Two young men recently asked me, “What gang are you in?”
“I’m in a one-man gang,” I said. “The Norman gang.”
I am an “old-timer.” The fact that I have survived over 36 years in Florida’s worst prisons without compromising my principles is a matter of awe to other prisoners, most of whom weren’t even born when I began serving this wrongful LIFE sentence.
I’ve learned a lot about gangs without even trying.
TODAY
California prison gangs developed decades ahead of Florida, but in the past twenty years Florida has been catching up. The police claim over 150 prison gangs operates in Hillsborough County (Tampa) alone.
The largest and most well-known prison gangs in Florida are Latin Kings, Folk Nation, Gangster Disciples, Crips, Bloods, MS 13, Mexican Mafia (“La Eme,” or “M. M.”), the Outlaws biker gang, and unnamed white supremacist groups mostly affiliated with larger gangs out west. These groups recruit members in prison, and police themselves, enforcing their own moral codes. Snitches, homosexuals, and thieves are not tolerated. Swift punishment can occur.
Today, prisoners join gangs for profit, protection and a sense of belonging.
IT’S ALL ABOUT THE MONEY SMUGGLING, STUPID
The major prison gangs in Florida are organized to facilitate profit-making illegal activities inside and outside of prison. Trafficking in drugs, tobacco, and cell phones is highly profitable. Smuggling contraband in quantity into prisons can only be accomplished with collusion by prison guards or other staff.
Cigarettes are sold in prison for $50 — $100 a pack, and many prison staffers have few qualms about sneaking in cartons of cigarettes. Gang members need cell phones to conduct their activities with accomplices outside. With cheap prepaid cell phones going for $300 — $500 each, low-paid staffers are easily tempted.
Once the prison employee has compromised himself/herself by handing off a pack of cigarettes to a prisoner, it is difficult to get off the hook. The staffer will be coerced to bring in drugs, or risk being exposed and arrested.
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In August 2014, before I was transferred here, prison officials made a major bust of thirty-eight packs of cigarettes, seven cell phones and a half-pound of “K2,” the synthetic chemical marijuana that is causing hallucinatory chaos in prison.
How in the world could someone smuggle in such a trove of contraband, you ask? A snitch told them about a hiding place in the kitchen storeroom. The illegal items had been delivered to the outside prison warehouse, then secreted inside a fifty-pound bag of potatoes. When the tractor driver hauled in a cart carrying several tons of potatoes, the special bag slipped in with the food delivery. No telling how much contraband from the original delivery had already been sold before the bust.
Such activities could only be done by coordinating with a well-financed group outside the prison. Such a bust would be a temporary setback, the cost of doing business. You can be sure that within a week other gang members stepped up to replace those locked up for investigation, and another pipeline into the lucrative prison market was opened. Multiply that single example by hundreds or thousands of state and federal prisons nationwide, and the scope of the problem is revealed.
The money involved is mind boggling.
IS IT HOPELESS TODAY?
The situation can only get worse. Prison officials have limited options and few ideas. Prison gangs are becoming more organized and coordinated with outside members, even maintaining up-to-date membership lists on computers. So much money is involved, the temptations are so great, that stopping the ever-increasing criminal activities seems an impossible task.
Florida prisons have staff members trained to monitor and keep track of gang members and gang activities. They photograph tattoos that identify gang membership and interview the prisoners. Little can be done until some overt act occurs, such as four Mexican gang members attacking and stabbing two opposing gang members over nonpayment of a drug debt.
A prison lockdown and mass transfer of thirty or more gang members to several other prisons might alleviate the immediate gang violence, but by scattering so many gang members to other prisons, in effect, pollinating the other prisons with new blood and new leadership, the ultimate problems only increase over time.
IT WASN’T ALWAYS THIS WAY: THE EARLY DAYS OF PRISON GANGS
Prison has changed greatly since I came into the system in 1978. There was little gang presence in Florida then, except for biker gangs, some white supremacists like the “A. B.’s,” Aryan Brotherhood, and some small black gang presence.
In some prisons with strong adversarial gang presences, prisoners would be forced to choose which group they would join, or risk violent “beat downs.” Some black prisoners would join the Nation of Islam, a Muslim religious group, rather than join a violent prison gang. The Muslims looked out for their own.
Puerto Ricans, Cubans, and Mexicans would hang together in their individual groups, but they weren’t organized like today. Black prisoners separated themselves mostly by their hometowns — Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Palm Beach, Tampa, St. Pete, Orlando, Jacksonville, and Pensacola. Fighting between themselves was more prevalent: Miami versus Jacksonville, Broward County (Fort Lauderdale) versus Orlando, and so on. Jamaicans and other “islanders” kept to themselves.
PRISONERS NEED MORE ALTERNATIVES
There are alternatives, but besides heavy-handed repression that creates even more ill will, the prison system is bankrupt for ideas.
And most prisoners are strapped for cash.
“If you ain’t got nothing, you got nothing to lose.” The Feds and many states pay pittances to prisoners for prison jobs, enabling them to earn enough dollars a week to buy canteen items such as shampoo, soap, deodorant, coffee and food. Florida has a law authorizing such payments, but the only prisoners who have paying jobs work in the limited PRIDE prison industries program or are canteen workers or shoeshine boys, being paid from canteen profits. Meanwhile, as they cut back the food budget to $1.54 per person per day, hungry prisoners watch gang members feast on purchased food and want in on the largess.
