Gangs: The Business behind the Bars

The State of New Jersey Commission of Investigation conducted a two year investigation into the level of gang activity and its ability to thrive inside the New Jersey Correctional System. What was discovered was a litany of failures, circumvented security procedures, failures to train staff adequately and a general miss-trust of those handling gang intelligence compounded the growing gang problem.

  The key findings of the commission report including

1.  use of Inmate Financial Transactions to launder money,
2. inmates communicating all over the country via cell phone and Smart phone technology.
3. Lapses in security and correctional officers smuggling in contraband to inmates.
4. Inadequate gang identification and intelligence
5. Systemic vulnerabilities in DOC personnel practices and
6. Dysfunctional Investigation system with the prison correctional setting.

The report conducted through a series of interview, surveillance, procedural review and departmental policy revealed a very interesting state of the gang picture within the New Jersey Correctional System.

New Jersey has 14 prison institutions in which the New Jersey Department of Corrections is responsible for.

What was discovered is that gang members utilizing cellular telephones smuggled in either by corrupt correctional officers, civilian staff or visitors allows them to communicate with a wide variety of people. Inside the system they can communicate with fellow gang members within the institutional system, fellow gang members on the street or other gang members outside the state.

Identified were the pre-pay disposable cell phones that are smuggled into the system for about $1000. Once inside the gang members utilize the relatively small size of the SIM card and easily switch the information from one phone to another reducing the risk of discovery.

In addition, the report identifies how gang members bypass the internal telephone monitoring system by having a collect call to a “family” member placed into a third party mode. Allowing the gang member to communicate with whomever they wish.

The report also details that the shear volume of regular mail that comes into the prison system is impossible to monitor. The favored method by gang members for distributing operational instructions via mail is heavily coded, and many times unbreakable. But merely identifying the mail that is suspect is hampered by a system that requires all mail to be delivered within 24 hours of receipt at the jail.

The C of I report also revealed that correctional officers receive a scant 8 hours of training in a 14 week academy class when the standards says a minimum of 40 hours is needed.

The Commission of Investigation detailed a series of recommendations that should be carried out both inside the New Jersey Department of Corrections but outside as well. To read the report in its entirety please go to the link below.

Read the full report here