S p e c i a l N e e d s O f f e n d e r s

a publication of the Federal Judicial Center BULLETIN

INSIDE

I

n correctional institutions,

there is a natural tendency

for inmates to form groups,

both formal and informal. One

of the first documented prison

gangs, the Gypsy Jokers, appeared in a Washington state

penitentiary in the early 1950s.

The first known prison gang

with a national scope, the

Mexican Mafia, emerged soon

after, in 1957, in the

California prison system.

During the 1960s

and ’70s, prisoners

formed gangs primarily to protect themselves and to monopolize illegal prison activities

such as gambling, trading contraband, narcotics trafficking,

and committing contract murders. The gangs’ organization

and operations mirrored those

of street gangs and traditional

organized crime families. Over

the years, the type, nature, and

number of prison gangs have

changed dramatically. Prison

gangs today range from national “supergangs” to small regional gangs structured along

paramilitary lines. Prison gangs

are found in both state and federal penitentiaries.

Traditional prison gangs,

such as the Texas Syndicate,

the Mexican Mafia, and the

Aryan Brotherhood, are characterized by structure. They

in prison. Membership is usually for life, and discipline is

strict; members who violate the

group’s principles or directives

may be assaulted or killed.

The Federal Bureau of Prisons reports that prison gangs

currently account for a high

percentage of prison violence

and are creating increasingly

severe management problems

in federal correctional institutions. Prison gangs have considerable influence over other

inmates. Their criminal activities include loan sharking, narcotics trafficking, protection,

prostitution, robbery, witness

intimidation, and murder. State

and federal correctional officials predict that as more

people are incarcerated, the

volume and intensity of gangrelated problems will grow. ♦

have distinct organizational hierarchies and “constitutions”—

regulations that govern operations, recruitment, misconduct,

and membership. Most prison

gangs recruit along ethnic or

racial lines. Members are generally over the age of 25 and

have extensive experience with

the criminal justice system.

Most have already served time

No. 2

October

1997

gang now considered a major

prison gang within the federal

system. Following are brief descriptions of each. Other prison

gangs in federal institutions include the Arizona Aryan

Brotherhood, Bull Dogs, Dirty

White Boys, Los Solidos, New

Mexico Syndicate, Neta’s,

Aryan Warriors, and Mandingo

Warriors.

Aryan Brotherhood

The Aryan Brotherhood was

established in San Quentin

Prison in 1967 by White inmates seeking to protect themselves from Black and Hispanic

inmates. Today, the primary

“business” of the gang, which

has spread beyond California,

is drug trafficking. Like many

prison gangs, the Aryan Broth-

(continued on next page)

Examples of

Gangs Found in

U.S. Prisons

Traditional prison gangs operating in U.S. prisons include

the Aryan Brotherhood, La

Nuestra Familia, Texas Syndicate, Black Guerrilla Family,

and the Mexican Mafia. The

Mexikanemi is a more recent

Prison Gang Organization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Identifying Prison Gang Members . . . . . . . . 6

Gang Activities Outside Prison . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Investigation and Supervision Issues . . . . . . . 9

PRISON GANGS by

Dennise

Orlando-Morningstar
Special Needs Offenders Bulletin ◆ October 1997 ◆ Prison Gangs 2

erhood has a “blood in, blood

out” policy. Prospective members must kill to gain admission

to the gang and are released

from membership only by their

own death. In

federal prisons,

the Aryan Brotherhood is con-

 trolled by a

council composed of three highranking members. Historically,

the federal Aryan Brotherhood

and the California Aryan

Brotherhood have been closely

aligned. The Federal Bureau of

Prisons reports, however, that

the federal gang appears to be

becoming more independent

and that tensions between the

two gangs are increasing. Leadership within the federal gang

reportedly wants to end cooperation with the Mexican Mafia on drug introductions, exchange of hit contracts, and financial matters, whereas the

leader of the California gang

wants to continue dealing with

the Mexican Mafia.

