NCJ Number
196185
Date Published
2002
Length
58 pages
Annotation
This paper discusses the prevalence, dynamics, mission, and impact of extremist prison gangs.
Abstract
Extremist groups that originate and operate in the free world view prisons as arenas for propaganda and recruiting. Extremists, whether subscribing to their beliefs prior to incarceration or converting once inside, often experience prison as a place where hate for various target groups intensifies. Prison environments are conducive to the rise of racially separated prison gangs, which prey on the fears and prejudices of new inmates in order to achieve ideological and larcenous goals. Part of the recruitment efforts of extremist groups among inmates is to imbue them with a sense of martyrdom for the "cause" as "political prisoners," "concentration camp inmates," or "prisoners of war." White supremacists, anti-government activists, and radical anti-abortion activists are encouraged by free-world support that is not only financial but also psychological, thus fueling and reinforcing a commitment to extremist beliefs and actions. Similarly, eco-terrorist receive support from those outside the prison walls that convince them their actions were just. Persistent prison conditions and the guarantee of free speech prevents the eradication of extremist prison gangs; however, efforts by prison staff and the larger society can help to counteract extremist beliefs through education and the monitoring of groups and individuals in prison that pose security threats. Efforts to counter discrimination and hate in prison should be as intense and committed as those of the extremists.