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To: American Prison Writing Archive Date: September 10, 2017 Essay on how Florida Department of Corrections (FDC) Staff are allowing gang members to live in general population and engage in criminal acts. There's more than ninety-nine thousand inmates in FDC. Tens of thousands of inmates in FDC are gang members. In 2014 I read a newspaper article that said there was close to ten thousand Latin King gang members in FDC alone. Other than the Latin Kings, there's dozens of other gangs in FDC. It's very reasonable to say there's approximately forty thousand gang members in FDC. The following are several of the many gangs in FDC: Gangster Disciples, Black Gangster Disciples, Imperial Gangster Disciples, Insane Gangster Disciples, Latin Kings, United Kings, Vice Lords, Bloods, Crips, Aryan Brotherhood, Aryan Nation, Unforgivens, Church of the Creator, Neatas, and etc. FDC has a large quantity of FDC staff they call "Security Threat Group" (STG) staff. Gangs are considered "Security Threat Groups" in FDC. In identifying gangs as "Security Threat Groups" FDC is identifying gangs as groups that are a threat to security in other words, gangs are a threat to staff, inmates, and institutional security. FAC 33-601-800 1(s) defines security threat group as "a formal or informal ongoing inmate/offender groups, gangs, organizations, or associations consisting of three or more members who have 1. A common name or common identifying signs, colors, or symbols; 2. Members or associates who individually or collectively engage in or have engaged in a pattern of gang activity, criminal activity, or department rule violations; or 3. Potential to act in concert to pose a threat or potential threat to the public, staff, visitors, other inmates or offenders, or the secure and orderly operations of an institution, probation office, other department property, or department activity or function." According to FAC 33-601-800 (2) [illegible], FAC 33-601-800 (2) (c) 2. G All Inmates in FDC that are gang members/security threat group members are supposed to be on close management by FDC's own foregoing rules. Close management is in essence long term confinement. Instead of placing gang member in close management FDC staff are allowing tens of thousands of gang members to live in general population where they're murdering, physically and sexually battering, robbing, extorting inmates that are not gang members, other gang members, and even staff. A large quantity of the inmate on inmate violence in FDC is because FDC staff are allowing gang members to live in general population instead of placing them in close management where FDC's own rules say FDC staff are supposed to house gang members at. This problem would be fixed and a lot of the inmate on inmate violence in FDC stopped if FDC followed FAC 33-601.800, and placed all their gang members on close management status. You can learn more about the problems with gangs in FDC and the unconstitutional conditions of FDC by going to the internet site for the Miami Herald newspaper, going to the location on their site entitled, "Cruel and Unusual" and reading the articles they've published on FDC. "Cruel and Unusual" is devoted to articles the Miami Herald has published on FDC. Take Care, Harold Hempstead
