Prison gangs in the United States

Prison gangs in the United States are criminal organizations that form and operate within correctional institutions. A prison gang consists of a select group of imprisoned individuals and has unique symbols, such as tattoos, that make it easy to identify its members. These groups have a distinct hierarchy and an established code of conduct. While most prison gangs were created to protect their members from other imprisoned individuals, their main objective is to profit from criminal activities such as drug trafficking, sex work, gambling, extortion, and contract killings. To take away the recognition that incarcerated individuals associate with belonging to such a group, prison officials refer to prison gangs as “security threat groups” or “STGs.”

The gang that an individual belongs to often depends on their nationality or ethnicity, but not all individuals in prison belong to a gang. Prison gangs carefully recruit new members. They often recruit individuals who have been convicted of serious crimes, such as robbery or murder, or who have established drug connections. Six major national gangs exist in the United States: the Aryan Brotherhood (AB), Black Guerilla Family (BGF), La Nuestra Familia (NF), Mexican Mafia, Neta, and Texas Syndicate.

Prison gangs are predominately male. Approximately 3 to 10 percent of these groups are female, and women involved in prison gangs tend to be much less violent than their male counterparts. The prison gangs that imprisoned females belong to tend to be smaller, regional, and not as well known. Their crimes tend to involve fraud or economic crimes, but being in a gang increases an imprisoned woman's risk of committing violent crimes. However, overall, women in prison are more likely to form "pseudofamilies" than gangs. These social structures create order in the prison, with some women acting like aunties, parents, or grandparents to younger inmates. However, some experts argue that pseudofamilies function the same way as gangs, providing members with economic support and protection while increasing the occurrence of coercion and aggression.

While most correctional institutions prohibit gangs, prison gangs continue to operate without punishment. Part of the reason for this is that gangs maintain order within a prison. Gang members usually stop imprisoned individuals from behaving in a way that disrupts their business operations. However, this does not mean that prison gangs are good for prison populations. Gangs are responsible for most of the serious misconduct in prisons such as intimidation, rape, drug trafficking, assault, and murder. Most prison gangs are in California and Texas, which are states with very high numbers of incarcerated individuals.

Background

Prison gangs did not exist in the United States before the 1950s. Before this, prisoners followed the convict code, which states the following: Do not snitch; do not steal; do not lie; pay your debts; and do your own time. If an individual followed this code, they maintained a high social status and received the support of his peers. If they violated the code, on the other hand, they were ostracized and in danger of becoming a victim of prison violence.

The prison population surged during the 1950s and 1960s, and larger prisons were built. With so many new individuals, the convict code was not enough to keep people safe in prisons. In the past, individuals in prison knew one another’s history. They also knew if a particular individual had violated the code. Now, keeping track of each individual's actions was nearly impossible. The spike in the prison population also changed the demographics within prisons, which were now more racially and ethnically diverse. Violence became commonplace. The convict code could not be relied upon to maintain order.

Small groups began to form. Members of these groups shared a commonality, such as race or ethnicity. In time, these small groups evolved into prison gangs that individuals joined mainly for protection. However, once in a prison gang, individuals engage in drug trafficking and are responsible for selling contraband inside the correctional institute. Prison gangs are also predatory. Their members intimidate other prisoners as well as correctional officers.

Prison gangs can be either local or national. National gangs have members in prisons throughout the country. Some of these gangs are chapters or affiliates of the main gang. As their members transfer to other prisons, these gangs can branch out. The first known prison gang in the United States was the Gypsy Jokers, which formed in the 1950s in prisons in Washington State. The first nationwide prison gang was the Mexican Mafia, which formed in 1957 in California. Many large, nationwide prison gangs formed in the 1960s, including Nuestra Familia (NF) and the Aryan Brotherhood (AB).

With the rise in incarcerated individuals came an increased demand for both illegal and legal contraband. Prisoners demanded drugs and weapons but also desired items that were legal in the outside world, such as cigarettes, cell phones, and alcohol. Smuggling in and selling contraband within a prison can be extremely profitable for a prison gang.

Overview

Organizational Structure

Prison gangs have a different social order than the rest of the prison population. A prison gang is unique in that it selects its own members, who must meet certain requirements before being allowed to join. Membership in a prison gang is mutually exclusive, meaning prisoners cannot belong to multiple gangs. Members of a prison gang must remain committed to the gang for life. If a prison gang member is released, they are expected to continue working for the gang on the street. However, some research indicates that most individuals who serve only a few years in prison are unlikely to continue membership in the gang once they are released. Prison gangs are typically smaller than street gangs but may exert control over them.

Most prison gangs have a similar structure. One man is designated the leader and oversees a council of hard-core members. This council makes decisions for the group. Violence, such as fights, is often used to determine the hierarchy of the remaining members.

