Tiffany Danitz

About the author: Tiffany Danitz is a writer for Insight on the News magazine.

Incarcerating gang members does not prevent gang members from running their gangs from prison or establishing new gangs while in prison. Prison gangs are flourishing across the country and are highly organized—even more so than street gangs. Gang members who are released from prison are often more sophisticated and more dangerous than when they went in. Prison gangs are often formed to control contraband, such as cigarettes, or for protection from predatory inmates. Although the rise in prison gangs is disturbing, by monitoring prison gangs, law enforcement authorities are becoming more knowledgeable about street gangs.

A40-year-old gang leader uses his cellular phone to organize an elaborate drug ring and order hits. He commands respect. He wears gangbanger clothing and...