Underground Economy of Prison 259extent to which inmate culture is either a product of the prison environment
or an extension of the external subculture. Those in the former camp, such as
G. Sykes and S. Messinger and R. Cloward and E. Goffman, have argued that the
inmate social system is formed as a reaction to the various pains of imprisonment
and the deprivation inmates suffer while in captivity. Other scholars challenge this
view of prison life, arguing that it tends to underestimate the importance of the
culture that convicts bring with them from the outside (Hunt et ai, 1993). More
research is needed to help bridge the disagreements among scholars and create an
effective method of understanding why inmates rely on the underground economy
of prisons.
Inmate gangs are the major source of the underground economy in prisons. As
mentioned earlier, most prison gangs are a manifestation of youth street gangs.
Therefore, more research needs to be directed toward street youths. Research
designed to create intervention programs for street youths may be a good invest-
ment for prisons. Intervention programs could emphasize recreation activities, such
as baseball, football, and other team sports. Educational courses can help stimulate
the intellectual ability of many street youths and prevent gangs from developing.
Consequently, intervention programs diminish the opportunity for prison gangs to
organize and recruit from adolescent street gangs.