Black Guerrilla Family

Black Panther member George

Jackson started this prison gang

in 1966 in San Quentin by recruiting members of other militant groups such as the Black

Liberation Army, Symbionese

Liberation Army, and

Weatherman Underground Organization. The

most politically

oriented

prison

gang, the Black

Guerrilla Family bases its

doctrines on a

Marxist/Leninist/Maoist revolutionary philosophy.

The Federal Bureau of Prisons reports that the current reemergence of the Black Panther Party may significantly

boost the Black Guerrilla

Family’s influence. The gang

recently issued a new constitution and code of ethics. Heavy

recruiting of new members is

reportedly under way in the federal and California correctional

systems. In addition, the California Department of Corrections reports

that a group of

AfricanAmerican

inmates has

organized a

new prison

gang called

the Black Mafia that is believed

to be a reformation of the Black

Guerrilla Family.

(continued from page 1)

The offender and defendant

population arrested, tried, and

incarcerated in the federal judicial system is evolving.

Changes stem primarily from

public pressure for stricter law

enforcement, new legislation

that broadens the jurisdiction

of the federal courts, and

changes in law and policy resulting in larger numbers of offenders receiving prison sentences followed by supervised

release.

The changing profile of federal offenders and defendants

poses new challenges for federal probation and pretrial services officers. To help districts

meet this challenge, the Federal Judicial Center has developed the Special Needs Offenders series of educational products, on-line conferences, and

satellite broadcasts. The Special

Needs Offenders series provides

officers the latest information

concerning the unique offender/defendant populations

on their caseloads.

The Center produces approximately two Special Needs

Offenders programs a year.

Each program deals with a different offender/defendant

population and is introduced

by a Special Needs Offenders Bulletin. The bulletins are not definitive studies of the offender/

defendant populations at issue. Rather, they serve as primers outlining the general characteristics of those populations. Each bulletin is followed

About the Special Needs Offenders Series

by a Center-sponsored on-line

conference or satellite broadcast in which officers have an

opportunity to share effective

case management practices

and useful resources applicable

to the offender/defendant

population in question.

This bulletin, Prison Gangs, is

the second in the Special Needs

Offenders series on gangs. Officers may want to review Prison

Gangs in conjunction with Street

Gangs, which was published in

August.

If you have any questions

about the Special Needs Offenders programs on gangs or about

the series in general, please

contact Dennise OrlandoMorningstar or Mark Maggio

at (202) 273-4115.

Gang symbols

Interspersed in the text on

pages 2–4 are symbols

commonly used (for

instance, for tattoos) by

the Aryan Brotherhood,

Black Guerrilla Family, La

Nuestra Familia,

Mexicanemi, and Texas

Syndicate.
Special Needs Offenders Bulletin ◆ October 1997 ◆ Prison Gangs 3

La Nuestra Familia

La Nuestra Familia (“Our Family”) originated in Soledad

prison in the mid 1960s. Most

of the original

members were

Hispanic inmates from

northern

California

who were seeking to protect

themselves from

the Mexican Mafia, a gang

composed of Hispanic inmates

from southern California cities.

La Nuestra Familia has a

formal structure and rules of

conduct. It is governed by a

group known as “La Mesa,”

which resembles a board of directors. Several years ago a

blood war developed between

La Nuestra Familia and the

Mexican Mafia over the control of drug trafficking inside

prison. Recent evidence, however, indicates that the rivalry

between the two gangs may be

easing in California. California

Department of Corrections officials report that the two gangs

appear to have called a “partial

truce”: Some members have returned to prison without fulfilling obligations to kill each

other on sight.

Mexican Mafia

The Mexican Mafia was organized in the 1950s at the

Deuel Vocational Center

in Tracy, California. Not

to be confused with the

Mexikanemi, the Mexican Mafia is primarily

composed of Hispanics

from the barrios of

southern California’s inner cities. The gang has

rules of conduct and a formal chain of command that

mirrors the Italian Mafia’s. New

members must be sponsored by

existing members and must

swear a blood oath promising

unquestioning loyalty to the

gang for life. Gang leaders are

known for having disobedient

members murdered and for using scare tactics against other

gangs inside and outside prison.

