title: Predicting involvement in prison gang activity: street gang membership, social and psychological factors.
abstract: The aim of this study was to examine whether street gang membership, psychological factors, and social factors such as preprison experiences could predict young offenders' involvement in prison gang activity. Data were collected via individual interviews with 188 young offenders held in a Young Offenders Institution in the United Kingdom. Results showed that psychological factors such as the value individuals attached to social status, a social dominance orientation, and antiauthority attitudes were important in predicting young offenders' involvement in prison gang activity. Further important predictors included preimprisonment events such as levels of threat, levels of individual delinquency, and levels of involvement in group crime. Longer current sentences also predicted involvement in prison gang activity. However, street gang membership was not an important predictor of involvement in prison gang activity. These findings have implications for identifying prisoners involved in prison gang activity and for considering the role of psychological factors and group processes in gang research.
authors.affiliation: Centre of Research and Education in Forensic Psychology (CORE-FP), School of Psychology, University of Kent, Canterbury.
authors.forename: Jane L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Wood
authors.affiliation: Centre of Research and Education in Forensic Psychology (CORE-FP), School of Psychology, University of Kent, Canterbury.
authors.forename: Emma
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Alleyne
authors.affiliation: Centre of Research and Education in Forensic Psychology (CORE-FP), School of Psychology, University of Kent, Canterbury.
authors.forename: Katarina
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Mozova
authors.affiliation: Centre of Research and Education in Forensic Psychology (CORE-FP), School of Psychology, University of Kent, Canterbury.
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: James
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000818:Animals; D000987:Antisocial Personality Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology*; D003415:Crime / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence* / Q000523:psychology*; D019548:Crime Victims / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000523:psychology; D006126:Group Processes; D006801:Humans; D007406:Interview, Psychological; D007604:Juvenile Delinquency / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence* / Q000523:psychology*; D008297:Male; D011329:Prisoners / Q000523:psychology*; D011330:Prisons; D011610:Psychosocial Deprivation; D064890:Social Determinants of Health; D012930:Social Dominance; D012932:Social Facilitation; D012933:Social Identification; D006113:United Kingdom; D014754:Violence / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence* / Q000523:psychology*