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| Trends Within Correctional STGs and Gangs |
| By Michelle Gaseau, Managing Editor |
| Published: 09/05/2003 |
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Most correctional agencies have in place a management strategy for monitoring and identifying members of security threat groups and over the last decade they have made strides in separating them from the general population. But what agencies must also be cognizant of is that STGs and STG monitoring is cyclical. A recent survey commissioned by the National Major Gang Task Force confirms a number of ongoing trends related to STGs and gangs including that both prison and jails still see significant numbers of STG members among their populations - despite their efforts to separate them. Some of this may be due to the movement of gang members from the prison to the street then back into the system again as jail or prison inmates. 'One thing on a national perspective that is interesting is that because of the targeted task forces that have been put together, a high percentage of gang members have ended up in the federal and state systems. [And] now they are coming back to the streets and are moving out into the streets [after their sentences are over],' said Frank Marcell, Jail Intelligence Supervisor for the Maricopa County, Ariz., Sheriff's Office and a board member of the National Major Gang Task Force (NMGTF). In other parts of the country, gang and STG intelligence experts are also seeing different changes at the street gang level that may affect what occurs in prison or in jails. Officials in Texas and in the eastern part of the country are seeing a rise in informal 'gangs' that are primarily driven by the sale and distribution of drugs, but, as they are arrested, they may play a role on the institutional side of the equation as well. One of the first places they may end up is the county or city jail, which is an area some believe needs more attention. Preparing Jails for Gangs According to Marcell, the driving force behind most gang activity on the street is drugs. And eventually, gang members - some of whom have already been incarcerated -- will be arrested and likely end up in a jail awaiting trial. It is this type of situation that Marcell says jails need to be better prepared for. 'Many of these guys are re-arrested and end up in county jails awaiting their trial and prosecution. County jails are now housing seasoned veterans who have been through the prison system. They have a great impact on the county jails because they will be the shot callers,' he said. These offenders will try to take control of a jail and may even seek out others to work on their behalf. Marcell said these veteran gang members have learned a great deal about how to rule in an incarcerated setting and can cause bigger problems than the non-gang affiliated offender. 'Now they have a name to attach themselves to and younger or non-gang member inmates can become victims or be intimidated by them. They have a propensity for violence and know how to operate in an incarcerated setting,' Marcell said. Because of this trend, Marcell said there is a greater need among correctional officers in jails to be trained in how to identify these gang members and how to manage them. 'Sometimes these guys are in a county jail for one or two years awaiting trials because of postponements or discovery methods and they do longer stays. They will continue operating out of a county jail [while they are there]. They have their allegiance to the members who are still in prison and they have also established contacts in the jail community. They'll abuse visitation and phone privileges and use of the mail to communicate,' he added. Jail officers should be trained on surveillance tactics and jails should be able to manage these offenders when they are identified and control their movements, much like the prison systems have done. 'Detention officers often times haven't been afforded the same [training] opportunities as prison officers. There's a void there,' he said. The Maricopa County Sheriff's Office has already moved in this direction and created a specialized jail intelligence unit that not only focuses on the activities of gang members, but also on any activity affecting the security of the jail facilities. In addition, Marcell said, unit members are in close communication with STG coordinators from the Arizona Department of Corrections and others and they exchange intelligence and discuss current trends among different groups. 'We do end up with these guys from the prison. Our jail is the fourth largest in the U.S., so we do need a dedicated unit,' Marcell said, who added that other agencies will likely see new training opportunities in this area emerge so that more and more county jails will be prepared for this type of inmate. But in prisons systems, some are noticing new trends as well. Keeping Track of Changes in the Prison System According to Sam Buentello, Chairman of Security Threat Group Management for the Texas Department of Criminal Justice and Secretary of the NMGTF, because many of the STG leaders in the Texas system have been separated from the general population, there is a void in power in some institutions. The struggle to fill that void is something that prison officials must now watch. 'We are starting to see a backlash by offenders toward gangs inside the prison system. Traditionally the prison gangs attempt to control the prison environment. A byproduct of doing a good job is we have isolated these people from the general population and that has left a vacuum,' said Buentello. Buentello said groups from the local towns that use the name 'tango' are now fighting to dictate to the prison gangs how they want the prison run. These loosely knit groups of offenders, Buentello said, are specific to the areas where the prisons are located and thus far have not caused too many problems for prison administrators and officers. But, they could. 'My concern is they see themselves having some power and they might turn into a predator group. The prison gangs try to tell their members and associates to do this and do that [but] we have pretty much cleaned the streets of these guys and these other guys say 'no' and are standing up to them,' he said. 