Les gangs de rue en prison
Today, street gangs are of great interest for many researchers because of the threat they seem to pose to society and its institutions.  In recent years, the Quebec Correctional Services has seen an increase of incarcerated street gang members which has created a number of issues related to the growth of these groups in prison.   Furthermore, few studies have addressed the issue of street gang members in prison although they seem to be the source of several serious problems in penal institutions.   Street gangs are often associated with criminality and violence, whether in the medias or in scientific papers.  They seem to be a great source of concern for the public; and, in general; they are perceived to be unpredictable, and violent, which is creating fear.    These groups are ever-evolving, diversified and constantly re-immerging.  Thus, the study of these groups is essential largely due to their characteristics, but also necessary in order to grasp their complexity and eventually, to be able to succeed in the control, repression and prevention of these groups.  This master seeks to understand the experience of street gang members in provincial prisons.  In this context, the choice of the qualitative approach seems entirely justified. The qualitative interviews we conducted with individuals identified by the correctional services to be closely associated to or members of street gangs seemed to us to be in line with the choice of the qualitative approach and were necessary in order to focus on the views and experiences of their life in prison.  The twenty-one interviews we conducted with inmates that are associated to a street gang have permitted us to further understand and capture the mentality of those in detention.  From these interviews, three major issues have emerged; firstly, the social organization of street gangs, secondly, the harsh prison conditions in which these groups operate and thirdly, how they function and operate in prison.  Finally, we have identified some facts from our interviews. When street gang members arrive in prison, they are experiencing a double-labelling, are living in harsh prison conditions and are all housed together.  Thus, the characteristics displayed of street gangs in prison is somewhat similar to the behaviour within the community; such as, their subculture, their structure, their positions, the family spirit that characterizes them in the community, their solidarity and violence.  The deprivation endured by incarceration added to the characteristics of street gangs lead to a further form of solidarity.  This solidarity allows the street gang members to adapt to any hostile environment, including the prison.  Finally, this solidarity is certainly an important inherent obstacle to the control of these groups in prison.
Street gangs prisons prisons experience solidarity importation theory