Competing for Control

Gangs and the Social Order of Prisons

David C. Pyrooz, Scott H. Decker

• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Year: 2019
• Print ISBN:
  9781108498357
• eBook ISBN:
  9781108588843
• Topic: Ciencias sociales
• Subtopic: Criminología

Pyrooz and Decker pull apart the bars on prison gangs to uncover how they compete for control. While there is much speculation about these gangs, there is little solid research. This book draws on interviews with 802 inmates - half of whom were gang members - in two Texas prisons; one of the largest samples of its kind. Using this data, the authors explore how gangs organize and govern, who joins gangs and how they get out, the dark side of gang activities including misconduct and violence, the ways in which gang membership spills onto the street, and the direct and indirect links between the street and prison gangs. Competing for Control captures the nature of gangs in a time of transition, as prison gangs become more horizontal and their power is diffused across groups. There is no study like this one.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half-title page
• Title page
• Copyright page
• Contents
• List of Figures
• List of Tables
• Acknowledgments
• 1 Foundation for the Study
• 2 Understanding Gangs in Prison
• 3 The LoneStar Project
• 4 The Characteristics of Gang Members in Prison
• 5 The Characteristics of Gangs in Prison
• 6 The Role of Gangs in the Social Order of Prisons
• 7 Misconduct and Victimization in Prison
• 8 Joining and Avoiding Gangs in Prison
• 9 Continuity and Change in Prison Gang Membership
• 10 Implications of Competing for Control
• Appendix Preliminary Evaluation of the Gang Renouncement and Disassociation Program
• References
• Index