White Prison Gangs: Origins, Structure, and Operations
This paper examines white prison gangs in the United States, tracing their origins from within prison walls in the 1950s through their evolution into sophisticated criminal organizations. It profiles prominent gangs such as the Aryan Brotherhood, Nazi Low Riders, Texas Syndicate, and Dead Man Inc., analyzing their quasi-military command structures, objectives, and key figures. The paper also explores how these gangs form alliances and rivalries, extend their influence beyond prison walls, recruit new members, and diversify into white-collar crime. Law enforcement responses, including major federal operations, are discussed alongside broader context about gang growth trends nationally.
- Introduction: Context on gang causation, drugs, and poverty
- Origins of White Prison Gangs: Gangs born inside prisons for self-protection
- Command Structure: Quasi-military hierarchy and Aryan Brotherhood example
- Objectives and Activities: Drug trade, murder, prostitution, and rebellion
- Alliances and Rivalries: Cross-racial alliances to dominate drug markets
- Influence Outside Prisons and History of Expansion: Street operations, white-collar crime, and membership growth
- Law Enforcement Response: Federal operations targeting gang leadership
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What makes this paper effective
- Provides a clear organizational framework by moving logically from origins to structure to objectives to expansion, giving the reader a coherent narrative arc about how these gangs develop over time.
- Uses named, specific examples — the Aryan Brotherhood, Texas Syndicate, Nazi Low Riders, Dead Man Inc. — rather than speaking in abstractions, which grounds the analysis in verifiable detail.
- Draws on a range of sources, including the FBI, Anti-Defamation League, and academic reports, lending credibility to its claims about gang membership numbers and law enforcement responses.
Key academic technique demonstrated
The paper demonstrates the technique of organizational analysis applied to criminal groups — systematically breaking down a gang's command hierarchy (upper board, middle board, regional captains) in the same way a business or military unit might be analyzed. This approach makes complex, opaque organizations legible and comparable across groups.
Structure breakdown
The paper opens with a broad discussion of gang causation before narrowing to white prison gangs specifically. It then proceeds through seven thematic sections: origins, command structure (using the Aryan Brotherhood as a case study), major figures, objectives, alliances and rivalries, external influence and expansion data, and finally law enforcement responses. The conclusion is embedded in the final section rather than as a separate heading.
Introduction
Criminal behavior surrounds us every day. There are those who are affected directly and those who are affected indirectly. This makes controlling and, ideally, stopping crime a shared societal responsibility. Understanding the sources of criminal behavior is therefore an immediate necessity, even if it cannot guarantee the elimination of crime. Scholars and policymakers have attributed criminal behavior to a range of factors, including poverty, lack of education, systemic governance failures, and even race.
The problem of gangs in general has common causative and propagating factors. The Economist (2003) identifies a major connection between drugs and the existence of gangs across the United States, Jamaica, Brazil, and other parts of the world. The challenge posed by gangs is not restricted to drug trafficking alone; it extends to robbery, bombings, and murder, making cities like Rio de Janeiro among the most violent in the world.
The Economist further attributes the problem of gangs to lack of education combined with poverty, and argues that little progress can be made against gang activity without genuine political will. The gravity of the situation becomes clear when one considers that approximately 70% of murders in Rio de Janeiro are gang- and drug-related.
The problem of gangs behind bars is not a new phenomenon. Gangs that exist in cities, towns, and streets find their way into prisons once their members are arrested and incarcerated. There are numerous white prison gangs across the United States, each with its own approach to operations, but with a common underlying goal: the pursuit of influence and drug money. Though some gangs claim religious or racial ideological motivations, their shared characteristic with purely criminal gangs is the drive to control territory and resources.
References
Anti-Defamation League. (2009). The Aryan Circle: Crime in the name of hate. Retrieved May 13, 2012, from
Montaldo, C. (2012). The Aryan Brotherhood: Profile of one of the most notorious prison gangs. Retrieved May 13, 2012, from
Dufresne, D. (2010). Top 10 U.S. prison gangs. Retrieved May 13, 2012, from http://listverse.com/2010/12/11/top-10-us-prison-gangs/
Contreras, G. (2011). 18 now facing charges in Texas Syndicate case. Retrieved May 13, 2012, from http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/local_news/article/18-now-facing-charges-in-Texas-Syndicate-case-2389004.php
Greene, J., & Pranis, K. (2007). Gang wars: The failure of enforcement tactics and the need for effective public safety strategies. Justice Policy Institute. Retrieved May 13, 2012, from
Contreras, R. (2012). Growth seen in NM white supremacist prison gangs. Retrieved May 19, 2012, from
Stop Houston Gangs. (2012). When a gang becomes an organized criminal enterprise. Retrieved May 19, 2012, from
The Economist. (2003, July 10). Crime in Brazil: What ails Rio de Janeiro? Retrieved May 13, 2012, from http://www.economist.com/node/1768688
The FBI. (2011). 2011 National Gang Threat Assessment — Emerging trends. Retrieved May 19, 2012, from
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