Gangs, mafia, organised groups in prisons: the formal and informal strategies of managing the “public enemy"
How does the label of “public enemy” influence the strategies of managing prisons? Using insights coming from on-the-field research conducted in different countries (mainly inside the prison for gangs in Triángulo Norte – El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras – and into “high security” units for mafia me...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Oñati International Institute for the Sociology of Law
2025-07-01
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| Series: | Oñati Socio-Legal Series |
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| Online Access: | https://opo.iisj.net/index.php/osls/article/view/2076 |
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| _version_ | 1849254029465485312 |
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| author | Michele Miravalle |
| author_facet | Michele Miravalle |
| author_sort | Michele Miravalle |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | How does the label of “public enemy” influence the strategies of managing prisons? Using insights coming from on-the-field research conducted in different countries (mainly inside the prison for gangs in Triángulo Norte – El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras – and into “high security” units for mafia members in Italy), the article focuses on the forced relationship between two complex organisations, the State and its punitive apparatus on one side and the organised groups, the non-state actor, on the other. Organised groups bring inside the walls of prison their habitus, organisation, leadership, hierarchy, symbols, typical of that continuum. The special units for dangerous prisoners are becoming a transnational strategy for experimenting different forms of relationship between State and criminal organisations: recognition, degradation, desertion and the underestimated desistance. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-a25dad27c31f4f14862c2e68ea087fe2 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2079-5971 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
| publisher | Oñati International Institute for the Sociology of Law |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Oñati Socio-Legal Series |
| spelling | doaj-art-a25dad27c31f4f14862c2e68ea087fe22025-08-20T03:56:09ZengOñati International Institute for the Sociology of LawOñati Socio-Legal Series2079-59712025-07-011541356137910.35295/osls.iisl.20762877Gangs, mafia, organised groups in prisons: the formal and informal strategies of managing the “public enemy"Michele Miravalle0https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4701-5328University of TurinHow does the label of “public enemy” influence the strategies of managing prisons? Using insights coming from on-the-field research conducted in different countries (mainly inside the prison for gangs in Triángulo Norte – El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras – and into “high security” units for mafia members in Italy), the article focuses on the forced relationship between two complex organisations, the State and its punitive apparatus on one side and the organised groups, the non-state actor, on the other. Organised groups bring inside the walls of prison their habitus, organisation, leadership, hierarchy, symbols, typical of that continuum. The special units for dangerous prisoners are becoming a transnational strategy for experimenting different forms of relationship between State and criminal organisations: recognition, degradation, desertion and the underestimated desistance.https://opo.iisj.net/index.php/osls/article/view/2076organised crimespecial prison regimesmafiagangsdesistance |
| spellingShingle | Michele Miravalle Gangs, mafia, organised groups in prisons: the formal and informal strategies of managing the “public enemy" Oñati Socio-Legal Series organised crime special prison regimes mafia gangs desistance |
| title | Gangs, mafia, organised groups in prisons: the formal and informal strategies of managing the “public enemy" |
| title_full | Gangs, mafia, organised groups in prisons: the formal and informal strategies of managing the “public enemy" |
| title_fullStr | Gangs, mafia, organised groups in prisons: the formal and informal strategies of managing the “public enemy" |
| title_full_unstemmed | Gangs, mafia, organised groups in prisons: the formal and informal strategies of managing the “public enemy" |
| title_short | Gangs, mafia, organised groups in prisons: the formal and informal strategies of managing the “public enemy" |
| title_sort | gangs mafia organised groups in prisons the formal and informal strategies of managing the public enemy |
| topic | organised crime special prison regimes mafia gangs desistance |
| url | https://opo.iisj.net/index.php/osls/article/view/2076 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT michelemiravalle gangsmafiaorganisedgroupsinprisonstheformalandinformalstrategiesofmanagingthepublicenemy |