduct in prison. It is hypothesized that the magnitude of this relationship will be stronger when using self rather than official reports of gang membership and misconduct. Further, it is expected that the magnitude of the relationship will be stronger when using self and official reports of gang embeddedness than binary indicators of gang membership.

Authors

• David Pyrooz, University of Colorado Boulder

• Scott Decker, Arizona State University