The Mexican Mafia is currently at war with La Nuestra

Familia. The Federal Bureau of

Prisons also reports that tensions persist between the Mexi-

(continued on next page)

In the 1980s, prison gangs began extending their influence

beyond prison. Many allied

themselves with other gangs.

Although still rivals, these

gangs agreed to conduct business across racial, ethnic, political, and geographic boundaries to divide prison activities, maximize profits from

narcotics sales and other illegal activities, and avoid

violent confrontations. The

Federal Bureau of Prisons reports, for example, that the

federal Texas Syndicate is

Gang Alliances

aligning itself with the

Mexikanemi in its dispute

against the Mexican Mafia

and that a cooperative relationship may be emerging

between the Mexikanemi

and the Dirty White Boys.

The existence of an alliance between gangs in one

prison or prison system does

not necessarily mean that an

inmate can coexist with a

prison gang of the same name

in another institution. The

Bureau of Prisons points out

that in Texas or Arizona, an

Aryan Brotherhood member

is not automatically recognized as a member of the federal prison system’s Aryan

Brotherhood, and vice versa.

Likewise, members of the

Mexican Mafia, which originated in California, are not

necessarily compatible with

the Texas Mexican Mafia

(Mexikanemi).

The term “associated”

should only be used as a guideline, the Bureau suggests,

since affiliations between

gangs can change over time.

can Mafia and the Texas Syndicate. Other rivals of the

Mexican Mafia include the
Special Needs Offenders Bulletin ◆ October 1997 ◆ Prison Gangs 4

Mexikanemi and Aryan Brotherhood.

Mexikanemi

Organized in 1984, the Mexikanemi is sometimes referred to

as the Texas Mexican Mafia.

This gang is often confused

with the Mexican Mafia, which

uses similar

symbols. (Mexikanemi symbolism differs in its use of Aztec images

and the term “Mexikanemi”

spelled out.) The Mexikanemi

is the largest prison gang in the

Texas prison system and is

ports indicate that intermittent

warring between the Mexikanemi and the Texas Syndicate has ended and that the two

groups are aligning themselves

against the Mexican Mafia.

Texas Syndicate

This prison gang emerged at

Deuel Vocational Institute

in 1958, at

Folsom Prison in the

early 1970s,

and at San

Quentin in

1976 in response to attempts by other

gangs to prey on native Texans.

The gang is currently active in

the Texas prison system and the

federal prison system, although

recent intelligence suggests

that the federal Texas Syndicate is now totally separate

from all state factions of the

gang.

Members are primarily

Mexican-American inmates

from Texas. Recently, the gang

has also begun accepting members from Latin American

countries such as Cuba, Colombia, and Mexico.

The Federal Bureau of Prisons reports that some inmates

who reside in Texas but who

have Guam ethnicity have also

been accepted as full gang

members in the federal system.

The Texas Syndicate has a formal organizational structure

and a set of written rules for

members. One of the gang’s

major goals is to control drug

trafficking in and out of prison.

As a result, the Texas Syndicate

has developed a deadly rivalry

with the Mexican Mafia. ♦

emerging as a significant prison

gang in the federal system.

Members are heavily involved

in homicides inside and outside

prison.

The Mexikanemi emphasize mesoamerican heritage and

culture: They believe that

Mexico and the southwestern

United States should be returned to natives.

In February 1996 at the federal penitentiary in Florence,

Colorado, the local Mexican

Mafia leader stabbed the local

Mexikanemi leader, leading to

tensions that the Federal Bureau of Prisons says have not yet

abated. Other intelligence re-

(continued from page 3)

