NCJ Number
187685
Journal
Corrections Management Quarterly Volume: 5 Issue: 1 Dated: Winter 2001 Pages: 10-22
Date Published
2001
Length
13 pages
Annotation
This article reviews strategies of seven correctional systems and highlights what each agency believes is the key to its positive results.
Abstract
One of the most difficult challenges facing corrections officials is controlling inmate gangs. Several jurisdictions have developed excellent strategies to help neutralize the influence of major players and leaders of their gangs. These policies have developed over time and represent more evolution and adaptation of workable solutions than overnight wholesale changes. The article reviews: California Department of Corrections, Texas Department of Corrections, Federal Bureau of Prisons, New York Department of Correctional Services, Florida Department of Corrections, Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction, and Connecticut Department of Correction. All jurisdictions use variants of two philosophies: suppression and intervention. Key issues of gang management across jurisdictions include management choices such as tracking gang membership or focusing on individual behavior, dispersing gang members throughout institutions or centralizing them in one location, and adopting the most effective control measures. References