Abstract Using in-depth, face-to-face personal interviews of 25 formerly incarcerated participants, this study examines former inmates’ perceptions of prison gang affiliation, factors that shaped their decision to join, associate, and disengage from prison gangs, as well as the impact of gang involvement on their imprisonment adaptation. Overall, we found that inmates’ decisions about gang affiliation were linked to a variety of considerations – from personal safety, a sense of pride/belonging, to the consequences of gang affiliation for the prospect of release. Based on the narratives from our participants, two key themes emerge – contextual effects and individual selection effects, each with different policy implications. Findings from this study can be used to develop and improve research instruments for larger scale quantitative and qualitative studies to further understand the experiences of gang affiliated inmates.

中文翻译：

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“单打独斗”或边打边打：前被监禁者对监狱帮派的看法

摘要 本研究通过对 25 名曾被监禁的参与者进行深入、面对面的个人访谈，调查了前囚犯对监狱帮派从属关系的看法、影响他们决定加入、关联和脱离监狱帮派的因素，以及帮派参与对其监禁适应的影响。总的来说，我们发现囚犯关于加入帮派的决定与各种考虑有关——从人身安全、自豪感/归属感，到加入帮派对释放前景的影响。根据参与者的叙述，出现了两个关键主题——背景效应和个人选择效应，每个主题都有不同的政策含义。