Gangs Thriving In NJ Prisons: Report
Violent gangs are thriving behind New Jersey’s prison walls and the Department of Corrections isn’t doing enough to stop them, according to a report released today by the State Commission on Investigation. Report from NJ.com.
Investigators said jails are like a “branch office” for gang members who are able to easily sell drugs, communicate by using smuggled cell phones and launder money with official inmate accounts. The report says that incarceration is not an obstacle to gang members, who are able to easily sell drugs, communicate using smuggled cell phones and launder money using official inmate accounts …
The SCI, a fact-finding agency that examines crime and corruption and which reports to the Legislature, recommended widespread changes within the Department of Corrections, including better oversight of inmate finances, reforming prison hiring practices and improving inspections to prevent smuggling …
Law enforcement efforts are succeeding in putting more gang members behind bars, the report said, but that has created new challenges for state prisons. “The growing influx of convicted gang members has transformed the prison system into a breeding ground for gang-related criminal activity at a level far more expansive than ever before,” the report said. Prison staff monitor inmate phone calls, read mail and receive some training on how to deal with gangs. But, the report said, it is not enough. “Those who manage and staff these institutions go to work every day in what amounts to a defensive holding action against worsening odds, and all too often, as they reach for practical tools to get the job done properly, they find the system lacking,” the report says …
According to the report, a top Corrections official believes up to half of all state prison inmates are involved with a gang, either by choice or through extortion. The SCI identified an East Coast chapter of the Bloods as the primary catalyst for criminal activity behind bars. During a November hearing, state investigators said the Bloods — which reportedly account for about half of all incarcerated gang members — exploit corrupt prison guards to smuggle drugs and other contraband. Shawn Williams, president of the National Alliance of Gang Investigators Association, said the biggest problem is the proliferation of cell phones, which allows inmates to circumvent monitored prison phones …
SCI Chairman Cary Edwards … said some problems can be tackled without more money, noting that the Department of Corrections’ investigative operations need fundamental restructuring. The division is responsible for both internal affairs and gang suppression, creating a toxic relationship with the guards needed for gathering basic intelligence, Edwards said. He also said police and prison officials need to do a better job sharing intelligence on gang activity.
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