Corrections_Today_Summer_2024_Vol.86_No.2

How to avoid gang affiliation in prison? About 20% of the people interviewed said they avoid gangs on the street because there were simply no gangs. That was a different story in prison where exposure is far more prevalent. Indeed, only 2% of the non-gang interviewees said there were “no gangs to join” in their units, which is how they avoided gangs. In other words, the rest of the people we interviewed had to undertake some sort of avoidance strategy. The majority of non-gang members (54%) said they “declined invitations” to join. But “just say no” does not work the same way in an environment that controls your movements, housing, opportunities and many other things. Declining invitations was typically paired with an explanation. Religion was

small grouping said they were simply too busy with other activities to get involved. Reputation mattered in other ways, too, such as sexual orientation and types of convictions. Perhaps one of the few benefits of a sex offender status was expressed by a 29-year-old White prisoner: “I just told them my charge. They wouldn’t ask me about joining since they knew about it. You can tell when they are hinting at affiliation but telling them I’m a sex offender shuts it off entirely.” Lessons learned about gang avoidance There is little doubt that gangs contribute to the social order of prisons. They impact safety, con traband markets, housing, programming and other matters of significance. It is impor by interviewing the people who are exposed to gangs and directly vulner able to the risks of joining them. There are five conclusions from this research that could benefit efforts to prevent the onset of gang involvement in prison. First, investing in actions that undermine the selective incentives offered by gangs would remove the attractive ness of gangs. Protection and safety rank high in the list of motivations to join gangs. By enhancing security and creating means for non-violent conflict resolution, the pressure to affiliate would weaken, as it is takes incredible resolve to “go it alone” while incarcerated. Second, and relatedly, keeping prisoners busy would go great lengths to prevent gangs from occupy ing the voids encountered while incarcerated. Training, skill-building, work, art and other activities can be mean ingful and quality endeavors in which people take pride in part because they promote individuality. Third, religion is a major reason for avoiding gang involvement and one that is respected by gangs (includ ing for disengagement from gangs). The more religion A d o b e S t o c k / F o r e n i u s tant to find solutions that lessen the impact of gangs on prison. This can be done through management strate gies, such as intelligence gathering and housing, but also through prevention and intervention. Many lessons can be learned

commonly invoked, for example. A 31-year-old White prisoner said he “just told them no, and told them that I was a religious man trying to stay in the word [of God] and remain solo. I said that God’s more important than some prison gangs. Just got to hold your ground they’re going to keep on asking you.” Another 31% indicated they “kept

their head down,” or essentially avoided conversation and activities that could invite affiliation. A 22-year-old Black prisoner told us his strategy: “I just stayed to myself an told them I’m a longer that is trying to go home, and that I have people that care about me on the outside. I love my family too much to worry about a prison gang.” Keeping to oneself is possible in part because, as a Native American prisoner in his sixties said, “Gangs don’t really bother people who are doing their own thing.” Though others contrasted contemporary and classic gang dynamics in prison, as a 37-year-old White prisoner told us that “Gangs today are not the gangs of when I first came down ... Twenty-five years ago you joined to survive ... [Today] I wouldn’t have any problems in the prison population as a non-gang or non-family member.” A smaller percentage of non-gang members said they had to fight to avoid affiliation or their reputation as a fighter prevented further inquiry from gangs. An equally

Summer 2024 | Corrections Today

37