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Information and a List on Prison Gangs

Information and a List on Prison Gangs

Even though incarceration is meant to put an end to crime, criminal activity continues to proliferate, even with prison walls. One of the biggest concerns in correctional facilities are prison gangs. Prison gangs are defined as groups of inmates that conduct gang activity while being imprisoned. 
Prison gangs will often times conduct same type of criminal activity that they were used to doing on the outside within a correctional facility. Prisons gangs are sometimes in charge of the black market and trade activity within prisons, controlling the trade of items such as tobacco, alcohol, and drugs. In some cases, prison gangs will also be involved in more serious matters, such as murder, assaults, and prostitution.
Most prison gangs in the United States have formed due to their affiliation with gang groups on the outside. Because gang members will experience incarceration at one point or another, finding known members within prisons is usually not a hard undertaking. Many of the prison gangs will be separated in terms of race or ethnicity, and will tend to continue the gang wars from the outside world within penitentiaries in order to establish power and dominance over the other gangs. In the United States, some of the most notorious prison gangs include:
·      Aryan Brotherhood
·      Mexican Mafia aka La Eme
·      Nuestra Familia
·      M.S. 13
·      Bloods
·      Crips
·      United Blood Nation
These prison gangs can often times be identified due to particular types of tattoos that these gang members have, which affiliate with a particular prison gang. Tattooing in prison is illegal, yet members of prison gangs will find household items and use rudimentary techniques to tattoo each other. Prison gangs can also be identified by the use of certain kinds hands signs that they are known to flash to others as warnings. 

Starting Your Career with a Prison Job

Starting Your Career with a Prison Job

Careers revolving around correctional facilities will prove to go beyond what is normally associated with the Department of Corrections and even the Federal Bureau of Prisons. There are various types of careers that exist within the realm of correction facilities and prisons.
Jobs and careers in penitentiaries will be overlooked by the Federal Bureau of Prisons and the various state Departments of Corrections. Prison jobs will prove to vary in nature, though the most commonly associated with correctional facilities are those revolving around corrections officer positions. A corrections officer position, or prison guard, will usually entail a similar process to becoming a police officer; though the nature of the job will usually not necessarily attract many. However, corrections officers are not the only kinds of prison jobs serving a penitentiary. 
Positions exist that can range from the medical field to administration positions. Prison jobs in the medical field can include physicians, registered nurses, dental officer, medical officer, and psychologist. Administrative positions may relate more to the processing of inmates and the paper work that is necessary to be kept on record and on file. Because inmates can also obtain an education while serving time, education prison jobs also exist to provide for the necessary education for inmates to obtain a job or career upon serving out their sentences. 

What Life in Prison Really Means

What Life in Prison Really Means

When criminals are found guilty for an extreme or serious crime, a life sentence may be rendered by the courts and legal system. Life in prison entails that a convicted criminal must serve out a sentence in which he/she will remain incarcerated for the remainder of his/her life. 
A life sentence will only be reserved for crimes that are considered to be serious, such as murder or high treason. In certain cases, crimes of a violent nature regarding controlled substances, burglary, or robbery may also carry a life sentence, particularly if a person is seriously harmed or killed. In the case of controlled substances, repeat offenders and large amounts of contraband can also lead a person to be sentenced to life in prison.
In the United States, a life sentence is still part of the punishment that is allowed by law, though this will prove not to be true in the entire world. Among the countries that recognize life in prison as punishment for serious crimes include Canada, India, Finland, and England. 
In the United States, a person sentenced to life imprisonment may request parole after serving a certain amount of time. Generally speaking, the range of time in which a person can request for parole is between fifteen and thirty five years. However, parole can be denied on the basis or context of the crime itself. A conviction of multiple accounts of murder by a prisoner may not be eligible for parole consideration. 