Origination of

selected U.S. prison

gangs

Year

formed

1950 Washington Gypsy Jokers

1957 California Mexican Mafia

1958 California Texas Syndicate

1965 California La Nuestra Familia

1966 California Black Guerrilla

Family

1967 California Aryan Brotherhood

mid 1970s Arizona Arizona Aryan

Brotherhood

1977 Arizona Arizona Old

Mexican Mafia

1980 New Mexico New Mexico

Syndicate

early 1980s Texas Aryan Brotherhood

of Texas

early 1980s Texas Texas Mafia

mid 1980s California Bulldogs

1984 Arizona Arizona’s New

Mexican Mafia

1984 Texas Mexikanemi

1984 Texas Mandingo Warriors

1985 Federal system Dirty White Boys

1985 California 415’s

1990 Connecticut Los Solidos

Jurisdiction Name of gang
Special Needs Offenders Bulletin ◆ October 1997 ◆ Prison Gangs 5

Robert Fong, an assistant professor in the Department of

Criminology at the University

of North Carolina, studied the

organization of two major

prison gangs, the Texas Syndicate and the Mexikanemi. The

highly structured organizations

he found are characteristic of

prison gangs.

Texas Syndicate

According to Fong’s study, the

Texas Syndicate is headed by a

president and vice president

who are elected by the members. On the unit level, the

Texas Syndicate is controlled

by a chairman who oversees the

vice chairman, captain, lieutenant, sergeant at arms and

soldiers, Fong reported. With

the exception of the president,

vice president, chairman, and

vice chairman, all other lowranking positions are filled by

individuals who have successPrison Gang Organization

fully performed criminal activities for the gang.

Fong’s study also revealed

that in order to avoid intragang

conflict, a ranking member,

other than the president and

vice president, automatically

reverts to the status of soldier

when he is reassigned to a different unit by prison officials.

“The Texas Syndicate practices a democratic style of leadership,” Fong said. “Each member is allowed one vote, and

only when a unanimous vote is

obtained will a proposal become a decision.”

Mexikanemi

Fong said that the Mexikanemi

is composed of a president, vice

president, regional generals,

lieutenants, sergeants, and soldiers. All ranking positions

within the organization, excluding the soldiers, are elected

based on the individuals’ leadership skills and ability

to foster harmony. Fong

noted that there is no system designed to avoid

intragang conflict; a gang

leader keeps his rank and

title upon reassignment to

a different unit by prison

officials.

While the Mexikanemi emphasizes that no

decision will be carried

out unless a unanimous

vote is reached, lieutenants frequently manipulate the democratic process by issuing orders to

individual members without collective consent,

Fong said. ♦

1. Membership is for life (“blood in,

blood out”).

2. Every member must be prepared to

sacrifice his life or take a life at any

time.

3. To achieve discipline within the

Mexikanemi brotherhood, every

member shall strive to overcome

his weaknesses.

4. Members must never let the Mexikanemi down.

5. The sponsoring member is totally

responsible for the behavior of a

new recruit. If the new recruit turns

out to be a traitor, it is the sponsoring member’s responsibility to

eliminate the recruit.

6. When insulted by a stranger or

group, all members of the Mexikanemi will unite to destroy the

person or other group completely.

7. Members must always maintain a

high level of integrity.

8. Members must never relate Mexikanemi business to others.

9. Every member has the right to express opinions, ideas, contradictions, and constructive criticism.

10. Every member has the right to organize, educate, arm, and defend

the Mexikanemi.

11. Every member has the right to wear

a tattoo of the Mexikanemi symbol.

12. The Mexikanemi is a criminal organization and therefore will participate in all activities of criminal interest for monetary benefits.

Constitution

of the

Mexikanemi

Organization of the Texas Syndicate

President

(system-wide)

l

Vice President

(system-wide)

l

Chairman

(unit level)

Treasurer Secretary

Vice Chairman

(unit level)

l

Captain

l

Lieutenant

l

Sergeant at Arms

Soldiers “Associates”

(members) “Sympathizers”

(nonmembers)
Special Needs Offenders Bulletin ◆ October 1997 ◆ Prison Gangs 6

For risk management and safety

reasons, officers should know if

offenders or defendants on their

caseloads are members of prison

gangs. Prison gang members

generally keep low profiles and

are more secretive about gang

membership than members of

street gangs. There are, however, several clues that officers

should be aware of.

