The developing world of OCGs. An initial analysis of the UK serious and organised crime strategy in the prison and police policy framework.

Although criminal networks in prison are not a new phenomenon, organised crime groups (OCGs) are increasingly treating prisons as a place for potential lucrative activities and proliferation, such as recruiting new members, creating joint ventures with other organisations, and expanding their activities towards new markets. Accordingly, for the UK government, prisons have emerged as a new frontline in fighting organised crime, intensifying the difficulties of tackling OCG networks. While so far research has mostly focused on criminal groups’ activities and how they are organised, their link with prisons remains largely unexplored. To fill this gap, this paper presents the early-stage findings of the project “Tackling the Developing World of OCGs through a multiagency strategy”. This project has focussed on the UK national and local government strategy against organised crime with a specific focus on the prison setting. Drawing on documentary analysis of public reports, policies, and legal documents published in the last 5 years by different UK agencies, this paper explores the formal definition and institutional narratives surrounding the proliferation of OGCs behind the bars. In doing so, it will produce an initial critical understanding of the UK government’s strategies to cope with this problem. Last, it will briefly introduce further steps of the project data analysis and possible recommendations to improve the UK multi-agency strategy against OGCs.