The Prison Fellowship Organization

The Prison Fellowship Organization

The Prison Fellowship is an organization that exists for the purpose of reforming incarcerated prisoners, ex-convicts, and their families through the help of the Christian faith. It is considered to be a criminal justice reform organization, and it exists in the United States and in other countries across the world through Prison Fellowship International. It was founded by Chuck Colson in 1976, who was also incarcerated at one point during his life. Colson formed Prison Fellowship once he became a born again Christian.
The mission of the Prison Fellowship is rooted in using faith-based programs to target the causes of crimes committed by those incarcerated or recently released. Through the promotion of the Christian faith by mentoring, education, and biblical training, the organization seeks to turn these criminals to the Christian faith to hopefully resolve their problems that may have lead them to a life of crime. Programs such as Starting Line, InnerChange Freedom Initiative, and Angel Tree are all developed to reach prisoners and ex-convicts with the hope of possibly turning their lives around with the positive message of the Christian Faith.  
Prison Fellowship also has a branch organization known as Justice Fellowship, which intends to work with policymakers at both the state and federal levels to change some of the principles of legal system and revert them to justice concepts that are found in the bible.

Solitary Confinement

Solitary Confinement

Solitary confinement is a type of punishment that exists within the penitentiary system to punish unruly inmates or prisoners. This kind of punishment involves excluding the accused inmate from contact with any other people for the exception of the prison staff. Solitary confinement uses the concept of incommunicado as way to punish inmates, though in some cases, solitary confinement is done in the context of protection of inmates as well. Solitary confinement is often referred to as the hole or lockdown by prisoners or inmates.
Solitary confinement is often the source of criticism for many believe that it is cruel and unusual punishment because it can be viewed as a type of psychological torture. Usually, solitary confinement will entail a prisoner being held in a cell where only a toilet is available and there is very little freedom of movement. Solitary confinement cells may tend to be somewhat smaller than cells found in the general population, and may not have any kind of lighting source in some case. 
However, when solitary confinement is done for protective custody purposes, the environment in which such a prisoner may be kept may not be as harsh. Types of prisoners that may be kept in incommunicado may include celebrities, witnesses, and those that are at high risk to be attacked by other inmates such as pedophiles. 

A Full Guide to Prison

A Full Guide to Prison

Prison is the place or facility in which people that have been convicted of crimes and sentenced to imprisonment are sent. A prison, also known as a penitentiary or jail, will confine convicted criminals to the premises of the institution and will have certain personal freedoms stripped from them.
Prison History

The concept of prisons and imprisonment can be dated back to Jerusalem to the times of the Old Testament. However, prison and their modern applications can be said to have originated in London during the 19th century from the revolutionary views of Jeremy Bantham, who proposed incarceration as a type of punishment opposed to death.

Prisoner

A prisoner is an individual that has been convicted of a crime that is punishable by incarceration. A prisoner, also known as an inmate, is a person that is currently held at a prison or jail facility where he/she will serve out the sentence that was proposed by the courts of law.

FBOP vs. DOC

In the United States, there are two governing bodies in charge of the prison system. The Federal Bureau of Prisons is the organization and agency established by the United States Department of Justice to oversee the federal prison system. The Department of Corrections is the various states’ administrative organizations in charge of controlling state and regional jails.
Federal Bureau of Prisons

The Federal Bureau of Prisons was first established in 1930 as a way to have a more centralized and professional system to govern the eleven Federal prisons that existed at that time. Furthermore, the FBOP also had as its goal to provide for a more humane treatment of prisoners. Currently, the FBOP is headquartered in Washington D.C. and is responsible for over 200,000 federal prisoners.
Prison Life

The life of inmates will prove to be ruled by strict schedules that will dictate how a daily routine is to be within the walls of a prison. Suffice it to say, personal liberties will be at a minimum, and depending on the security level of a prison, just about every single activity of the prisoners will be monitored by the corrections staff.
Commissary

Within most prisons, there will be a prison commissary. A prison commissary acts a sort of warehouse where prisoners can purchase approved items while incarcerated. These items will vary in nature, but will usually be those that are meant for leisure, such as books or magazines, or personal items, such as toiletries.
Prison Visiting Hours

The visiting hours in prison will differ in accordance to each particular prison. However, generally speaking, most prisons will have visiting hours at coincide with the normal work day, such as 9am to 5pm. Visiting privileges are controlled by the facility, which can be revoked due to behavior and other similar instances.
False Imprisonment

False imprisonment occurs when an individual is held against his/her will without prior consent and/or the proper authority for detainment. A person does not have to be confined within a cell or room in order to be falsely imprisoned, and such an individual can press charges against a third party or governmental organization in the case that false imprisonment can be justified in the court of law.
Psychiatric Evaluations in Prison

