Mangaung Correctional Centre

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• Mangaung Correctional Centre
• GANG MANAGEMENT

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INTRODUCTION

• Prison gangs have been part of the South African
  Correctional environment for years, and cannot be
  wished away.
• They are a reality, and due to the long sentences
  they serve, they know the system and the
  loopholes in the system.
• To minimize their negative effect on the
  Correctional system (and the intended outcomes of
  the correctional system), we need to develop a
  dynamic strategy to manage gangs.
• Such a Gang Strategy was implemented at Mangaung
  Correctional Centre (MCC) and is being developed
  further as we learn more about the gangs and the
  ways they operate.

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AIMS OF MCC GANG STRATEGY

• To develop a common understanding on the reasons
  / causes why inmates join gangs.
• To establish a consistent approach in the
  handling of prison gangs and gang-members in
  order to manage them effectively.
• To minimize the negative impacts gangs have on
  the security of other residents/employees and the
  various Inmate Care and Empowerment programmes at
  the Centre.

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FOCUS AREA

• Develop and update our understanding of Gangs and
  What make them tick?
• Why do people want (or need to) join gangs?
• Safety / protection / commodities / sexual favors
  / to show they are men
• Link between the reasons and causes of gang
  involvement and officials approach and handling
  of gangs and gang members
• Awareness on how an officials behavior
  influences the gangs

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FOCUS AREA (continued)

• To develop a proactive approach
• Create measures to counteract gangs, reasons and
  causes, recruitment, involvement, activities,
  networking, and gang violence at MCC.
• Management of causes and reasons that cannot be
  counteracted or prevented effective management
  thereof to best advantage.
• Focus on employees role and behavior on inmates
  to be active participative rehabilitators.

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FOCUS AREA (continued)

• To develop a reactive approach
• Manage the consequences and implications of gang
  involvement and activities (e.g. violence,
  threats, information, intelligence) in the
  facilitys day-to-day operation and management.
• Focus on employees role and behavior on inmates
  to be active participative rehabilitators.

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WHAT DOES THIS MEAN IN PRACTICE

• To minimize and manage gangsterism and to
  minimize further recruitment of gang members at
  the facility.
• To predict and manage gang activities, gang
  targets, gang fights and attacks.
• Identify high-risk situations (e.g. sport day,
  vacation days, gang fights).
• Conduct random searches of suspected gang
  members, making of weapons.
• Screen gang members before inclusion in
  programmes with other or opposite gang members.
• Utilize gang members institutional record (DCS
  and at MCC) for gang involvement, type of
  activities and incidents involved n order to
  predict individual risk.

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PRACTICE (Continued)

• Intelligence-driven to determine the status,
  function, role, activities, recruitment and
  planning of gangsterism.
• Classification, handling and unit allocation of
  active and passive gang members (e.g. high and
  low risk categories).
• Facelessness of prominent gang leaders by
  making them accountable when instruction was
  given by them for violence.
• Minimize gang issues between gangs members
  follow-up on informers, listening and acting on
  information taking it seriously.

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PRACTICE (Continued)

• Re-organize streets, disrupt plans and activities
  without instigating challenges or aggravating
  gangs to retaliate regular movement and
  supervision of gang members and high-profile gang
  members.
• Cell placement of gang members and managing gang
  networks (letters, calls, visits and inmate
  associations).
• Alerting of non-gang members during the Induction
  phase (e.g. anti-bullying).
• Handling of threats to staff, management and
  fellow-inmates.

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PRACTICE (Continued)

• Understand and re-direct the reasons why inmates
  are active gang members at MCC (e.g. not happy
  to be at MCC, want to be transferred to DCS,
  family support, contact and visits).
• Not compromising approach and method of handling
  gang members (e.g. extra food and special
  favors), always adhering to Company policies,
  procedures and contractual obligations.
• Instill discipline, structure and positive
  meaning to gang members daily routine, thinking
  patterns and general anti-social behavior and
  thinking patterns.

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PRACTICE (Continued)

• Protect gang members that want to exit gangs
  transferring them to non-gang streets and units,
  and instilling pro-social values, norms and
  attitudes and assist in individual independence
  (functioning without gang support and approval).
• Regular empowerment of officials working with
  gang members - personal development and support.
• Monthly meetings to discuss gang-related issues,
  additional gang information, problems and general
  approach and strategy.

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SUPPORT FOR OFFICIALS

• Officials at MCC are encouraged to report any
  gang involvement or suspicion thereof on a
  Security Intelligence Report.
• Two dedicated Intelligence Officers gather,
  analyse and disseminate intelligence information
  to proactively manage gangs.
• Professional therapy, counselling, debriefing and
  support are furthermore offered to officials who
  are threatened, intimidated, and manipulated by
  gangs or gang members, and for officials that
  have been involved in efforts to stabilise gang
  violence and gang fights.

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WAY FORWARD

• Within the broader Correctional Services 9 and
  academic arena there is a competency and a
  knowledge base available that should be shared
  amongst the role players.
• Any Gang Management Strategy needs to be updated
  and has to stay as dynamic as the gangs.
• If we share, we do not have to reinvent the
  wheel.
• We need a broader strategy, that deals with a
  gang member and gangs on a national basis, since
  current practices of transfers sometimes fuels
  the gang activity and undermines the effective
  management of gangs.
• Gangs may be one of the biggest threats against
  implementing and reaching the vision as expressed
  in the White Paper.