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Prison gang is different from a street gang in that its primary aim is to secure the prisoners from being hurt by other prisoners or by the wardens (Voeten, 2013, n. p.). However, as the history shows, the prison gangs have altered their original targets and now they are getting control over the system of law outside the prison.
The most threatening of all prison gangs is the Mexican Mafia, also called La Eme (the Spanish letter "m") (Valdemar, 2010, n. p.), which appeared in the 1950s (Morales, 2008, n. p.). What is terrifying about it is that not only does it operate in prisons, but also it has serious connections outside. The Hispanic gangs of South California are connected under the name of "Sureños" and comprise three gangs: 18th Street, Mara Salvatrucha 13, and Florence 13 (Valdemar, 2010, n. p.). The Sureños have the biggest criminal activity in Southern California, including the greatest number of gang murders (Valdemar, 2010, n. p.). La Eme controls the Sureños, and their cooperation has serious outcomes for both the gangs and the police system. Their mutual activity keeps under control the lion's share of the California Department of Corrections and they are getting as far as to the Federal Bureau of Prisons (Valdemar, 2010, n. p.). Their code implies that if any of Sureños or La Eme members has problems with law, all the Sureños have to help him in his opposition to the police. The Sureños are supposed to hurt any prison worker or a cop in the neighborhood (Valdemar, 2010, n. p.).
La Eme's biggest rivals are the Nuestra Familia. This gang emerged on the basis of some Eme's members not approving of the Mexicans murdering the Mexicans (Morales, 2008, n. p.).
Works cited
Morales, Gabe. "Nuestra Familia: The real history." Corrections Media. The Corrections Connections, 18 Feb. 2008. Web. 14 Jul. 2016.
Valdemar, Richard. "Mexican mafia: the most dangerous gang." Police" the law enforcement magazine. Police magazine, 12 Apr. 2010. Web. 14 Jul. 2016.
Voeten, Eric. "Prison gangs as a technology of conflict." The Monkey Cage. The Monkey Cage, 15 Feb. 2016. Web. 14 Jul. 2016.
