Prison Gang Wars Inside Max Security Prison | Jail Documentary A prison gang is an inmate organization that operates within a prison system, that has a corporate entity, exists into perpetuity, and whose membership is restrictive, mutually exclusive, and often requires a lifetime commitment.[1] In "The Social Order of the Underworld: How Prison...

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Prison Gang Wars Inside Max Security Prison Jail Documentary A prison gang is an inmate organization that operates within a prison system, that has a corporate entity, exists into perpetuity, and whose membership is restrictive, mutually exclusive, and often requires a lifetime commitment.[1] In "The Social Order of the Underworld: How Prison Gangs Govern the American Penal System,” the author David Skarbek argues the emergence of prison gangs are due to the dramatic increase in the prison population and inmate's demand for safety. Skarbek observes that in a small, homogeneous environment, people can use social norms to interrupt what behavior is acceptable, but a large, heterogeneous setting undermines social norms and acceptable behavior is more difficult to determine. Prison gangs are geographically and racially divided, and about 70% of prison gang members are in California and Texas. Skarbek suggests prison gangs function similar to a community responsibility system. Interactions between strangers are facilitated because you do not have to know an individual's reputation, only a gangs reputation. Some prison gangs are transplanted from the street. In some circumstances, prison gangs "outgrow" the internal world of life inside the penitentiary, and go on to engage in criminal activities on the outside.] Gang umbrella organizations like the Folk Nation and People Nation have originated in prisons The cold-blooded assassinations of two Texas prosecutors, and their suspected link to the Aryan Brotherhood of Texas, have placed American prison gangs in the spotlight. The drug war has caused the U.S. prison population to explode. Ironically, these groups fuel the drug trade from the inside. We gathered information from the Department of Justice and gang expert and teacher Robert Walker to get an idea of who the baddest of the bad are. Barrio Azteca (2,000 members Black Guerrilla Family (about 1,000 identified gang members plus associates) Dead Man Incorporated (370+ members and thousands of associates) Ñeta (7,000 members in Puerto Rico and 5,000 in the U.S.) The Hermanos de Pistoleros Latinos (1,000 members) Public Enemy Number One (500 members) Mexican Mafia, also known as La Eme (400 members and 1,000+ associates) Nazi Low Riders (1,000 - 5,000 members) Mexikanemi, also known as Texas Mexican Mafia (2,000 members) Nuestra Familia (250 members and 1,000+ associates) The Texas Syndicate (1,300 members and 10,000+ associates) The Aryan Brotherhood (20,000 members) The Aryan Brotherhood (AB) is notoriously violent and has about 20,000 members in and out of prison. The group has an alliance with La Eme since the two are mutual enemies of Black Guerrilla Family. AB is primarily active in the Southwestern and Pacific regions of the U.S., but its reach is expansive — the FBI estimates that while the gang makes up less than 1% of the prison population, it is responsible for up to 18% of murders in the federal prison system. The gang's income comes from distributing cocaine, heroin, marijuana, and methamphetamine within the prison systems and on the street. The gang is not to be confused with the Texas Aryan Brotherhood, which is a separate group founded by Texas prisoners who were denied admission into the AB. The Black Guerrilla Family was founded in 1966 in the California prison system by Black Panther George Jackson. Highly organized with a supreme leader and a central committee, the group operates primarily in the states of California and Maryland promoting an anti-government philosophy. The gang gets income from distributing cocaine and marijuana obtained from local Mexican drug traffickers, and it's also involved in auto theft, burglary, drive-by shootings, and homicide.

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Prison Gang Wars Inside Max Security Prison Jail Documentary A prison gang is an inmate organization that operates within a prison system, that has a corporate entity, exists into perpetuity, and whose membership is restrictive, mutually exclusive, and often requires a lifetime commitment.[1] In "The Social Order of the Underworld: How Prison Gangs Govern the American Penal System,” the author David Skarbek argues the emergence of prison gangs are due to the dramatic increase in the prison population and inmate's demand for safety. Skarbek observes that in a small, homogeneous environment, people can use social norms to interrupt what behavior is acceptable, but a large, heterogeneous setting undermines social norms and acceptable behavior is more difficult to determine. Prison gangs are geographically and racially divided, and about 70% of prison gang members are in California and Texas. Skarbek suggests prison gangs function similar to a community responsibility system. Interactions between strangers are facilitated because you do not have to know an individual's reputation, only a gangs reputation. Some prison gangs are transplanted from the street. In some circumstances, prison gangs "outgrow" the internal world of life inside the penitentiary, and go on to engage in criminal activities on the outside.] Gang umbrella organizations like the Folk Nation and People Nation have originated in prisons The cold-blooded assassinations of two Texas prosecutors, and their suspected link to the Aryan Brotherhood of Texas, have placed American prison gangs in the spotlight. The drug war has caused the U.S. prison population to explode. Ironically, these groups fuel the drug trade from the inside. We gathered information from the Department of Justice and gang expert and teacher Robert Walker to get an idea of who the baddest of the bad are. Barrio Azteca (2,000 members Black Guerrilla Family (about 1,000 identified gang members plus associates) Dead Man Incorporated (370+ members and thousands of associates) Ñeta (7,000 members in Puerto Rico and 5,000 in the U.S.) The Hermanos de Pistoleros Latinos (1,000 members) Public Enemy Number One (500 members) Mexican Mafia, also known as La Eme (400 members and 1,000+ associates) Nazi Low Riders (1,000 - 5,000 members) Mexikanemi, also known as Texas Mexican Mafia (2,000 members) Nuestra Familia (250 members and 1,000+ associates) The Texas Syndicate (1,300 members and 10,000+ associates) The Aryan Brotherhood (20,000 members) The Aryan Brotherhood (AB) is notoriously violent and has about 20,000 members in and out of prison. The group has an alliance with La Eme since the two are mutual enemies of Black Guerrilla Family. AB is primarily active in the Southwestern and Pacific regions of the U.S., but its reach is expansive — the FBI estimates that while the gang makes up less than 1% of the prison population, it is responsible for up to 18% of murders in the federal prison system. The gang's income comes from distributing cocaine, heroin, marijuana, and methamphetamine within the prison systems and on the street. The gang is not to be confused with the Texas Aryan Brotherhood, which is a separate group founded by Texas prisoners who were denied admission into the AB. The Black Guerrilla Family was founded in 1966 in the California prison system by Black Panther George Jackson. Highly organized with a supreme leader and a central committee, the group operates primarily in the states of California and Maryland promoting an anti-government philosophy. The gang gets income from distributing cocaine and marijuana obtained from local Mexican drug traffickers, and it's also involved in auto theft, burglary, drive-by shootings, and homicide.

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Last Updated: May 24, 2026

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