Gang activity in English prisons: The prisoners’ perspective

Abstract

Gang activity in American prisons has resulted in serious problems for prisoners and staff. This study assessed prisoners’ perceptions of gang-event frequency in the UK. Interviews with 360 prisoners from nine prisons in England and Wales indicated gang-related events were perceived as more frequent in all male categories of prison than they were in female institutions. Prisoners reported drug possession and prisoner groups being formed along regional origins as the most frequent gang-related activities. Recidivists perceived higher levels of gang-related activity than did first-time prisoners. Gang-related variables also predicted prisoners’ perceptions that groups of prisoners have more control over events in the prison than do staff and that order in the prison may not be maintained. The merits of interviewing prisoners and the implications of the results for maintaining order in prison are discussed.

Keywords:

• Prison gangs
• prison violence
• order
• control

This research was made possible by a grant from Her Majesty's Prison Service Planning and Research Group. This study could not have been completed without the efforts of many people. The first group to whom I owe a debt of gratitude is of course, the participants. I should like to thank them for their time and the consideration they gave to the questions. Special thanks go the prison staff who took the time to accommodate the needs of the study. Much is also owed to the governing governors who granted research access even though over-stretched resources sometimes made this difficult. In addition, I should like to thank the Prison Service for funding the research. Without this financial support the broad scope of the study would have been particularly difficult.