Question

Discuss gang affiliations in prison and the minority population. Also discuss key legislative acts that have impacted minorities in the prison environment.

Answer 1

Gang affiliations in prison and the minority population:

Early gang members traditionally came from white ethnic immigrant groups such as the Irish and Polish, whereas starting in the 1950s, we have seen gang membership increasingly concentrated among racial minorities such as
African-Americans, Hispanics, Asians, and American Indians.

An ethnically diverse population immigrating into the United States results in a more ethnically diverse gang population. It has been that way since peoples of other lands first began immigrating to the United States. For example, in the late 1890's through the first decade of the 1900's, many people from Ireland and Italy immigrated to the United States. At that time, Irish and Italian street gangs were commonplace.

Gangs remain one of the more formidable issues that corrections officials face in managing prisons. Gangs are responsible for a disproportionate amount of prison misconduct and violence, and their presence and actions challenge ongoing efforts to maintain control, order and safety in prisons.

Prison gangs are defined as criminal organizations that are formed in the penal system and operate within the prison facilities of the United States. Each gang has established symbols and ways members indicate they belong to that gang. These prison gangs were established at various prisons during different decades, and gangs are still present in the prison systems today.

For example the six gangs are the Aryan Brotherhood, Black Guerilla Family (BGF), La Nuestra Familia (NF), Mexican Mafia (EME), Neta, and Texas Syndicate (TS).

legislative acts that have impacted minorities in the prison environment:

Minorities in the United States criminal justice system refers to the unique experiences and disparities in the United States in regard to the policing and prosecuting of various races. There have been different outcomes for different racial groups in convicting and sentencing felons in the United States criminal justice system. Experts and analysts have debated the relative importance of different factors that have led to these disparities. Minority defendants are charged with crimes requiring a mandatory minimum prison sentence more often, in both relative and absolute terms (depending on the classification of race, mainly in regards to Hispanics), leading to large racial disparitiesin correctional facilities.

The Civil Rights Act of 1964, prohibited discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin in employment or public accommodations. It also overruled all state and local laws that mandated such discrimination.

One of the largest crime bills ever passed in 1994's Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act strengthened law enforcement across the country, providing federal money for new cops and prisons, as well as tightening up federal sentencing guidelines. It included a federal "three strike" provision mandating life imprisonment for certain felons convicted of violent crimes, and expanded the death penalty to include 60 additional crimes. The bill also included a ban on 18 different types of semiautomatic assault weapons for the next decade.