NCJ Number
147216
Journal
Criminal Justice Newsletter Volume: 16 Issue: 13 Dated: (July 1, 1985) Pages: 6
Date Published
1985
Length
1 page
Annotation
Corrections officials in Los Angeles blamed overcrowding and the presence of jail gangs for a confrontation in June 1985 that left 25 inmates and two sheriff's deputies injured.
Abstract
The disturbance occurred when inmates blockaded a cell module and refused to return to their cells; officers wearing protective vests and helmets removed the inmates (some of them carrying improvised weapons) one at time. The county's eight jails hold more than 18,000 inmates, 60 percent above capacity. Overcrowding tends to exacerbate the tension between rival gangs that have established a presence at the jail. All of the inmates involved in the blockade were from the Crips gang; there are 800 Crips in the entire jail system, and 300-400 members of the rival Bloods gang. While other gangs are represented among the jail population, Crips and Bloods members are the most numerous and most violence-prone. Corrections officials try to minimize gang conflicts by prohibiting gang members from wearing their colors and by recognizing various gangs' tattoos, clothing, and hand signs.