Prison Gangs Behind Bars and Beyond: A Vicious Game

Description

This book draws on a four-year ethnographic study conducted in the prisons and on the streets of Greater Manchester, England, to examine gangs and organised crime in the North of England. It includes the personal testimonies of active prison gang members and major organised crime figures, many of whom are behind bars, and some active street gang members. It presents an holistic account by exploring the linkages that exist between prisons and the streets, including the lines of continuity between gangs on both sides of the prison walls and how gang affiliation straddles this divide. It offers data on the region’s drug market (specifically Class A drugs) as this market is the lynchpin of the underworld, both within and without prison. It also includes the perspectives and insights of prison officers, police detectives, youth workers, active and former street gang members and the parents of deceased gang members. This is a ground-breaking, contemporary study, analysing English gang compositions and activities, with its findings and results based on qualitative interviews and ethnographic research. Preface Acknowledgements Contents Abbreviations List of Figures 1 Introduction Research Aims and Objectives Chapter Outlines Justification for the Study Methodological Overview Limitations References 2 Entering the English Prison Complex Why Manchester? Background to the Study Sample Sample Sites Greater Manchester HMP Manchester HMP Forest Bank ‘Getting in, Getting on, Getting Out’ ‘Getting In’ Getting in to HMP Manchester Getting in to HMP Forest Bank ‘Getting On’ ‘Do no Harm’—Ethics and Fieldwork ‘Getting on’ at HMP Manchester ‘Getting on’ at HMP Forest Bank ‘Getting Out’ Development of the Research Process Post-Prison Ethics on the Streets Questionnaires and Methods of Data Collection Recording and Transcribing of Data Data Analysis Anonymity and Confidentiality Personal Safety References 3 The Internecine Conflict The History of Greater Manchester The History of Manchester’s Street Gangs The Past—The Beginnings of Greater Manchester’s Street Gangs The KS Gang Blue Gang and Red Gang ‘Gunchester’ The History of Manchester’s Prison Gangs The Academic Deficit References 4 ‘Ganging’ in the Twenty-First Century Defining ‘The Gang’ Prison Gangs Organized Crime The Functions of Gangs in the Community and in Prison The Relationship Between Prison and the Wider Community The Debate Around ‘Gang Talk’ and ‘Gang Talkers’ ‘The Gang’ Re-Defined ‘Set up to Fail’—Labelled as Gang Members Arriving at an Operationalizable Definition of Gangs A Reconceptualization of Yablonsky’s (1962) Framework The Spontaneous Gathering The Contemporary Violent Gang The Enterprise Gang Beyond Yablonsky—The Drugs Gang The Legacy of Blue and Red The Area 2 Lads Conclusion References 5 Gangs Behind Bars Introduction Institutional Cultures and Practices The State of Play at the Beginning of Fieldwork Signalling in Prison: “Who Do You Chill with?” Presentation of Self and the Perils of False Signalling Violence Capital in Prison and Violence Capital on the Streets The Limit Points of Gang Loyalties The Dynamics of Contemporary Prison Life Conclusion References 6 Gangs and Race Race on the Streets Critical Race Theory (CRT) Race Behind Bars Reconciliation, and the Contemporary Situation References 7 Conclusion Final Thoughts References Bibliography Index