Gang members use a variety of ways to communicate with each other and to symbolize their gang affiliation. Chief among these is the use of color. To combat gang integrity, Bruce Muraski, a captain with the Wisconsin Department of Corrections, says that the state’s prisons have banned colored clothing completely.
“We’ve eliminated all colors as far as clothing,” he said. Instead, the facility issues neutral-colored clothing, like a drab green or gray.
But since the gangs didn’t stop there (they started coloring white rosary beads), neither did department. Now any article that can be used for adornment and identification — including Muslim kuffis — are colored black.
There’s a lot of wisdom in this: While eliminating colors won’t end gang association, the fewer the visual identifiers, the less likely it is that a gang’s fierce loyalty will spill over into violence. That should be enough to get corrections back in black.
Gang investigator Robert Walker (check out his web site: gangsorus.com) offers more clothing-related tips:
Athletic shoes worn by inmates should all be a neutral color — preferably solid white with no colored trim. No other solid colors of shoe should be allowed, such as red, blue or other known gang colors. All other types of shoes worn by inmates, including work shoes, should have laces that are consistent with the color or the shoe (black, brown, etc). Tennis or athletic shoe laces should all be white.
Athletic shoes bearing company names such as All-Star, Nike, Adidas and others should not be allowed due to the fact that gangs use the logos as symbols or they make acronyms out of the company names. For example:
- All-Star – 5 pointed star logo; used by gangs associated with the People Nation
Adidas – represents “All Day I Kill All Slobs” (slob is a derogatory term for Bloods)
Magic Markers - felt tip pens
Magic markers can be used as a source of tattoo ink, or a tool for writing graffiti. They can also be used for coloring shoe laces or the pockets of articles of clothing such as jackets or pants. With colored pockets, an inmate can flip out the pocket lining to show others his gang affiliation. Magic markers should only be allowed under close supervision in a classroom or work environment.