Gang and Terror Recruitment
Gang and terror recruitment within correctional facilities poses significant security risks and challenges for staff. This directory offers articles and resources on identifying, preventing, and managing recruitment efforts by gangs and terrorist organizations among inmates. Understanding these threats is essential for maintaining security and preventing the spread of extremist ideologies. For related strategies, explore our section on Inmate Management and Security.
Michael Lerma allegedly ran drug operations, enforced order and orchestrated violence while in custody at MDC Los Angeles
Prosecutors say Surenos gang members armed themselves with prison-made weapons and makeshift body armor before launching a deadly assault at Ely State Prison
The racketeering case against three gang members, filed in 2019, aimed to move California’s most violent gangsters from state prisons to BOP restrictive housing units
Inmate Joseph Hutchinson’s death comes one month after Michael Torres, a Mexican Mafia member who controlled rackets in L.A. County jails, was killed on the yard
Recruiting and operating organized crime gang members and bosses as long-term confidential criminal informants is a dangerous game for law enforcement officers
Bulger’s transfer to W. Va. prison was well-known to other inmates and he was beaten to death just hours after his arrival
Father Gregory Boyle recognized for a lifetime of helping former gang members reclaim their lives after prison
COs were assaulted when they responded to a gang-related altercation between prisoners that occurred in an open area inside the facility
Accused lookout in beating death told his mother on a phone call shortly before Bulger came to USP Hazelton in October 2018 that inmates were preparing for the arrival of a “higher profile person”
Sean McKinnon, 36, was on federal supervised release when he was arrested Thursday in Florida on charges including conspiracy to commit first degree murder
Fotio Geas and Paul J. DeCologero are accused of striking Bulger in the head multiple times and causing his death in October of 2018 while all were incarcerated at United States Penitentiary Hazleton in Bruceton Mills, West Virginia
The effort by attorneys for accused Aryan Brotherhood member Brant “Two Scoops” Daniel comes as two guards at the prison have pleaded guilty to a cover-up at the facility
Two consecutive governors previously blocked parole for Rene “Boxer” Enriquez in part based on the argument that he is safer in prison than on the streets
Marco Paredes-Machado claims he was classified as a member of the ISIS terrorist group to justify moving him to the maximum-security prison
“Gross understaffing,” “uncontrolled gang activity,” and inmates having “unfettered access to contraband” were among the DOJ’s findings
The brutal attack left the officer temporarily without sight in her right eye
Staffing shortages are so severe at the facility that gangs and “inmate committees” control many aspects of life
Because contraband cell phones played such a major role in the 2018 Lee Correctional riot, SCDC knew they had to up their investigative game
The nationwide lockdown was prompted by fears of potential retaliation and concern violence could spread to other facilities
The surveillance video reveals a department struggling to maintain control
On December 7, 2020, Officer Dale Franquet faced a near-deadly encounter with a prisoner committed to carrying out a terror attack
The proper handling and documenting of contraband evidence is important for investigative purposes
Corrections officers need a mix of technology, trained personnel and data sharing to dismantle criminal networks and activities within their facilities
Roman Nikoghosyan was captured on wiretaps talking with the inmate shortly after his July 10 escape
“It’s the inmates, as you can clearly see, who are running things here,” said the COs union director
Some facilities are allowing inmates convicted of terror-related crimes to lead religious services
Imprisoned members bragged about overseeing crews in Michigan’s prison system
When analyzed in abstract terms, the intelligence process sounds vague, complicated and difficult to execute. This need not be the case
Technology acts as a force multiplier to help investigators keep tabs on arrivals and expose potential conflicts
The prisoners were transferred to a facility adjacent to where the other detainees on the base are held as part of an effort to “increase operational efficiency”
One ambush gave four Rikers Island correction officers broken bones, cracked ribs and bruised eyes
Five key factors make up the mission of security threat group intelligence gathering operations in a correctional setting
Intelligence gathering provides a more informed perspective when monitoring an inmates’ contacts and activities in their daily incarcerated lives
