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Surf Diaries 2005
Prison Gang Policies – What Works and What Doesn’t?SURF Student Studies Virginia Prison Policies Virginia recently approved new legislation for members of gangs. These strict laws soon should lead to increased numbers of gang members in prisons. However, most corrections officers aren’t receiving additional training to balance this tip in the scales. This summer Erin Bumgarner, a senior and political science and sociology double major at Randolph-Macon, explored this concern in order to suggest a more effective policy for Virginia to use in controlling prison gangs. Erin was one of many students participating in the college’s 2005 Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) program. The Lynchburg, Va., native also visited various Virginia prisons to explore the system firsthand, as well as accompanied several Virginia Department of Corrections officers to the gang-related training sessions they offer to law enforcement agencies. Based on her findings, Erin later will recommend an effective and feasible policy on tracking and controlling prison gangs to Virginia policymakers. “SURF is a great way to learn to do in-depth research, which is a skill that is needed in graduate or law school,” said Erin, who plans to attend law school after graduation.“ This experience will provide me with that skill, as well as put me a step ahead of many college graduates. "During the past two months, I have learned a lot about not only the gangs in Virginia prisons, but also how our corrections system functions,” she added. “I think I have been lucky with my research because everyone that I have met in the Department of Corrections and Attorney General's Office was very willing to help and very welcoming. I am glad that I was able to actually speak to the people that do this every day as a job; my research would definitely not be as in depth or successful if I had only read about everything in articles and books.” |
Studies show that controlling prison gangs is the central challenge facing correctional officers and administrators. But with additional gang members filling the systems, how can corrections officers who have often received substandard training gain the upper hand? To answer this question as well as others, Erin researched prison gangs and state-level prison policies on violence.