Fresh Policies, New Practices Boost Gang Management at CCA, Pt 4

Networking, training, technology change face of security threat group management (Part 4)

New moves in security threat group management are keeping CCA ahead of the cutting edge. In fact, Charlie Peterson, CCA director, Classification and Security Threat Groups (STG), says CCA is set to be a game-changer when it comes to managing gangs in correctional settings.

“We’re developing philosophies and standards that will drive and transform gang management in corrections nationwide,” he says.

An updated security threat group management policy, revamped training and technology are helping CCA’s gang experts spot new trends, extend intelligence-gathering networks and create best practices with their facilities in mind.

The updated STG management policy

CCA’s original security threat group management policy (9-12) was developed in 2002. Since much has changed on the STG and gang landscape in seven years, the document was revisited and updated.

“The first policy dealt with the basics in identifying and confirming gang affiliation,” Peterson explains. “Today’s technology shapes how we train our professionals in STG management as well as how we track and store data.”

The refashioned 9-12 policy also benefits from an addendum that delves deeper into the details of all things STG. “Most policies are just about procedures and how to properly abide by them,” Peterson says. “But we went a step further and produced supplemental document 9-12AA, titled ‘Security Threat Group Management Strategy – The CCA Way.’”

9-12AA addresses STG management and oversight, identification, validation and approval, intelligence filing, monitoring, reporting, communication, management of suspected terrorists, gang suppression programs, protective custody and staff development and training.

“This eight-page document lays out the strategies we as a company want in place to successfully manage security threat groups,” Peterson says.

Tweaking training

The revised policy is being reinforced through new companywide training on gangs and security threat groups. According to Peterson, all employees – whatever their position – need to be cognizant of the ins and outs of gangs. And facility STG coordinators play a critical role in ensuring this.

“Until our policy was revised, in order to become an STG coordinator, all you had to do was volunteer,” he explains. “You didn’t have to be a gang expert. Once a person was selected, the training was what they learned on the job or if the facility sent them to a conference.”

But now that’s changing. Within 30 days of being named as an STG coordinator, employees now must participate in an eight-hour videoconference on policy, gang identification, gang history, trends and more. Additionally, STG coordinators are required to lead a session on gangs during pre-service and in-service training; the company’s presentation skills training helps to prepare them for this.

“Staff need to know who is a gang member or has suspected gang affiliations,” Peterson says. “In our line of work, we have to be careful how that information is exchanged or reported. Gangs play by different rules, and people can get hurt if we don’t do things the right way. That’s just one reason why this should be important to all of us.”

Keeping track with technology

From buying music to paying bills, Americans increasingly rely on technology to conduct business and keep records. And STG management at CCA is taking a similar tack.

“In 2002, our policy was about having a hard copy file and manual documents,” Peterson says. “Now we have the technology to do it electronically.”

Facilities are now submitting monthly STG reports that include data on the number of STG suspects, confirmed members and more. “Today we know that approximately 18 percent of our population is comprised of confirmed or suspected gang members,” Peterson says.

Several months ago, ascertaining such a figure with confidence would not have been possible.

“We can now look at those numbers and compare them with other factors that we track and monitor to determine our greatest risks,” Peterson explains. “That is linked to any number of concerns that upper-level managers need to know to make major decisions.”

With the Technology department, Peterson is piloting a new intranet-based application for CCA’s STG professionals to access files, such as policy forms and gang photos, and input data for automated reports. All facilities are expected to be trained on the system via videoconference and e-learning later this year.

“Other than contacting every facility, we had no tracking mechanism,” Peterson says. “This new system – with our new policy and new training – will take us light years ahead of where we’ve been.”

Joining forces

From being members of gang management associations to building strategic intelligence exchanges, CCA employees constantly collaborate – both internally and externally – to stay in the know.

At Saguaro Correctional Facility, weekly operations meetings also serve as intelligence meetings. “We identify any STGs through our unit management mapping,” says Todd Thomas, warden at Saguaro. “We look closely at areas where we receive a high volume of complaints from inmates and send in additional staff where necessary.”

“We network through initial training classes, yearly in-service training, weekly department head meetings and monthly STG reporting. I also belong to the Northwest Gang Investigators Association,” says Rocky Hart, STG sergeant at Crossroads Correctional Center.

“We maintain membership with the National Major Gang Task Force and Georgia Gang Investigation Association,” says George Martinez de Castro, investigator at Stewart Detention Center. “We also network with the local sheriffs and police.”

Ganging up on gangs: facility best practices

No two facilities are the same. Because inmate populations vary, the responses of CCA’s gang experts must be tailored accordingly.

“The best practice is to listen and learn about gangs in general then move on to specific gangs that you deal with on a day-to-day basis,” says Hart. “You must continue to monitor their movement, behaviors and patterns.”

Investigation is critical for understanding STG links. Once STG activity has been documented, staff can monitor telephone calls, put inmates on mail watch and investigate other facilities as needed, says Thomas.

Keeping up with both alliances and rivalries is imperative, Hart says. “Separating the enemies as much as possible is a huge step in keeping the safety of the facility, staff and other inmates. For example, here at Crossroads, we keep the Sureños and Norteños (rival Hispanic gangs originally from California) housed in different wings.”

Intake interviews are another vital tool. “We do a total interview and total body scan of every inmate coming into the facility,” says Thomas. “We look for and photograph all tattoos for data that we can compare later or as needed.”

If inmates at Saguaro are found with new tattoos or gang paraphernalia, they are immediately placed in segregation and receive disciplinary charges, without exception. An 18-month behavior modification program known as the Special Housing Incentive Program (SHIP) is mandatory for inmates participating in STG activity.

“There’s no warning. After the first STG encounter, inmates are placed in SHIP,” Thomas explains.

SHIP is highly structured and allows inmates to gradually earn privileges, such as recreation, library time, and educational opportunities.

“This is by far the most effective program that I’ve been involved with,” says Thomas. “Our customers have commented that the inmates here feel safer than they’ve ever felt.”

Such communication with customers also plays an important role. “The biggest gang management strategy we have here is communication at all levels, from Immigration and Customs Enforcement to the intake personnel to unit officers to STG coordinators,” “says Michael Swinton, warden at Stewart. “As soon as someone is identified and validated, we continue to communicate internally.”

CCA employees also look to cyberspace. “There’s a never ending list of valuable information to be gained using the Internet," says Hart. “The gangs are giving us free intelligence through MySpace and other sites.”

But perhaps the most important STG practice occurs at the beginning of a CCA career.

“The most important best practice for any CCA facility is to select STG personnel who have passion for the job and not someone who is using the position as a stepping stone for promotion,” says Hart. “Gangs are not going away. They’re getting smarter and more technologically advanced with the Internet, their codes, cell phones and their criminal activity. If you don’t have someone in the job for continuity and growth of knowledge, the gangs will win.”

Correct Perspectives, September 2009
By K. Danielle Edwards and DeAndra Mack