The growth in Texas prison gangs was rapid during the early 1980's, and the incidence of gang-related crime also escalated dramatically during this period; 201 recorded serious crimes were known to be gang-related and another 147 were believed to be gang-related. These crimes included aggravated assaults on staff and inmates, kidnapping, possession of weapons, attempted murder, and murder. Early efforts to control gangs were relatively unsuccessful. Such efforts involved locking up known gang members, transferring gang leaders to other institutions, and attempting to prosecute all crimes committed by inmates. In November 1984, a special crime unit was established to deal with the gang problem, and the first of several gang prosecutions was successful. In September 1985, a law was enacted that made it a felony for an inmate to possess a weapon. During 1984 and 1985, an effort was made to increase the number of prison staff. In addition, administrative segregation was used to control gang activities in prisons. The importance of effective information exchange between jurisdictions in controlling inmate gangs is stressed. 1 reference and 1 table