La Nuestra Familia Prison Threat Group

Prison threat groups are a serious problem that prisons are faced with throughout the United States. There are various prison threats group in the form of gangs that infiltrate prisons. A gang is an organized group with an identified leader whose actions are criminal and menacing to communities. Fleisher and Decker (2001) stated that a prison gang can be defined as an organization within the prison system consisting of inmates with habitual and threatening behavior that operate under an established and organized chain of command. The purpose of this paper is to research the prison threat group Nuestra Familia within the State of California Department of Corrections.

The history of the California Department of Corrections and its correlation

to the La Nuestra Familia provides tremendous insight into the governance of prison threat groups. Correctional administrators have a difficult task in addressing prison gangs such as the La Nuestra Familia. Fleisher and Decker (2001) asserted that prison gangs create disorder to an otherwise functional correctional system while threatening the safety of inmates as well as staff. Since the origin of prison gangs, correctional administrators have been trying earnestly to gain control of prison gangs.
Prison gangs have been around since the late 20th century. Of those prison gangs, one of those is the Hispanic gang La Nuestra Familia. While this gang may not be widely covered in the media they are a gang that should be taken seriously. The La Nuestra Familia prison gang was created in the 1960s and was also closely linked with another gang known as the Mexican Mafia. This linkage was due in part because some of the members of La Nuestra Familia gang being former members of the Mexican Mafia prison gang. Skarbek (2012) reported that members of the Mexican Mafia started assaulting and stealing from inmates and as a result, a large number of Hispanic inmates formed what is now known as the La Nuestra Familia. What has been later established is that most prison gangs are formed as a way of protecting inmates from others prison inmates.
Furthermore, the La Nuestra Familia and Mexican Mafia prison gangs are rivals with one being from Northern California, and the other from Southern California. Just like other prison threat groups, La Nuestra Familia members are identified by tattoos. Koehler (2000) found that as most gangs do, the La Nuestra Familia gang has a symbol that represents who they are and in this case, the symbol for La Nuestra Familia is NF along with the number 14 which symbolizes where the gang originated which was in Northern California. Many prison gangs as the California prison gangs use tattoos as a way of providing details about that prion inmate’s gang affiliation.
As it relates to the state of California, it is vital to understanding that California has one of the highest immigrant populations in the United States with a significant amount being Mexican as reported by Rodriguez (2005). With this knowledge of California’s Mexican population, the recognition can be made as to why and how the history of La Nuestra Familia began and dominantly exists mainly in California corrections.
Subsequently, the statement can be made that La Nuestra Familia gang was initially formed to protect younger prison inmates from the Mexican Mafia gang during their time in prison. La Nuestra Familia gang members recognized the oppression younger prison inmates faced by older prison inmates and as a result, the La Nuestra Familia’s acted as defenders. In the same system to many other prison gangs, La Nuestra Familia has is structured.
Needless to say, just like any organization, structure is required in order to be fully functional and successful. Leeson and Skarbek, (2010) stated that a very structured and detailed criminal constitution on operational procedures of La Nuestra Familia was established by the original founders of the gang. Therefore, although the general public often believes that prison gang members are illiterate and unorganized, such structure reflects intelligent and strong organizational skills.
Prison threat groups such as La Nuestra Familia often demonstrate their competence by effectively carrying out illegal operations inside and outside of prison confinement while evading any detection from the law enforcement.

Starbeck (2012) observed that prison gangs continue to operate actively in contraband markets the through California’s correctional facilities while providing protection to the family and friends of gang members that also aide in financial support.

Furthermore, imprisoned La Nuestra Familia gang members have strong networks outside of prisons. As such, gang members that have been released serve as a vital tool in smuggling illegal substances into the prison system which then makes illegal drug distribution within the prison system and community is the main source of finance for La Nuestra Familia gang. As founded by Fleisher and Decker (2001), prison gangs control the drug trafficking. With a large number of inmates being imprisoned for drug trafficking, this creates an atmosphere for comradery under common

