NCJ Number
247664
Journal
Prison Journal Volume: 94 Issue: 2 Dated: June 2014 Pages: 159-179
Date Published
June 2014
Length
21 pages
Annotation
This article addresses what many observers of Texas' prison gangs perceive as significant changes in the hierarchical structure of various Latino groups.
Abstract
This article addresses what many observers of Texas' prison gangs perceive as significant changes in the hierarchical structure of various Latino groups. Focusing on the state's central and eastern regions, we provide a brief historical context and overview of contemporaneous gang factions. We attempt to understand gang dynamics as a function of emerging demographic patterns in the prison population. Examining prison admissions trends for males from Texas' four largest counties, we illustrate ongoing changes in race-age composition for these metropolitan areas that reinforce depictions of changing gang structure in unofficial reports, print media, and prison documentaries. We emphasize the need for multimethod approaches and analyses of the United States-Mexico Border region for a more complete view of the Texas gang landscape. Abstract published by arrangement with Sage.