The proliferation of gangs has intensified since the 1950s (Fong and Buentello, 1991). An attempt to understand prison gangs in 1985 showed them to be dangerous, unorganized entities. National Gang Intelligence estimates that there are approximately 230,000 gang members incarcerated in federal and state prisons nationwide (page 30). This is important because gangs are a major problem not only in corrections, but also because of their influence in the community. Research has found that prison gangs are more likely to recidivate than those who are not affiliated with a gang. Additionally, housing inmates costs the state government an average of $22,500 (Dooley, Seals, & Sharbek, 2014). The 2011 National Gang Threat Assessment found that "prison-related crime and violence in the nation's correctional system pose a significant threat to facility employees and a growing threat in many communities." This literature review will explore the question of how personal security in prison increases the likelihood that inmates will join a gang. The prevalence of gangs in prison appears to offer inmates protection to some extent, but gang membership is correlated with prison victimization. The criminal justice system must effectively train correctional officers about prison gangs and deter their development through education, job skills, and appropriate reintegration into the community. When inmates arrive in prison, they bring characteristics and behaviors from the streets with them. This influence is known as importation theory, which is defined as “the subculture within the prison is introduced... middle of paper……is that there is still much to be done in this area of ​​study. However, this can still pose a challenge due to who the gang member is and the standards they may meet. Additionally, gang members do not want to cooperate with researchers or officials because they do not want to be classified as informants. Most importantly, more studies are needed to determine whether the implemented strategies work to deter their presence in correctional facilities; “it is extremely difficult to define a successful intervention in a prison” (Carlson, 2001). This means that what may work for one correctional facility may not work for others. And those that work, how well do they work? Further research in this area should be conducted. Pyrooz et al. (2011) predicted that greater collaboration between correctional facilities should be prevalent for persistent individuals in these groups.