David Skarbek

This work deals with a seemingly narrow subject, but it actually extends beyond penitential matters. The author shows how prison gangs provide government-type services for their members - protection of course, but also order, public goods and accreditation which facilitates mutual trust in gang-to-gang trading relationships. With regard to the last one, the author draws an interesting comparison to how trade worked in medieval Europe without any state help.

Although the author emphasizes the rationality of gang activity, the book certainly doesn't give a rosy view of prison gangs or their members. Violence, uncertainty, hierarchy and irrevocable membership are the cornerstones of gang government. Prison guards and officials have little incentive to protect every prisoner's security and interests. Instead they can collude with gangs in exchange for bribes. Joining a gang is a life-altering decision for better and worse, and the author portrays this real-life prisoner's dilemma very clearly. He also explains how prison gangs exercise great influence over street gangs on the outside - more or less everyone goes to prison at some point, so they need to be on good terms with prison gangs. One of the most interesting things I learned from this book is how prison gangs run extensive illegal trade within, between and even outside prisons. The author even claims that some convicts deliberately commit murder on the inside to be able to continue their lucrative business.

In conclusion the author shows that prison gangs do not exist only for violent purposes. They meet a demand for public services which the state fails to satisfy in the American penal system. I understood the internal logic of this partly secluded social world from a completely new perspective after reading this book. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in spontaneous and decentralized government provided by non-state actors. The extensive bibliography offers a lot more reading around this topic.… (mais)