Gang Activity in the United

¶ … Gang Activity in the United States

In the post-September 11, 2001 world, many Americans believe the nation is under siege by enemies from abroad, when the harsh reality of the situation is that the country is being attacked from within by hardcore gangs. This paper provides a review of the relevant literature concerning the Aryan Brotherhood, Black Guerilla Family, the Folk Nation, the Mexican Mafia, and MS 13 to develop an overview of each gang, including its history and founders, their basic beliefs and missions, and the geographic regions where they are strongest. An examination of recent trends in the membership of these gangs is followed by an analysis of the specific impact of these groups on the correctional system. A discussion concerning the types of criminal activities that gangs are engaged in prison system is followed by a comparative analysis of these gangs concerning similarities and differences with respect to their respective missions, threat levels and types of criminal activity in the conclusion.

Review and Analysis

Aryan Brotherhood

Gang origins and founder(s). This gang is prison-based white supremacist organization that maintains close ideological links with the Aryan Nations (Atkins, 2004). This gang originated as a white supremacist gang at San Quentin Prison in California during the 1960s (Atkins, 2004). Although no specific founder is identified, a former member, Robert Miles, is credited with contacting thousands of incarcerated members and potential members through a monthly newsletter (Atkins, 2004). Estimates of Aryan Brotherhood membership at inception indicates that the gang had 40 members at San Quentin and almost 500 members throughout the California prison system by 1973 (Atkins, 2004). Just a decade later, the Aryan Brotherhood had succeeded in establishing gangs in the majority of the prisons in the United States (Atkins, 2004). Although the gang does not have a formal national leadership, individual leaders are commonplace in most prisons (Atkins, 2004).

Basic beliefs and mission. Catering primarily to drug dealers with a propensity for violence, the gang is highly a secretive and has the motto "Kill to get in, die to get out" (Atkins, 2004).

Prison where gang is strongest and weakest (geographically). Membership remains strongest in California but continues to be smaller compared to most other prison gangs; however, as Atkins (2004) emphasizes, "The Aryan Brotherhood makes up in violent reputation for its numbers" (p. 20).

Recent trends in membership. As noted above, the California Aryan Brotherhood has spread to several other state institutions, as well as the Federal Bureau of Prisons, in recent years but their numbers remain smaller compared to some other prison gangs (McShane & Williams, 1996),

Types of criminal activities that the gang is involved in within the prison system. Over the years, the types of criminal activities Aryan Brotherhood have been reported engaging in by prison officials have included extortion, drug operations, prostitution, and murder (Atkins, 2004). Although the gang has been involved in hundreds of acts of violence behind prison walls, one of the more notorious incidents occurred in 1981 when two members of the Aryan Brotherhood incarcerated at the federal prison in Marion, Illinois "murdered the leader of a rival gang, the D.C. Blacks, by sneaking up behind him in the shower and then brutally stabbing and slashing him 67 times. They then dragged his bloody, mutilated corpse through a cellblock while white inmates cheered and chanted racial slurs" (Holthouse, 2005, p. 37).

Black Guerilla Family

Gang origins and founder(s). Like the Aryan Brotherhood, the Black Guerilla Family was also formed in San Quentin during the 1960s. Unlike the ideological origins of the Aryan Brotherhood, though, the Black Guerilla Family, also "BGF," was formed by George Jackson in 1983 as a Maoist revolutionary group (McShane & Williams, 1996). Other founders included John Clutchette and Fleeta Drumgo (Stiner & Brown, 2007).

Basic beliefs and mission. The members of BGF do not consider themselves to be "criminals," but rather regard themselves as being repressed, political prisoners; consequently, BGF members are characterized as being "extremely violent and often assaulting staff" (McShane & Williams, 1996, p. 216).

Prison where gang is strongest and weakest (geographically). Although the BGF has forged ties with a wide range of street gangs, and a number of the gang's existing membership were former members of other gangs before incarceration, the Black Guerilla Family does not maintain the same type of formal organization on the streets as many other gangs (McShane & Williams, 1996). According to McShane and Williams, "Their organizational structure consists of a single leader, a central committee, and a loose ranking of soldiers. The BGF is reported to be loosely affiliated with several of the Chicago street gangs" (1996, p. 216).