Psychiatric evaluations can occur before entering prison, as well while an inmate is incarcerated. Forensic psychologists will conduct such evaluations for various reasons, though those that are done in prison will generally entail evaluating an inmates mental health that is about to be released or is eligible for parole.
Inmate Care Packages

While in prison, inmates can receive certain items from the outside world from friends and family to make their stay somewhat more comfortable. These are known as inmate care packages, which are regulated by the correctional facility. Inmate care packages must only contain items and materials that are approved by the penitentiary and will always be checked for any contraband prior to delivery to inmates.
Prison Rape

An unfortunate yet common occurrence in penitentiaries is prison rape. Though prison rape is a sexually oriented act of violence by nature, it is most commonly used as a psychological weapon by prisoners to establish dominance, power, and control. Prison rape happens mostly among the prisoner population, though prison staff has also been known to be involved, both as victims and perpetrators.

Prison Gangs

One of the largest concerns regarding security in prisons is the formation of prison gangs. Prison gangs are defined as any conglomeration of inmates that engage in gang-like activity while incarcerated. Many of the prison gangs of the United States are formed due to ties to gangs on the outside, though many power prison gangs have originated within prison walls.

Prison Jobs
Aside from the obvious positions of corrections officers and/or prison guards, there are various types of prison jobs that exist. Positions in penitentiaries will vary in nature, and can provide for quite a successful career for many, albeit in quite a hostile environment. Positions may include registered nurses, psychologists, administrators, and physicians.
Life in Prison

In the case that an individual is convicted of a serious crime, such as murder, the sentence that is carried along with such an offense may be life imprisonment. Life in prison sentencing means that the convicted criminal is to live the rest of his/her life within the confines of a penitentiary. In some cases, the possibility for parole may exist, though it will depend mostly on the nature of the crime.

Prison Fellowship
Prison Fellowship is an organization that was formed in 1976 by a former inmate that is rooted as an outreach and reform program to current prisoners and ex-convicts. Prison Fellowship was founded by Chuck Colson and is centered on using the Christian faith to help inmates, ex-convicts, and their families cope with the concept of imprisonment and life after prison.
Solitary Confinement

Solitary confinement is a type of punishment that can be levied against inmates due to violent behavior and criminal acts while in jail. Such a prisoner is removed from the general population and placed in a single holding cell, having contact only with corrections staff.
Prison Warden

A prison warden is the individual that is charged with the position and responsibility of all the administrative procedures and management of a prison facility. Typically speaking, a prison warden will be a person with extensive experience in the corrections field and is appointed by the state governor.
Prison Lockdown

Prison lockdown refers to a particular situation where criminals may be confined only to their cells for a certain amount of time due safety and security issues. Typically speaking, in the event of a riot, murder, or attempted escape, a prison lockdown will be ordered with the purpose of securing prisoners and attempting to restore order.
Jail Records
Prison records are detailed records kept on convicted criminals who serve time in prison. Personal information about prisoners, as well as details regarding their crimes and convictions, are contained within jail records. Jail records are public records, and therefore, any individual can access a prison record containing information about a specific prisoner.
Inmate Information

Jail records contain a variety of inmate information about convicts who are being contained within prisons. Most states maintain an online database of inmate information, which can be accessed by the public. When locating files about inmates, information may include their offenses and the duration of their sentences, as well as personal information.
Parole

Following the completion of a specified portion of his/her sentence, an inmate may be eligible for parole. When he/she is considered to be eligible, he/she will be required to appear before a parole board, who will determine his/her, fate. If an inmate is granted parole, he/she will be permitted to complete the remainder of his/her sentence outside of prison, under the watch of a parole officer. 

Who is the Prison Warden?

Who is the Prison Warden?

