Three From The Violent Six

CORRECT-AB-3

Editor’s Note: This is the first of a 2-part overview of prison gangs.
It’s always good to review the basics when it comes to gangs.

When prison officers find an inmate who’s been cut from the corner of his mouth to his ear, the cut is a clear indication of “snitch,” and a gang member likely carried out the hit. The resulting scar will forever brand the man as a snitch — both inside and out — making his already bad life worse. The practice of cutting a person in this way is called a Glasgow grin and is said to have originated with Norwegian street gangs.

In law enforcement circles, the term “gang” has rightfully taken a sinister meaning. The gang of guys you play basketball with, even though they may have designated colors, is definitely not the same thing. To cops and prison guards, gangs are groups of people who band together for illicit purposes. And they’re not just groups who commit crimes in big cities, as many rural areas have a strong gang presence.

Gang members who’ve been arrested and sentenced for their gang related activities have infiltrated jails and prisons. In many cases, gangs started in prisons and spilled onto the streets as gang members are released. Unfortunately, we have California to thank for many of those gangs.

Aryan Brotherhood

One of the most powerful prison gangs is The Aryan Brotherhood, also known as The Brand, AB and One-Two. The AB is a white supremacist organized crime syndicate with approximately 20,000 members inside and outside prison facilities. They operate for profit, using drug trafficking, inmate prostitution and extortion, and provide murder for hire services. Gang members tattoo-up with drawings depicting one of the gang names, 666, Nazi symbols and Celtic-type designs.

While less than one percent of all inmates have Aryan Brotherhood affiliation, that small percentage is responsible for more than a quarter of all gang-related violence in prisons. In order to be a member while in prison, one has to commit an act of violence against another prisoner. This gang initiation is known as “blood in, blood out.” Based on this credo, trying to leave the AB is a dangerous proposition because the member attempting to leave is viciously assaulted — or murdered — by another member.

The composition of the gang varies by region. In some cases, gang members organize into families with a controlling council, and older members will mentor new members. The Aryan Brotherhood cooperates with the Mexican Mafia, and is also known to partner with Asian gangs to import drugs.
By D.M. Chamberlain

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