Although there is a state law still on the books that permits prisoners to make and sell arts and crafts as a means to earn money, most prisons have shut down hobby craft programs that provided a means for many prisoners to make and sell artwork, leathercraft, woodwork, and other handicrafts, relieving them of getting involved in illegal activities to earn spending money. In past years some prisoners helped support their families that way.
Perhaps state officials and politicians would better serve their constituents by re-evaluating their approaches to gang membership and violence, smuggling, and corruption, by plowing back some of the millions of dollars in profits that are kicked back for canteen sales and inmate telephone fees. The present system is broken, hobbling along, and serves no one’s best interest except those associated with gang activities.
Charles Norman has been serving LIFE for 1st degree murder in Florida since 1979, a murder he says he did not commit.
Charles Norman #881834
Tomoka Correctional Institution
3950 Tiger Bay Road
Daytona Beach, FL 32124
I’m not sure what camp Carly was at, but, everything that Mr. Norman has said is true. There are mass operations. I know this to be a fact. I’ve served 14 years in fdoc and I’ve seen it all. One thing that Carl said stands true. The correctional officers are the worst, most corrupt, and abusive gang of all.
Stop complaining. It’s a jail not a 5 star hotel. You did the crime now you do the time!
You are such a jerk whether you did a crime or not no one has the right to punish a person twice…they are not God!
I am soooo with you Florida girl….anyone who has any idea of how these individuals are treated by the guards in jail/prison knows that people still deserve respect, no matter what they have done. And unfortunately, those who throw the stones, just haven’t been caught.
A person’s sentence does not include being beaten, threatened or starved .I worked for FDOC for many years in healthcare. I know about the underhanded things officers do. I also know that family involvement helps curb some of the officer shenanigans People with loved ones in prison should call often and encourage others to call.
Utah speaks like An LEO. They are biggest criminals and couldn’t do the time in the conditions they impose. The are cowards.
I was a imate in florida recently,there are cell phones and they do cost 300-500 but no one is running some massive operation. Mostly family guys talking to loved ones. There are drugs but not anything like this article portrays.The biggest and most dangerous gang is the officer’s themselves. I have seen it all and if the truth is told, the state of Florida has a huge problem. The abuse, suffering and threatening staff rule over the compounds with fear.
I left fla. D.O.C. in 1996 after winning Orosz v. Singletary F.S.CT. from H.C.I.
I had started the Odinist Fellowship in the late 70s while at F.S.P. (east unit),and just wanted to know where have all the odinist prisoners gone??
Florida was bad when I served time there,I can only imagine its much worse.
We are still here and stand strong
Hailsa brother’s. Let the eye of woton always be appon our fallen comrades. Let us have faith that there are solid odinis warriors in the trenches spreading knowledge to our lost brethren! 2316
In florida the correctional officers and otherz in authorities commit crimes are the criminals corrupted see florida is the state where those who are in authorities commit the crime and blame it on innocent people they use a corrupted chain of command to try to cover up their crime to make them out of the picture by using certain govt.OFFICIAL In. Each business (they have corrupted people working for them ) to try to cover up their crime this is how they proffit millions if not billions some are FRAUDULENT ACTIVITIES .like an enactment but it more of a business revenue having bad people working for them and their job description is the reason why they are getting a way with murder wake up America time to RISE UP AND GET THEM ALL OUT OF GOV’T and it need to be done because all that money funneling in govt in staying put their no action in reproduction so more people will be poor in due time we want money to flow it not going to flow if it stays in each of these businesses. Some of these businesses are FRAUDULENT and the owe the American billions maybe trillions ALOT OF THOSE PRISONERS ARE VULNERABLE BULLIED WHO DON’T BELONG IN THERE THEY ARE VICTIMIZE BECAUSE THEY ARE SLOW LEARNERS THEY ARE NOT CRIMINALS THEY ARE VICTIMS OF PEOPLE IN AUTHORITIES CRIMINALS ACTIVITES WE NEED TO GET ALL THOSE CORRUPTED BUSINESS OUT OF GOV’T. TO MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN IF WE DONT THIS COUNTRY WILL BE IN SERIOUS TROUBLE AND IT WON’T BE ABLE TO STAY POWERFUL . THE POWER WILL STAY IN THESE COMPANIES WHO ARE HARMING OUR COUNTRY RIGHT NOW. A REVOLUTION NEED TO HAPPEN IT THE ONLY WAY TO GET THESE PEOPLE OUT JUST TO LET YOU KNOW THIS HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH TRUMP HE WAS DECIEVE JUST LIKE ALL THE OTHER AMERICANS AND THIS WAS GOING ON EVEN BEFORE TRUMP BECAME PRESIDENT WRITTEN APRIL 2018 IT ALMOST TIME
My prayer for you Mr Norman is that my Father who are in heaven would lead me to a attorney that He has already ordained for your defense in getting you out of that hell hole, but know that His Spirit and His Angel is right there beside you. That is why you have survived in prison for so long my friend. God loves you, peace
Apostle Jordan
My prayers go out to all the wrongly accused inmates in the world and my heart bleeds so much for the innocent persons that is convicted to satisfy a corrupt political organization and or personal gain, but beware all that has been wrongly convicted and denied justice, Father God has not forgotten nor forsaken you, He has heard your trembling voice and seen your sincere tears, hold on just a little while longer Mr. Norman,; vengeance Is mine saith the Lord and help is on it’s way. God is your witness. Amen