The social order of the underworld : how prison gangs govern the American penal system / David Skarbek.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Skarbek, David, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Prison gangs--United States.

Prison gangs.

Prison administration--United States.

Prison administration.

Prison violence--United States.

Prison violence.

Prisoners--United States.

Prisoners.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (237 p.)

Place of Publication:

New York, New York : Oxford University Press, 2014.

Summary:

When most people think of prison gangs, they think of chaotic bands of violent, racist thugs. Few people think of gangs as sophisticated organizations (often with elaborate written constitutions) that regulate 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 secret world of the convict culture, inmate hierarchy, and p

Contents:

Cover; The Social Order of the Underworld: How Prison Gangs Govern the American Penal System; Copyright; Dedication; Contents; Acknowledgments; 1. Governance Institutions and the Prison Community; Criminal Justice; The Economic Way of Thinking; A Governance Theory of Prison Social Order; Prison Gangs; Men's Central Jail; 2. The Convict Code; Inmates Require Self-Go ̨ernance; Norms and Organizations Pro ̨ide Go ̨ernance; The Era of the Con ̨ict Code; The Weakening of the Con ̨ict Code; Prisons in Turmoil; Death Row; 3. The Rise of Prison Gangs; The Business of Private Protection

The Origins of California Prison GangsOutlaw Economics; Alternative Explanations; My Brother's Keeper; 4. Governance in the Society of Captives; The Community Responsibility System; The Role of Race and Ethnicity in Group Formation; Prison Gangs Create Order; Information and Enforcement Mechanisms; What Rules Do Prison Gangs Enforce?; Predatory or Productive?; Practical and ̊eoretical Implications; Background Check; 5. The Internal Organization of Prison Gangs; Organizational and Strategic Challenges; Putting the "Con" Into Constitutions; Exit, Voice, and Violence

The Challenge of RecruitmentExternalities and Internal Conflict; Checks and Balances; The Nature of the Gang; MacArthur Park; 6. How Prison Gangs Govern the Outside; The Economics of Extortion; Drug Dealers Pay Taxes; The Role of the County Jail System; Criminal Governance for the Drug Trade; Puppet; 7. What Works?; The Fundamental Problem of Political Economy; How Should Officials Respond?; Endnotes; Chapter 1; Men's Central Jail; Chapter 2; Death Row; Chapter 3; My Brother's Keeper; Chapter 4; Chapter 5; Chapter 6; Chapter 7; References; Index

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

0-19-932851-X