国家地理:Predators behind bars 监狱生死门: 牢笼恶兽

Albert has been a Crip since age 12. He is one of the first generations of the Los Angeles based Gang, a group known as the Original Baby Gangsters¹. His seniority puts him near the top of the Crips' national hierarchy². Here in Lebanon, he runs a criminal syndicate of roughly 50 men. (None would marry with delight, man. I'm saying I got you. Man, I got you, man) They compete with a dozen other gangs to financially exploit the inmates⁴. The Crips's rackets include extortion, gambling⁵ and drugs.

That's the life of a convict, you got to survive in this institution, and basically to survive when you're not free is by all means. Any and everybody that ain't your friend is your enemy. You got to eat.

The gang leader is constantly on the lookout⁶ for new inmates. They offer Albert an easy opportunity for extortion. The Crip reveals his technique for shaking them down.

A guy comes in, I'll take him when they call chow. I go down to his cell and ask him," Homey, you're going to chow? " He like, "Yeah, cous', I'm going to chow." I walk to chow with him, let him know I'm there.

After offering friendship and protection, then he turns the screws. Albert will take the inmate³ into a cell or empty stairwell and demand payment, money, gifts or service. If he refuses, it gets ugly.

I say it with aggression⁷, with my face expression. I go in with no shirt on and my gloves in my pockets, so he'll see them. If you know he's soft, slap him or just grab him by his throat. Choke him for a good 10-12 seconds and he'll come around.

Many new inmates don't realize they are prey⁸ until it's too late.


Crips: one of the Los Angeles, California gangs. The Crips are identified by the blue color worn by their members and the gang is largely composed of African Americans. The gang has an intense rivalry⁹ with the Bloods
extortion: (v.) The act or an instance of extorting¹⁰. 勒索

1 gangsters   

匪徒，歹徒( gangster的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The gangsters offered him a sum equivalent to a whole year's earnings. 歹徒提出要给他一笔相当于他一年收入的钱。
• One of the gangsters was caught by the police. 歹徒之一被警察逮捕。

2 hierarchy   

n.等级制度；统治集团，领导层

参考例句：

• There is a rigid hierarchy of power in that country.那个国家有一套严密的权力等级制度。
• She's high up in the management hierarchy.她在管理阶层中地位很高。

3 inmate   

n.被收容者；(房屋等的)居住人；住院人

参考例句：

• I am an inmate of that hospital.我住在那家医院。
• The prisoner is his inmate.那个囚犯和他同住一起。

4 inmates   

n.囚犯( inmate的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• One of the inmates has escaped. 被收容的人中有一个逃跑了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The inmates were moved to an undisclosed location. 监狱里的囚犯被转移到一个秘密处所。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 gambling   

n.赌博；投机

参考例句：

• They have won a lot of money through gambling.他们赌博赢了很多钱。
• The men have been gambling away all night.那些人赌了整整一夜。

6 lookout   

n.注意，前途，瞭望台

参考例句：

• You can see everything around from the lookout.从了望台上你可以看清周围的一切。
• It's a bad lookout for the company if interest rates don't come down.如果利率降不下来，公司的前景可就不妙了。

7 aggression   

n.进攻，侵略，侵犯，侵害

参考例句：

• So long as we are firmly united, we need fear no aggression.只要我们紧密地团结，就不必惧怕外来侵略。
• Her view is that aggression is part of human nature.她认为攻击性是人类本性的一部份。

8 prey   

n.被掠食者，牺牲者，掠食；v.捕食，掠夺，折磨

参考例句：

• Stronger animals prey on weaker ones.弱肉强食。
• The lion was hunting for its prey.狮子在寻找猎物。

9 rivalry   

n.竞争，竞赛，对抗

参考例句：

• The quarrel originated in rivalry between the two families.这次争吵是两家不和引起的。
• He had a lot of rivalry with his brothers and sisters.他和兄弟姐妹间经常较劲。

10 extorting   

v.敲诈( extort的现在分词 )；曲解

参考例句：

• Corrupt government officials were extorting money from him. 腐败的政府官员向他敲诈钱财。 来自辞典例句
• He's been charged with extorting protection money from the shopkeepers. 他被指控对店主敲诈勒索保护费。 来自互联网