Is it a matter of official policy to treat people who quit a gang better then the ones who were never in one? Like providing them with better housing, protecting them from other inmates and supplying them with prison delicacies like ice cream and soda? I’ve seen stuff like that documented in prison TV shows, but is it true? Seems extremely backwards and counter productive if so.
I know this one!!!
If you mean the staff might treat them better, the answer is no. If you mean the other inmates might treat them better, the answer is HELL NO.
Former gang members are usually housed with other inmates that will be victimized, gays, snitches, sex offenders. Not most peoples idea of pleasant company. They don’t get better housing, or food, or more rec time. Actually they are usually concerned about their food, since it comes from the central kitchens, manned by other inmates who may contaminate it out of spite. They can never walk on a “main line” again, for fear of their lives. If they get out of prison, many of them are not safe in their own neighborhoods, since everyone knows they dropped out. It’s a complicated, difficult, life decision.
I dont mind homosexuals. I dont know where you get your ideas of “pleasant company” but they sound pretty bigoted to me.
I think he may mean that homosexuals may be frequent targets of gangs, and the homosexuals in prison may not really care which particular gang the prisoner came from.
I suppose you could pick one word out of the post and make it sound like anything you want. But that really isn’t the intent of the OPs question. I assume most people wouldn’t find inmates of any kind to be pleasant company. Perhaps I should have worded it differently. Sensitive needs yards, which is what they call the protective custody areas in California, are populated with inmates that would be unsafe if in contact with “mainline” inmates, which is what they call the non-protected custody areas.
Personally I don’t have issues with gays, or sex offenders for that matter, and I am completely uninterested in the politics involved in being targeted as a snitch. I was married to a prison inmate, so I don’t have a problem with them as a group either. However, “most people” have little or no personal experience with any of the above groups, and due to their inexperience, would be uncomfortable with them.
Can we get back to the original question?
My impression is that the rewards like better food are more for the inmates who have useful information that can be used to destroy the gang.
As far as better housing and protecting them, that is because ex-gang members are giant targets in prison. Like someone else said there are certain criminals and people in prison who are targets of violence (ex-gang members, ex-cops, sex offenders, homosexuals, people who cooperate with authorities, etc) and they have to be housed seperately to prevent them from being assaulted and killed.