Nuestra Familia is an American-Mexican organization of criminals operating both in an outside prison and they originate in California. The prison gang carries out thousands of criminal activities in California. Some of the criminal activities that assist them to earn income include distribution of drugs such as heroin, Methamphetamine, cocaine and marijuana both in prisons and community. The gang came into existence in 1968 as a separation of California state prison system. During this time, the system separated into two gangs namely Nuestra Familia and Mexican Mafia the two gangs were and still are enemies (Morales n.p).
The gang operates both inside and outside prisons and acts as a military. The gangs have a vertical ranking structure starting from supreme commander to soldiers and this dictates how it operates. It has members both in prison and in streets, the leader organizes the criminal activities and uses members in the streets who link with their colleagues in prison and have the activity performed as planned (Morales n.p).
Nortenos is a street gang with its base in Bakersfield and has a great association with the Nuestra Familia. In fact, they are an affiliate to NF and they are the mainstream in major criminal activities such as drug trafficking and its distribution both inside and outside prisons. Besides, they assist in strengthening latin gangs in Northern California so as to have control over the territory.
The two gangs also differ in their identification due to the use of different tattoo symbols. According to Morales (n.p), Nuestra Familia uses images of a sombrero and a machete as their symbols while Mexican mafias use Black Hand images and eagle and snake as other symbols placed over crossed knives. Nuestra Familia operates in a vertical structure while Mexican mafias operate in a horizontal structure.
The membership also differs in that Nuestra Familia involves taking a blood oath to join the group and come from northern California. On the other hand, Mexican Mafia membership constitutes an introduction of a member by a good existing member of the gang relative. The new member has to pass a test which involves taking activities such as theft, murder or fraud.
Work Cited
Morales, Gabe. “Nuestra Familia: The Real History.”corrections.com, 18 February 2008. http://www.corrections.com/articles/17826-nuestra-familia-the-real-history
