The Importance Of Gang Life In Prisons

Great Essays
Douglas J. Pettiford
Stanley “Tookie” Williams
CRIMINOLOGY

July, 6 2015

The life of a gang member is a harsh one that often leads to imprisonment or death. Many who embrace gang life do so to fill emptiness or void in their life. Gang leadership frequently offers to fill that void, under the pretense of fellowship and family. Those who do accept the call gain a sense of power and belonging. The life of most in gangs follow a path that is riddles with violence, crime, mistakes and regrets, but rarely redemption. It is not often they will get a chance to reevaluate their perspective on life and make a change for the better. Incarceration is the normal path for many gang members; in fact prison is a sort of rite of passage, a means of solidifying their commitment to gang life. The reality is most that enter the prison system don’t change for the good. While the goal of the penal system is rehabilitation, prison for the most part trains criminals to become better criminals. This however is not the case for Stanley “Tookie” Williams. Although his life was ended by lethal injection his contribution to anti-gang stance was significant. The story of Stanley “Tookie” Williams is one of youthful mistakes that lead to a violent and extensive criminal history. Ultimately, Williams’s story is one of crime, the law, and redemption. Williams’s life was one that was filled with crime at an earlier age and continued until a series of events changed the course of his life forever. It is ironic that a known gangster and habitual criminal was sentence to death row for crimes he contends he didn’t commit. Yet according to Williams that is exactly what happened. He was arrested, tried, and convicted of four murders, three of which were felony murders charges that resulted from robberies. The murders themselves were extremely violent in nature; in fact one of his victims was killed execution style. It’s important to put a face of the victims of Williams to ensure his story isn’t seen as one of an innocent man being sentence to death. Redemption is a wonderful thing, but it doesn’t erase the sins of the past. William’s four victims had families and were productive members of society whose lives were senselessly taken, all in the name of greed. Williams’s first victim was Alvin Owens who worked at the convenient store 7-11 in Pomona Ca. On the night of 27 February 1979, Williams along with two other gang members (Simms and coward) entered the store with the intent to rob it. Prior to reaching the store they had indulged in the use of the drug PCP. According to Coward’s Williams was the only person with a weapon, which was a sawed off shotgun. He further stated that in
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Legal executions were authorized under the Criminal Practice Act of 1851, and on February 14, 1872 it was revised to include the penal code which basically stated that the implementation of the death penalty must take place in the presence of law enforcement personnel, a doctor must be provided, the district attorney, a minimum of 12 citizens and at the request of the prisoner no more than two minister can be present to administer last rites (History of Capital Punishment in California n.d). In the case of Stanley “Tookie “Williams the law was clear. He met the criteria for execution for his crimes, and punishment should have been without controversy. Yet, Williams’s situation challenged to moral and ethical responsibility of society. He was indeed a murderer, and his past was riddled with violation of the law, but he forced California to reevaluate its death penalty policy. William’s made the state of California, and it fact the nation ask the question, can a person change? And if that change occurs should such harsh penalties as death be …show more content…
In his memoirs “Blue Rage, Black Redemption” Williams spoke about the changes he experienced on his road to redemption. He was catapulted into a position where he could simply fade away into nonexistence or reevaluate his current situation and make a change for the better. The former would have been the easiest, but he began to have an awakening internally and was beginning to sees the errors of his ways, and how his choices affected others. The word redemption in itself means to atone for mistakes and a deliverance from those

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