NCJ Number
153296
Journal
Journal of Gang Research Volume: 2 Issue: 2 Dated: (Winter 1994-95) Pages: 1-11
Date Published
1995
Length
11 pages
Annotation
This exploratory study examines differences between prison gangs, security-threat groups, and general population inmates in the Texas Department of Corrections.
Abstract
According to Texas prison officials, security-threat groups of inmates are characterized by small numbers; a lack of organization within the prison; and affiliation with a gang, group, or organization that has a power based external to the prison environment. What is not known is how similar or dissimilar security-threat groups are in comparison to prison gangs, and/or general population inmates with regard to a variety of demographic characteristics such as custody level, the number of times spent in solitary confinement, the number and type of offenses for which time is being served, length of prison sentence, and the number of days currently served in prison. Three independent data sets were used to explore the issues raised. All the data used were provided by the Texas Department of Corrections and included all relevant variables kept in the Department's computer system on prison gangs and disruptive group members between 1989 and 1990. The first group selected for analysis included all security-threat group members identified by the Texas Department of Corrections (102). To ensure group size equivalence, 103 prison gang members were randomly drawn from the total known population (n=1,229). The third group involved 103 randomly selected general population inmates drawn from a larger random sample of inmates (n=1,016), which was developed in 1991. Because security-threat group members are included in the general population, care was taken to remove them from the sampling frame before the 1991 random sample was selected. The analysis did not reveal significant differences between the groups in terms of education, IQ scores, number of offenses for which time was being served, and the maximum prison term. Even though hypotheses were not formulated for this exploratory study, the number of offenses and the maximum prison terms of inmates failed to show significant differences. Overall, security-threat groups were significantly different from general population inmates with respect to solitary confinement, custody level, offense categories, and flat-time served. Security-threat groups were not significantly different from prison gangs in terms of solitary confinement, offense categories, maximum time served, and flat time served. findings suggest that security-threat groups are different from general population inmates and that they are more similar to prison gang members on several dimensions. Correctional systems throughout the United States are encouraged to develop policies and strategies designed to monitor closely the activities, growth, and development of security-threat groups. 8 tables and 16 references