interests.
Needless to say, prison gangs such as La Nuestra Familia has had a significant impact on life in prison. Prison inmates just like the average person often has a feeling of belonging to something. In such a situation, often a prison gang such as La Nuestra Familia becomes the sense of community that prison inmate is searching for. New prison inmates often will affiliate themselves with various prison threat groups for security reasons. Once that prison inmate is acknowledged and known to be affiliated with a prison threat group, they are given a cell with the same member of that identified threat group. Carlson (2001) gathered that by placing prison gang members in special housing units, correctional officials can gain some form of control and are able to identify individual gang members, monitor their behavior, and intervene in the event of negative disruption. Specialized Housing Units can be very effective within the correctional system in maintaining order within such confined quarters.
Additionally, individuals that claim no affiliation to any threat groups are placed with similar inmates claiming such. A system such as this was introduced into the prison system by correctional officers as an approach to reducing altercations and executions that occur inside the prison system by gang members. Correctional officials can be categorized as the eyes and ears of the correctional system and as a result is often best qualified in implementing systems centered at reducing prison gang violence.
However, gang membership carries with it, both advantages and disadvantages. While disadvantages are present, new prison inmates are only focused on the potential benefits derived from joining a gang which can be the choice between life and death. Like in La Nuestra Familia gang, the distinctiveness that are indispensable for gang membership disclose the shared of interests and familiar background of gang members that ultimately unify them in gangs. As a result, within La Nuestra Familia and other gangs, prison inmates can often times rely on the fact that they will have similar interest, believes, values and principles with other prison inmates that are also fellow gang members.
Furthermore, La Nuestra Familia and prison gangs alike are enticing to prison inmates because they function as an organization that opposes the justice system and instead challenges the rules established in the prison system. La Nuestra Familia is a known prison gang organization that defies the official prison system and assists prison inmates in the continuation of their illegal activities that resulted in their incarceration. Being that La Nuestra Familia is not the only prison threat group enticing inmates, conflicts often arise between gangs. The most known rival to La Nuestra Familia is Mexican Mafia gang. Koehler (2000) asserted that the Mexican Mafia and La Nuestra Familia are sworn enemies.
Needless to say, prison conflicts often derive between gang members representing different gangs which ultimately results into a larger scale conflict amongst prison gangs. The chances of these conflicts resulting in severe and violent altercations between prison threat groups to the degree that a prison inmate’s health and well-being is being threatened is significantly high.
As a result, prison authorities are presented with considerable intricacies on how to prevent conflicts between gangs. Prison threat groups are complex and provide their own level of difficulty with how violence among these groups should be controlled and prevented. In addition, conflicts and fights between prison threat groups are difficult to contain because of the large number of prison inmates that are involved in such altercations. Carlson (2001) asserted that correctional facilities are dealing with prison inmates who are affiliated with gangs that have become increasingly violent, structured, and sophisticated. This leads correctional officials to come up with various solutions to address these challenges.
Nonetheless, it is not to say that correctional officers are not doing their best, but it must be noted that as the current prison threat population stands, correctional officers are outnumbered and they do not have the maximum resources. With limited resources as a result of budgeting restraints, correctional officers are not able to be effectively utilized in prison gang conflicts when they arise. Carlson (2001) stated that correctional officials are confronted with various challenges in controlling prison inmate gangs. Managing gangs within a correctional facility is a crucial task that requires planning from every level.
Furthermore, effective security threat group management such as the one found within California Department of Corrections prisons system has an all-inclusive strategy approach to gangs that includes prevention, identification, interdiction and rehabilitation.

California Correctional Department identified the need to assess their previous strategies in addressing prison threat groups and created and implemented a new approach to the current correctional practices. Additionally, other strategies performed by California Department of Corrections include housing various gangs in separate areas and not in the same

facility.
On the other hand, Texas Department of corrections promotes inmate decision leave gangs by offering safety. Prison inmates that are affiliated with gangs are immediately placed in Secured Housing Units (SHU) and given the choice to deter from their affiliation. Prison inmates that were once a part of prison threat groups have since left such affiliations after being offered the choice to partake in the program offered at Texas Department of Corrections. Carlson (2001) stated that the safe harbor institution program at Texas Department of Corrections has proven to be effective on gang members.
As it related to Florida Department of Corrections, prisoners that are found to be affiliated with prison threat groups are not immediately placed in SHU’s. Instead, prison inmates affiliated with gangs are given the chance to independently change their behavior in order to achieve the desired outcome of the facility. Carlson, (2001) noted that Florida’s program is based on behavioral changes. By promoting programs that cater to behavioral changes, a more individualized approach tailored to that gang member can provide more effective results.