Competing for Control
Gangs and the Social Order of Prisons

Examines the role of prison gangs and their members in controlling life in prison.

David C. Pyrooz (Author), Scott H. Decker (Author)

9781108735742, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 29 August 2019

310 pages, 35 b/w illus. 17 tables
22.8 x 15.1 x 1.8 cm, 0.47 kg

'The book stands as an exemplar of social science. Grounded in theory and the collection of data specifically suited to stimulate and test theoretical arguments, it hits on all pistons - generating knowledge about social order in general, social order in prisons more specifically, and then, still more specifically, gangs.' Dan Mears, ACJS Today

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.

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.

Subject Areas: Central government policies [JPQB], Prisons [JKVP1], Crime & criminology [JKV], Research methods: general [GPS]