All prison gangs have a motto. Some use “blood in, blood out,” which means that recruits have to commit murder to join the gang and will be murdered if they try to leave it. Prison gangs also have symbols that identify their members. For example, the White Warriors, a white supremacist prison gang in New Hampshire, uses an iron cross as its symbol. Prison gangs also have a written constitution that their members must follow. This constitution outlines acceptable and unacceptable behaviors.

Prison gangs operate using a community responsibility system in which each member is responsible for all other members. For example, if a member of Gang X assaults a member of Gang Y, all members of Gang X are responsible for the crime. The offender will be disciplined by their own gang members.

Benefits to the Penal System

Most researchers contend that a major reason prison gangs are permitted to exist in correctional institutions is because they help maintain order. Some large prisons hold thousands of individuals. It is difficult for corrections officers to oversee the activities of so many individuals. It is much more cost-efficient to allow gang leaders within the prison to look after and discipline their own. According to most constitutional guidelines, the members of a prison gang are not allowed to assault another individual for personal reasons.

Group responsibility also enables prison gangs to prevent violence. Suppose a member of Gang A assaults a member of Gang B. The victim might want to retaliate but must listen to their gang leader. The leaders of both gangs would discuss the situation, and the leader of Group A would discipline the offender. In this way, order is maintained in the prison.

Prison gangs also maintain order in other ways. The members of each gang must follow the rules stated in its constitution. Gangs maintain records of members who break the rules. Because they do not want their name and violation in these records, gang members are more likely to obey. Prison gangs also oversee the sale of contraband in most prisons. They will try to stop any action, such as a prison riot, that interferes with their business and might result in a decrease in profits.

Researchers point out, however, that permitting gangs to maintain order has major drawbacks. Prison gangs do not treat every prisoner equally and use violence to intimidate other imprisoned people.

Six Major Prison Gangs

The major national US prison gangs are the Aryan Brotherhood (AB), Black Guerilla Family (BGF), La Nuestra Familia (NF), Mexican Mafia, Neta, and Texas Syndicate.

• Aryan Brotherhood—Also known as AB, the Aryan Brotherhood is a white supremacist group, and with about 20,000 members both in and out of prisons, it is one of the largest. The AB was formed in 1967 in San Quentin State Prison to protect White and Black incarcerated people. However, the group soon focused on criminal activities such as drug trafficking, gambling, and sex work. The AB operates mostly in the Southwestern and Pacific regions of the United States.
• Black Guerilla Family (BGF)—Formed in San Quentin State Prison in 1966 by Black Panther George Jackson, the BGF is an African American anti-government group that operates mainly in California and Maryland. The BGF buys drugs from Mexico and sells them in prisons. While the BGF has only several hundred full members, it is estimated to have around 50,000 associates in and out of prison.
• La Nuestra Familia (NF)—This prison gang was formed in 1968 in Folsom State Prison. All members of the group are Hispanic. Known for its violence, the NF only recruits imprisoned individuals who have committed serious offenses such as murder and robbery. Members of the NF engage in drug trafficking and the sex trade. Most chapters of the gang are in California and Texas.
• Mexican Mafia—The oldest known prison gang, the Mexican Mafia, began in 1957 at the California Youth Authority in Tracy, California. The prison gang is comprised mainly of Mexican Americans who previously belonged to Southern California’s street gang, La Eme. The group began when thirteen members in the youth correctional facility formed a gang for protection. The Mexican Mafia’s main income comes from gambling and sex work, but the group also sells drugs. The prison gang uses the symbol “13” because the thirteenth letter of the alphabet is M.
• Ñeta—This prison gang formed in the late 1970s at Oso Blanco Prison in Puerto Rico. The group has about 7,000 members in Puerto Rico and 5,000 members in the United States. Known for its violence, Neta operates mainly in prisons on the East Coast.
• Texas Syndicate—Active in the United States and Mexico, the Texas Syndicate formed in the early 1970s in California’s Folsom Prison. Initially, the purpose of the gang was to protect incarcerated Texans from other prison gangs. In the early twenty-first century, the Texas Syndicate had about 20,000 members in and out of prison engaging in drug trafficking, sex work, and gambling. If released from prison, members of the Texas Syndicate must pay a 10 percent tax to the prison gang on all income they earn.

Eliminating Prison Gangs

Correctional institutions have employed various methods over the years to break up or weaken prison gangs, but most have not been successful. They have moved gang leaders into solitary confinement, but new leaders simply stepped up and took charge. They have tried to weaken gangs by transferring members to other prisons. However, this actually helped gang members expand the gang by starting an additional chapter in another prison.

Most researchers believe that the key to weakening or stopping prison gangs is reducing the size of prisons. Corrections officers are able to maintain better control over prisoners in small facilities. Smaller prisons are also safer, which reduces the need for prison gangs. Many individuals in prison join gangs for protection.

Reducing the need for contraband may also weaken prison gangs. Some contraband that is illegal in prisons, such as cigarettes, can be legalized. Reducing the cost of phone calls in prisons might reduce the desire for cell phones.

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