Recent trends in membership. The BGF has spread to state and federal corrections systems; however, membership remains concentrated on the East and West Coasts (Smith, 2009).

Types of criminal activities that the gang is involved in within the prison system. To date, the BGF has been implicated in dozens of assaults and murders of law-enforcement personnel as well as armored car robberies (McShane & Williams, 1996). Recent examples of criminal activities by this gang include prison-based drug dealing conspiracies (Smith, 2009). In addition, gang members share in the prison economy (McShane & Williams, 1996).

The Folk Nation

Gang origins and founder(s). Like the foregoing gangs, the Folk Nation is also an organization that was formed in the prison system that consists of several affiliated groups (Witkowski, 2004). By contrast, though, the Folk Nation is a relative latecomer to the gang scene, having been creating in 1973 as an umbrella alliance for likeminded-gang members (the Folk Nation Gang, 2012).

Basic beliefs and mission. The Folk Nation maintains an "all for one" mindset concerning membership in their gang. Representative codes of conduct include: "Folk before family," "I will not let a brother fall to his knee," and "All is One" (the Folk Nation Gang, 2012). According to Muggleton and Weinzierl (2003), the Folk Nation uses extreme and indiscriminate violence to achieve its objectives and members "represent" with a six-point crown and various hand signs (p. 141).

Prison where gang is strongest and weakest (geographically). Although membership levels by group vary, the Folk Nation appears to be most heavily concentrated in the Chicago area and neighboring communities. For example, according to Witkowski (2004), "The Gangster Disciples are the largest gang in the Folk Nation and comprise some 30,000 members primarily in the Chicago area and the Midwest" (p. 96).

Recent trends in membership. Growth in affiliated gang membership has swelled the Folk Nation roles in recent years (Crews, 2012).

Types of criminal activities that the gang is involved in within the prison system. Unlike the foregoing gangs, the Folk Nation's activities extend far beyond prison walls and are pronounced in Chicago communities (Witkowski, 2004). The incarcerated leader of the Gangster Disciples, Larry "King" Hoover, though, is known to have been charged with a nationwide drug ring estimated to be worth more than $100 million annually (Witkowski, 2004).

The Mexican Mafia

Gang origins and founder(s). This gang, also known as La eMe (Spanish for the letter "M") was formed in 1957 by Chicano street gang members imprisoned at Deuel Vocational Institution, Tracy, California (Mexican Mafia, 2012). Their organizational structure consists of a military chain of command, with its leadership based in California (McShane & Williams, 1996).

Basic beliefs and mission. The Mexican Mafia was originally formed as a religious group that worshipped an ancient pre-Hispanic cultural heritage; however, the principal mission of the gang has always been to "protect themselves against African-American convicts, other inmates and the prison staff" (Mexican Mafia, 2012, para. 2). Like the Folk Nation, the Mexican Mafia subscribes to a blood-in-blood-out doctrine and the gang is held above all else in life (McShane & Williams, 1996).

Prison where gang is strongest and weakest (geographically). This gang is known to have branches in at least nine state prison systems as well as the Federal Bureau of Prisons (McShane & Williams, 1996), but the Mexican Mafia's membership is primarily comprised of urban southern California Hispanics (McShane & Williams, 1996).

Recent trends in membership. According to gang analysts, "The Mexican Mafia has spread from California to at least seven other states including; Texas, Arizona, and New Mexico" (Mexican Mafia, 2012).

Types of criminal activities that the gang is involved in within the prison system. The Mexican Mafia's principal criminal activities within the prison system consist of drug, prostitution, and gambling enterprises (McShane & Williams, 1996). The Mexican Mafia is credited with ordering the first gang-ordered murder at San Quentin (McShane & Williams, 1996).

Mara Salvatrucha or MS-13

Gang origins and founder(s). Founded in the barrios of Los Angeles in the 1980s, the Mara Salvatrucha, or "MS-13," has expanded its influence to include Central American nations such as El Salvador, throughout Mexico, the United States, and into Canada (MS-13, 2012).

Basic beliefs and mission. The gang's basic belief was based on survival, having been formed by immigrants Hispanic youths who found themselves without resources, friends or family upon their arrival in the U.S. (MS-13, 2012). More specifically, the gang's code is: "First is God, then your mother, then your gang. You live for God, you live for your mother, you die for your gang" (Lineberger & Padgett, 2011, p. 188).