Prison Gangs

There are roughly 2 million people currently housed in prisons in the United States today. A good majority of those individuals belong or have belonged to a gang, whether it was on the street or while confined. In the following pages I am going to discuss prison gangs. The subject is a broad one and I will not attempt to cover all the material available. I will instead provide a brief overview of the major prison gangs that operate in the U.S. prison system.

Before you can look at prison gangs you have to first define what a gang is. According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary a gang is a group of people working towards unlawful or antisocial means. To the law enforcement community a gang is three or more people who engage in illegal or deviant behavior. When most people think of gangs the first think that comes to mind is street level crime (i.e. drug sales and drive by shootings). These people are correct in their thinking however they do not generally look further than the streets.

Gangs are generally made up of young males who are looking for a sense of belonging and protection. This desire is generally a result of a lack of positive influences in their lives. Ultimately when a street level gang member is sent to prison they are going to seek out that same sense of belonging and protection while confined. While the number of gangs on the streets is hard to pinpoint due to the growing number of youth offenders prison gangs can be sifted down to one of six major gangs.

The Federal Bureau of Prisons has identified the following gangs as the most influential; The Aryan Brotherhood, Black Guerilla Family, La Nuestra Familia, Mexican Mafia, Texas Syndicate and the Neta Association. Generally what happens when an individual goes to prison is that they will attach themselves or be recruited by one these gangs.

The Aryan Brotherhood or AB originated in San Quinton Prison in 1967. Originally the gang was established for protection from Black and Hispanic groups. The philosophical premise of the AB and its members consists of a mixture of ideologies of white supremacy and German and Irish ancestry. In recent years however, the AB has moved away from the Neo-Nazi beliefs and have focused on Viking or Norse symbolism. The AB to this day maintain a close relationship with the Hell's Angels. This relationship is utilized for the gangs primary orientation of drug trafficking. There has not been a clearly defined organization to the AB other than a "Commission" that agrees to significant acts (i.e. murder and partnership with other gangs). The AB have a "blood in blood out" membership policy. Meaning that you have to commit murder to become a member and the only way out is you own death.

The Black Guerilla Family or BFG was founded in 1966 by George Jackson. Jackson was a former Black Panther Party member and formed the BFG when he was sent to prison for robbing a gas station. The BFG is the most political of prison gangs. It operates under a Marxist philosophy with stated goal to eradicate racism, maintain dignity in prison and to overthrow the U.S. government. As would be expected the BFG directly oppose the Aryan Brotherhood and other racist groups. It is organized in a Para-military fashion. There is a "Supreme Leader", who runs the BFG in all prisons nation wide. Under him is a Central Committee that handles local decisions. Then there are the foot soldiers that fall into military ranks. Like the AB the BFG has a "blood in blood out" membership policy.

La Nuestra Familia or LNF is one of the most prominent Mexican American gangs in the U.S. prison system. Formed in 1960 to protect younger Mexican American inmates in the California prison system they have sense spread throughout most of the U.S. LNF is unique in that are two segments to the gang. One for the street and one for the prisons. It is organized in a paramilitary style, with ranks from soldier all the way up to general. A loose partnership with the Black Guerilla Family has been noticed in the California prisons. As is the norm with most prison gangs LNF has a "blood in blood out" membership policy.

Another Mexican American prison gang is known as the Mexican Mafia or EME. EME is recognized as the most organized and dangerous prison gangs in the U.S. today. EME primary focus is the control of drug trafficking within the prison systems and on the streets where there members return to. They also are concerned with ethnic solidarity. More so than other gang the EME has a clearly visible rank structure. It has been reported that if prison officials need control of the Hispanic population that they go to the General of the EME. They have also been known to hold physical fitness sessions while on the recreation fields of prisons. The EME is generally aligned with other Hispanic gangs and on occasion the Aryan Brotherhood. Their primary rivals are African American gangs.

The Texas Syndicate or TS was formed in the early 1970s as a means of protection for native Texans in the U.S. prison system. The gang is primary Mexican American but in recent years they have allowed inmates from other Hispanic backgrounds to join. It has been reported that the Texas Syndicate has a written constitution that spells out membership requirements as well as the Dos and Don'ts of daily life. Generally each prison has a rank structure that is headed by an individual known as the Chairman. The TS will generally ally themselves with other smaller Hispanic gangs. The smaller gangs then pay a percentage of their profits from drug trafficking and prostitution.

The last of the most prevalent prison gangs is the Neta Association or Neta. Originally formed in 1979 to protect weaker inmates in the Puerto Rican prisons they have sense spread though out Florida and the Northeastern U.S. They see themselves as oppressed people who are unwilling to be governed by the U.S. government. Neta generally use the façade of cultural organization to operate out in the open. The hierarchy consists of a president, vice president, recruiter, secretary, sergeant at arms and lastly enforcers. The Neta do not exclusively deal in drug trafficking or prostitution but rather engage in what ever activity will be most beneficial to that particular group.

As you can see the types of prison gangs are both varied and similar at the same time. Virtually all of them have similar membership requirements and leadership breakdowns. The biggest difference between the gangs is how they identify themselves. That topic in and of its self is worthy of another paper all together. As was mentioned earlier this is only a brief overview of the prison gangs in the U.S. prison system. Due to the fact that prison gangs are constantly changing how they operate to elude law enforcement and corrections officers it is difficult to get an accurate view without fully immersing yourself into the subject. The unfortunate fact remains that as long as there are prisons there will be prison gangs to deal with.