Prison Gangs
Prison Gangs
Gang violence has been a reality of the American people since not long after the Revolutionary War, though at that time the legitimacy of the predominant gangs was in question. The resurgence of gang life didn’t occur until after the 1870’s and then escalated into the 1940’s, when crime rates soared thanks to a nation that had become largely divided thanks to several contributing factors such as race, ethnicity, money, and control over illegitimate businesses. It’s not entirely clear when prison gangs became such a notorious aspect of the penal system, but one thing is certain, the power they hold over their people is not diminished by their incarceration.
Although any prison gang can be a menace there are a handful that are worse than others due to their overwhelming numbers, level of violence, and the control they hold within the system. Among those the Aryan Brotherhood, known also as AB, is one of the most violent and undoubtedly most dangerous groups to emerge within the prison system.
Founded in 1964 in San Quentin by white supremacists Barry Mills and Tyler Bingham, the AB has chapters in roughly 14 different states to date and shows no signs of stopping in its recruitment techniques or its use and acquisition of influence. Though the AB is made of up predominantly white males, a requirement for the gang, they hold ties with the Mexican Mafia as a business arrangement. According to the website crime expert Charles Montaldo (2010) their strength lies primarily in Texas and California, where they are considered to be one of the deadliest gangs present. Although in 2002 many of their high-ranking leaders were locked up and given life sentences, the AB is still functioning. Its purpose is to bring about a Race War through racial violence, acts of terrorism and other such disruptive methods designed to “save” the white race from the inequity brought about by other races and ethnicities.
Within the correctional system it is slightly different, as the AB works alongside the Mexican Mafia, and will actually conduct business with African American gangs to sell narcotics. An example of how dangerous the AB can be came in 1995, when Robert Scully, then a member of the AB, was discharged from Pelican Bay State Prison. It was only six days after he walked out of incarceration that he was arrested again on charges of murdering an officer.
Just as deadly as the AB, the Mexican Mafia, founded in 1957 Luis “Huero Buff” Flores, was put together in the Deuel Vocational Institution, the last stop used for youthful offenders. Unlike other gangs the Mexican Mafia, or La EME as it is also known, was modeled after the Sicilian Mafia, and was meant to be a super gang within the prisons where like-minded gangs could come together and join for protection. La EME was created to dominate and control the black market transactions within DVI, but were then broken up and dispersed after their level of violence became intolerable. This didn’t faze the gang in the least as they continued to grow in numbers and gradually took over the prison scene, even going so far as murdering prison guards.
Another gang initiated in the 1960’s was the Black Guerilla Family which was founded in 1966 by a former member of the Black Panthers, George L. Jackson. Their stance is anti-government and anti-official, and they work predominantly to eradicate racism, maintain dignity, and overthrow government. Timothy Cannon, Interim Secretary for the Florida Department of Corrections (2014) writes that they lack any respect for authority and for their beliefs alone they are a legitimate threat. The Black Guerilla Family are primarily centered within San Quentin, and their numbers don’t seem to be rising as quickly as other gangs.
One of their main goals is the reason why they are so dangerous, and that is their anti-authoritarian stance, meaning that they will work to subvert and overcome any authority figure in any way possible. While not as ruthless in their methods as other gangs, the BGF is still considered a security threat for their beliefs against authority.
Formed by Larry Hoover in 1978, the Folk Nation was not originally its own entity, but instead were involved with different sets under the Gangster Disciple Nation. Rod Emery writes that their motto and belief is “all for one and one for all”, a mentality that means that no one gang member will ever fight alone. If there are others around they are expected to come and assist their fellow member, meaning that one on one altercation would become largely unheard of any longer. Folk Nation is set predominantly in Chicago and despite spreading out to the Midwest and various other locations they are not as great in number as other gangs. Their impact in the prison system goes largely unnoticed but it is still prevalent, as they are a part of the drug trade and operate on their own outside of the prisons as well. Those of the Folk Nation are violent criminals, but their level of violence is mild when compared to the other gangs, as they are not quite as hardcore as La EME or MS-13, and not nearly as violent as the Aryan Brotherhood.
There is very little that MS-13 doesn’t involve itself in, though gun trafficking is perhaps one of their more lucrative trades. As is written by Sam Dealey (2006) MS-13 was created in the 1980’s when young immigrants from El Salvador made their way to Los Angeles, California and were readily picked on and harassed by other gangs in the area. They were quick to band together for safety and were quicker still to strike back. There is no clear founder for MS-13, only an ideal that they are without a doubt the most vicious gang running the streets today.
While their numbers are great and they are very spread out, Virginia seems to be their most predominant location, primarily to the north. Within the prison system they are much like other gangs in that they participate in the drug trade and carry out hits when ordered and when it is necessary.
In so far as stating that these gangs are violent, ruthless and hard to predict, it is fair to say that of the five selected only about three are more than a minor nuisance to the prison system. Labeling them as Security Threat Groups rather than referring to them as gangs is a means of stripping at least a small amount of power from the groups, a method that doesn’t seem to work as well as authorities would like.
Prison gangs have supposedly been around since the old chain gangs, but were nowhere nearly as organized nor as ruthless as those that exist now. Plus, the gangs of back then were far more upfront in their dealings with one another on a more regular basis, and were known to handle their matters with some decorum, rather than the mad dog tactics that some of these gangs are so well known to exhibit. Every one of these gangs has its own agenda, though among them all undermining authority is a constant. Aside from that, only a few of them work together, such as the Aryan Brotherhood and the Mexican Mafia.
References
Dealey, Sam. (2006) America’s Most Vicious Gang: MS-13 is spreading senseless violence to
cities and suburbs across the country. Reader’s Digest. Retrieved from
http://www.rd.com/content/americas-most-vicious-gang/2/Cannon, Timothy H. (2014) Major Prison Gangs. Florida Department of Corrections.
Retrieved from
http://www.dc.state.fl.us/pub/gangs/prison2.html
Montaldo, Charles. (2014) The Aryan Brotherhood: Profile of One of the Most Notorious Prison
Gangs. About.com. Retrieved from
http://crime.about.com/od/gangsters/a/aryanbrothers.htm
Valdemar, Richard. (2007, July 25) History of the Mexican Mafia Prison Gang
A former gang member's memoirs shed light on criminal organizations' internal
operations. (Web log comment). Retrieved from
http://www.policemag.com/blog/gangs/story/2007/07/history-of-the-mexican-mafia
prison-gang.aspx
Emery, Rod. (1996) The Blueprint: From Gangster Disciple to Growth and Development.
Morris Publishers
