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Prison Gangs

Prison gangs are organized groups of individuals that exist in jails and prisons at the local, state, and federal levels. Gang members often expect to go to prison sooner or later, and gang culture is often an extension of street life that is imported into the penitentiary. Gangs are very influential in some jails, prisons, and penitentiaries. Prison gangs coalesce around race, ethnicity, nationality, and neighborhood. African American, Hispanic, and White gangs dominate many correctional facilities. This entry provides an overview of the race and ethnicity of prison gangs, how they work in prisons, and possible solutions to the problems prison gangs pose.

Race and Ethnicity in Prison Gangs

Most prison gangs have long histories and considerable ethnic and racial diversity. Among the African American gangs, prisons have incarcerated members of the Black Guerrilla Family, the Vice Lords, the Crips, and the Bloods. Hispanic and Latino gangs have included Neta and the Latin Kings, which are predominantly Puerto Rican and Hispanic, and the Mexican Mafia and La Nuestra Familia, which are mainly Mexican American. White gangs include the Aryan Brotherhood, Dirty White Boys, Outlaws, and Hells Angels. Some, like the Colombians (many of whom are affiliated with the drug cartel), are multiracial, which makes trying to identify groups based solely on skin color difficult, but members share similar mannerisms, language, and style of dress.

Gang affiliation will typically depend on the region of the country in which convicts have to do time. For example, in Illinois and New York, a disproportionate number of Hispanic gangs, such as Latin Kings, or Black gangs, such as El Rukin or Black Gangster Disciples, are part of the criminal element. In Florida one may see Puerto Rican gangs like the Nietas and 27s. In California and Texas, correctional facilities house the Mexican Mafia, Texas Syndicate, Texas M, and Texas Family, among other gangs. Much like political parties, gangs have different factions or divisions. In the Mexican organizations, for instance, there are both urban and rural components.

Gang membership often evolves and spreads geographically. In the California institutions, some of the Blue Bird Gang and Hells Angels of San Quentin (motorcycle gangs) eventually became the White supremacist Aryan Brotherhood. The Black gangs of the 1970s, like the Crips and Bloods, first started in Los Angeles. Soon they started in other cities in California, then made their way across the Midwest to the East Coast, where they became established in New York City, Boston, and Philadelphia.

Gang Affiliation in Prison

In 1988, Hagedorn found that gangs recruit new members on the street, in jail, and in prison and have colonized many state and federal institutions. A gang may serve as a surrogate family providing social and emotional needs for its members, both on the street and in prison. In fact, some members refer to the gang as their family. Joining a gang carries many obligations and responsibilities, including participating in feuds, revenge, and retaliation against rival factions. These conflicts may extend from the “hood” to the penitentiary and last for years.

In the institution, gang members are known by the ways in which they carry themselves, including altering their uniforms, sharing their food and contraband, and associating with particular individuals during meals and recreation. Gang members basically “hang together”: This means eating as a group in the cafeteria, walking the yard together, pumping iron (lifting weights), and sticking close to each other at work assignments or in housing units. In prison, gang members try to make themselves comfortable. This means that they want new uniforms that are sharply pressed and a locker full of cigarettes and commissary food. Some want nothing more than to watch sports channels like ESPN every day, all day.

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