The Social Order of the Underworld: How Prison Gangs Govern the American Penal System

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Description

When most of the people recall to mind prison gangs, they recall to mind chaotic bands of violent, racist thugs. Few people recall to mind gangs as sophisticated organizations (regularly with elaborate written constitutions) that control the prison black market, adjudicate conflicts, and strategically balance the competing demands of inmates, gang members, and correctional officers. Yet as David Skarbek argues, gangs form to create order among outlaws, producing alternative governance institutions to facilitate illegal activity. He uses economics to explore the name of the game world of the convict culture, inmate hierarchy, and prison gang politics, and to provide an explanation for why prison gangs form, how formal institutions impact them, and why they’ve a powerful influence over crime even beyond prison walls. The ramifications of his findings extend far beyond the seemingly irrational and regularly tragic society of captives. They also light up how social and political order can emerge in conditions where the traditional institutions of governance don’t exist.

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