All penitentiaries in the United States have a prison warden. A prison warden is considered as the foremost administrative and management position when it comes to prison jobs. A warden is in charge of overseeing the entire facility, which will include the actual operational functions of the institution and well as every facet that is inherent with inmate custody. A prison warden will also have the responsibility of determining the financial needs of the institution as well as the managing of all other personnel. 
The prison warden is also given the task of developing rehabilitation programs for the inmates in order to provide for a better life once a prisoner serves their sentence in prison. However, a warden will often times run a prison differently from others due to individual viewpoints. For example, one particular prison warden may be more concerned regarding security at the facility and stress that aspect, while another warden may be more focused on developing educational and rehabilitation programs to help the inmates once their sentences are finished.
Warden jobs are typically awarded by the governor of a particular state. Furthermore, warden jobs are normally given to those that have had prior experience in a penitentiary position and will usually go to a person that was in the corrections field for many years.
In the United States, most warden jobs are appointed to males, though in all female prisons, warden jobs will typically be awarded to females. Warden jobs will usually entail that potential candidates, aside from having experience in corrections, also have a college degree in criminal justice. Those that have experience in management will also have an advantage when warden jobs are available.

Why Does A Prison Go Into Lockdown

Why Does A Prison Go Into Lockdown

In certain cases, there are situations that may occur in penitentiaries where extra security measures will have to be taken. This can happen when inmates get involved in fights with rival prison gangs, incite a riot, or someone gets murdered within the prison facility. When security is breached in such a situation, many prisons will incite what is known as a prison lockdown. A prison lockdown is a period in which the prisoners will be confined to certain areas and restricted certain kinds of activities or liberties.
Most commonly, a prison lockdown means that the inmates must remain within their cells for either an entire day or until a particularly violent situation is resolved.  Prison lockdown may sometimes only apply to certain wings or blocks of a penitentiary, though when a full prison lockdown is ordered, the entire facility is affected. A normal lockdown can usually occur for only a certain amount of time, which can be lifted in a matter of hours. 
However, a full prison lockdown can last for an undetermined amount of time, and prisoners will be restrained strictly to their cells. This may mean that meals may be suspended during this time, and free time privileges and use of the court yard will be suspended. A full prison lockdown, aside from protecting the prisoners from themselves and ensuring security, is also meant to provide for safety for members of the entire prison staff. In most cases, when a full prison lockdown is in order, non-correctional staff such as educators or supplementary staff will usually be evacuated. 

Free Jail Records Are Available

Free Jail Records Are Available

Prison records are an important component of the organization of prisons throughout the world. In addition, jail records provide the public with valuable information about offenders and the crimes that they have committed. Prison records have always been public records. Any individual has the right and the ability to access criminal records about another person. 
However, unless an individual knows specific personal information about that person he/she is searching for in a criminal record database, it may be difficult for him/her to locate accurate information about that individual. There are a variety of different ways that an individual can obtain access to jail records. The first is by contacting government departments. This process can be very tedious and take a great deal of time. Advances in technology have made it much easier for individuals to access prison records.
 
Today, an individual can utilize an online database in order to gain access to a prison record. There are many different databases that list information about current and former inmates. An individual can try to search information provided by a specific prison, if he/she knows what prison and convict was contained in. However, online databases allow an individual to search all of the existing prison systems, by simply entering the name and age of the person being searched. 
A prison record may contain personal information about an inmate, the crime that he/she committed, and details about his/her conviction and sentence. While many of these databases are free, some require an individual to pay for access to criminal records. 

Finding Inmate Information Easily

Finding Inmate Information Easily

Inmate information is made available to the public on numerous online databases. An individual can access this information by visiting one of these databases and entering known information about a convict. In most cases, an individual will only be required to know the first and last name of the convict that he/she is searching for. Inmate information is contained within prison records and details criminals’ offenses. 
By reviewing the records that are provided online, an individual can obtain information about an inmate, including his/her appearance, personal information, identifying features, past offenses, conviction, and prison sentence. In addition, when an individual searches for inmates, information provided will often include the duration of their prison sentence and their estimated date of release.
Inmate information can be helpful if an individual is attempting to locate an inmate, as the records will often detail where he/she is being contained. However, it is important to note that using the available information to harass or threaten inmates in not acceptable, and can be punished under state law. 
In addition to fundamental information about a criminal and his/her offenses, public records will frequently display a photograph of a prisoner. Most states maintain an online database, to help ensure that inmate information is easily accessible for the public. An individual can search for additional information about an inmate by searching a variety of criteria, such as age, race, offense, or name.