The fear of the Lord is the foundation of true knowledge,
but fools despise wisdom and instruction.
Proverbs 1:7 NLT
In yesterday's entry, I wrote about gangs and how they have been with humanity for at least several thousand years...
but fools despise wisdom and instruction.
Proverbs 1:7 NLT
In yesterday's entry, I wrote about gangs and how they have been with humanity for at least several thousand years...
Where even in the Bible one can find warnings for young men not to join together as a band of thugs in order to commit robberies and other criminal acts. As a wise king wrote, "My child, don't go along with them! Stay far away from their paths. They rush to commit evil deeds. They hurry to commit murder" (Proverbs 1:15-16 NLT).
Yet, in spite of the stern warning, young men continue to fall victim to the lures and pressures of their peers. Today, criminally focused gangs are everywhere. Some are large in numbers, and some are smaller in size. But they're still a gang no matter what.
In prison, gangs have become part of the landscape. In big facilities with a thousand or more residents, or smaller facilities with only several hundred individuals in lockup, there will be some form of gang activity taking place. Be it for economic reasons such as the sale of narcotics, or to simply feel the need to control things and thereby establish one's sense of importance, there will be those who will be drawn into joining a gang.
And as one who has been in prison for many years and has observed things firsthand, gangs are becoming more prevalent. They group together by race, skin color, and by the cities and towns they come from. And when it comes to larger cities, the gangs are usually divided up by neighborhoods.
In here, so-called gang members are from all age groups. It's not just the younger men. Around me are guys in their thirties, forties, and fifties who are wrapped up in the gang culture. And many of them, sadly, carry on like adolescents. They're wild, loud, hot-tempered, and foolish. There's no criminal sophistication among many of them. They're more like a gang of thugs than an organized ring.
These so-called gangs are busy trying to control the telephones, the food, certain jobs, and the exercise equipment in the gym. It's really very petty. Other than the crews who sell drugs, the gangs are about nothing. It's nothing more than macho pride and men trying to create an image of power and prestige. It's about impressions and illusions as to what one thinks a man in prison is supposed to be like. At least this is my take on it.
In any event, I get along with these guys, and I've never had a problem with any of them. In my conversations with many individuals who are "gang-bangers," when I get to spend time with them on a one on one basis, they will share things with me that they won't share with those from their group. They'll talk about their families, their childhood, their love lives, and the dreams they once had for themselves before coming to prison.
You'd be surprised at how they want to be real, and to make themselves vulnerable by revealing their human side. They know that with me, there's no need to impress. They'll speak from their heart and show a side of themselves that they don't want their peers to see.
Throughout the years, many gang members have confessed to me their regrets at committing whatever crime, or crimes, they're in here for. Some have now been incarcerated for several decades, doing time for what they did when they were in their late teens or early twenties. They know they lost everything. They know they made bad choices. They threw their lives away selling drugs or committing robberies. It was a revelation that took time to come. But when that revelation finally hit, it came with much pain. This being the realization that, "I was a fool."
D.B.
Yet, in spite of the stern warning, young men continue to fall victim to the lures and pressures of their peers. Today, criminally focused gangs are everywhere. Some are large in numbers, and some are smaller in size. But they're still a gang no matter what.
In prison, gangs have become part of the landscape. In big facilities with a thousand or more residents, or smaller facilities with only several hundred individuals in lockup, there will be some form of gang activity taking place. Be it for economic reasons such as the sale of narcotics, or to simply feel the need to control things and thereby establish one's sense of importance, there will be those who will be drawn into joining a gang.
And as one who has been in prison for many years and has observed things firsthand, gangs are becoming more prevalent. They group together by race, skin color, and by the cities and towns they come from. And when it comes to larger cities, the gangs are usually divided up by neighborhoods.
In here, so-called gang members are from all age groups. It's not just the younger men. Around me are guys in their thirties, forties, and fifties who are wrapped up in the gang culture. And many of them, sadly, carry on like adolescents. They're wild, loud, hot-tempered, and foolish. There's no criminal sophistication among many of them. They're more like a gang of thugs than an organized ring.
These so-called gangs are busy trying to control the telephones, the food, certain jobs, and the exercise equipment in the gym. It's really very petty. Other than the crews who sell drugs, the gangs are about nothing. It's nothing more than macho pride and men trying to create an image of power and prestige. It's about impressions and illusions as to what one thinks a man in prison is supposed to be like. At least this is my take on it.
In any event, I get along with these guys, and I've never had a problem with any of them. In my conversations with many individuals who are "gang-bangers," when I get to spend time with them on a one on one basis, they will share things with me that they won't share with those from their group. They'll talk about their families, their childhood, their love lives, and the dreams they once had for themselves before coming to prison.
You'd be surprised at how they want to be real, and to make themselves vulnerable by revealing their human side. They know that with me, there's no need to impress. They'll speak from their heart and show a side of themselves that they don't want their peers to see.
Throughout the years, many gang members have confessed to me their regrets at committing whatever crime, or crimes, they're in here for. Some have now been incarcerated for several decades, doing time for what they did when they were in their late teens or early twenties. They know they lost everything. They know they made bad choices. They threw their lives away selling drugs or committing robberies. It was a revelation that took time to come. But when that revelation finally hit, it came with much pain. This being the realization that, "I was a fool."
D.B.
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