'We have to watch real close because they are starting to see themselves in a newly formed image.' Buentello said on the streets these groups have local power, so they try to bring that to the prison setting. If left unwatched, he said, they could move from this loose-knit group, to a more formal and organized one with an identified spokesperson and formal leadership. In Minnesota, the Department of Corrections is seeing an increase in established 'White Power' STGs and a trend towards single race membership after a period of mixed race groups. In addition, American Indian Street gangs have become active in the community, which has translated to the prison environment. 'Often times crimes committed on the streets or incidents in the DOC reflect each other,' said Don Rothstein, Deputy Director of Intelligence, Office of Special Investigations for the Minnesota DOC. These are trends that his intelligence unit is monitoring. This street-to-prison correlation raises the emphasis that should be placed on communication between corrections and the community law enforcement. Buentello is confident that the network of surveillance and communication that has been built between corrections units and the law enforcement community in Texas and elsewhere will enable the STG management departments and intelligence to keep on top of trends that develop. In Texas, STG coordinators, investigators and officers use a special database of information that helps the TDCJ track gang members throughout the system. The database stores information on the STG members such as where they are housed, tattoos, people who have visited them, nicknames, affiliations with street gangs and other information that can also be queried. This information is also shared with local law enforcement. Another database of information called Fuginet, is also linked to the department and links law enforcement directly to information about offenders who have been released from the system. 'Law enforcement also has an avenue to email information back [to us]. We have good communications with law enforcement,' said Buentello, who added that TDCJ staff have regularly scheduled meetings with law enforcement and the Texas Violent Gang Task Force to share information and strategies. 'It is pretty encompassing.' Experts in the field believe that this level of communication should be modeled in other agencies. Changes on the Street From the street perspective, keeping communications open between law enforcement and correctional systems is paramount to accurately monitoring trends among gangs and STGs. Jack Holliday, recently retired Gang Resource Coordinator for the Georgia State Board of Paroles and Pardons, agrees that developments at the street level inevitably end up in the prison or jails. 'In the 90s we locked up a lot of [gang members] but they are going back to the street now and they are coming back with better knowledge and some of the things they gained in the prison because it is considered the higher education for gang members,' said Holliday. Holliday, who is also a board member of the NMGTF, said because of the connections that gang members make on the inside, it is important for both law enforcement and corrections to keep tabs on where alliances lie while they are incarcerated, and after release. The information trail should work both ways so that corrections officials are alerted to new trends on the street as well. Before his retirement, Holliday said he noticed an emergence of local groups on the street that were previously unknown to law enforcement or corrections officials. Two such groups in Georgia, using the initials DPG and CKT, are heavily involved in drug distribution, sales and gambling. 'They appear to be a black gang but they are Somalis and Sudanese who are involved in gambling and drugs. And, as far as law enforcement is concerned, without proper training, they might see these groups' initials on the wall and not understand that they can be just as lethal or dangerous as known gangs,' Holliday said. In recent years, Holliday said, Georgia officials have begun to support communications about this type of information and as a result, corrections officials are alerted when such trends emerge. Another changing area, Holliday said, is the involvement of youth in gangs. In his new position as Prevention and Intervention Specialist on School Violence for the Richmond County Board of Education, this is a subject that he cares deeply about. Holliday said the trends among juveniles range from a four-man crew selling drugs on the street to being the fall guys for traditional and organized gangs. 'They realize that they are not going to get as harsh treatment in the juvenile system as they would in the adult courts,' said Holliday of the youth involvement in gang activities such as drug sales. Holliday said youth involvement in gangs is also on the rise in rural and smaller, suburban communities where colleges and even prisons are located. 'In my trainings I have told [law enforcement] if you park at the prison on visitation day, you'll be surprised what you come up with,' he added. Holliday believes that one way to reduce the growth and activity of gangs is by educating both those youth who may be tempted to join, and their parents. 'They join because the gang shows them belonging, acceptance and recognition. As a society we have to learn to talk to our kids before the gangs do,' he said. Holliday admits that it takes a lot of work from parents, school and community members to help prevent at-risk youth from joining with gangs and to support those gang members who have renounced. One method he advocates is utilizing former gang members to be involved in the education process by speaking about their experiences and choices they wish they had made when they were young. Another type of program that Holliday created during his law enforcement career was Lunch with the Law where officers went to schools to introduce themselves to the youth in the schools, which solidified the relationship that kids can have with officers. Holliday said prevention prior to incarceration is equally as important as managing gangs after the arrest and incarceration phase. 'We have to learn we are not going to arrest our way out of this problem. We have to find strategies to turn these kids around [before they join a gang],' he said. Resources: For more information about the National Major Gang Task Force or its training, visit the website at www.nmgtf.org For information about the TDCJ's STG Management program, contact Buentello at 936-437 6496 To reach Marcell at the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office, call 602-256-1225 To reach Holliday, call 770-322-9990 |
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