[What is the inmate subculture]
Joseph L. Galloway, "Into the heart of darkness," U.S. News and World Report, March 8, 1999.

Friends and family members blame the effects of prison subculture on John William King for his actions in the dragging death of a disabled black man. They say that King was a pleasant, quiet, ordinary guy when he entered the Texas prison system in 1995 on an eight-year sentence for burglary. Upon entering the Texas Beto I Unit, King was assaulted by several black inmates. He turned to a racist white gang for protection. Two years later, he came out "spouting white supremacist rhetoric, sporting those tattoos, and hell-bent on setting up his own racist gang." The murder he had committed was part of the initiation into this new gang.

• What are the effects of prison gangs on recidivism?
• In what ways could prison officials prevent such a dramatic turnaround as Bill King underwent while in prison?