Tattoos and other

personal identifiers

Many prison gangs can be associated with specific tattoo

designs. Members may wear tattoos on the neck, chest, outside

of the calf, or forearm, depending on the gang. In some cases,

members may hide a gang tattoo by putting a more intricate

tattoo over it or by wearing it

on the scalp or under the arms.

Some prison gangs do not use

tattoos. For example, members

of Los Solidos use half-red, halfblue bandannas or blue and red

cards with joker masks to identify each other. Members of La

Nuestra Familia wear red rags

as well as tattoos. Officers

should note that tattoos are dynamic symbols of gang membership that can change over

time.

Photographs

Prison gangs commonly take

group pictures of members

while in prison. Look for tattoos or symbolic gestures depicted in photos that prisoners

possess. Be on the lookout for

group photos during home visits. Also, contact the offender’s

Federal Bureau of Prisons case

worker; a confiscated picture

may be in an offender’s prison

file.

Law enforcement and

prison records

Has another law enforcement

agency or prison identified an

offender or defendant as a

member of a prison gang? Does

an offender’s prison record indicate that he associated with

known gang members while in

prison? Was gang paraphernalia confiscated from an offender’s cell? An answer of yes to

any of these questions may indicate gang affiliation. Check

an offender’s arrest and criminal records for prior arrests with

known gang members, for prosecutions under the federal

Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, and for

crimes consistent with gang

activity, such as drug trafficking, violent assaults, murders,

robberies, and burglaries.

Codes and ciphers

Many prison gangs use codes

and ciphers to communicate

with members inside and outside prison. Coded messages are

often hidden in letters sent

through the mail to released

members or members in other

institutions. Codes are words or

terminology that have specific

meanings to gang members.

Some codes represent a sentence, several sentences, or an

Identifying Prison Gang Members

It’s important to note that every prison gang has a distinct

culture—patterns of behavior, beliefs, and customs unique to

the gang. Victor Casillas, a probation officer in the Western

District of Texas, recalls one incident when his knowledge of

prison gang culture was invaluable.

It was 1 p.m. and my wife and I were cutting across a

parking lot, returning to our car after a festival. I saw an

offender on my caseload who was a captain in the Texas

Syndicate walking toward me. He had five very large,

very mean-looking bodyguards with him. He motioned

for me to walk over, and we started talking.

As I started walking toward the offender, my wife walked

over to a nearby park bench and sat down. She was immediately surrounded by the five bodyguards, who formed

a ring around her and the bench. The bodyguards looked

quite intimidating; however, I knew from experience

working with the Texas Syndicate that the bodyguards

had surrounded my wife as a sign of respect. It was not a

hostile gesture. Luckily my wife also knew this! An inexperienced officer might have misinterpreted the incident, resulting in a potentially serious situation.

A Sign of Respect
Special Needs Offenders Bulletin ◆ October 1997 ◆ Prison Gangs 7

No one identifier proves

that an offender or

defendant is a member

of a prison gang. Rather,

identifiers are red flags

signaling that an officer

should carefully examine

an offender’s or

defendant’s records

and conduct.

entire message. Ciphers involve

transposing the 26 letters of the

alphabet or substituting figures

for letters.

Uncovering a letter or book

containing codes or ciphers

may be a clue that an offender

or defendant is a prison gang

member. Officers should contact an offender’s Federal Bureau of Prisons case worker and

ask if there are confiscated letters or notes in his prison file.

Such letters may also be noted

during home contacts.

Written or printed

materials

Prison gang members often

keep gang constitutions or

manifestos, contract or hit lists,

training materials, or gang publications or insignia. Contact

the offender’s Federal Bureau of

Prisons case worker to see if an

offender’s file indicates that any

of these materials were confiscated from his cell. In addition,

look for these materials during

home visits. ♦

Sample Black Guerrilla Family (BGF) code

BGF Term Meaning

Annette Brooks Aryan Brotherhood

Bobby G. Foster BGF

Central High mainline

Compton hole or segregation

D.C. decision or deciding

kiss marked for death

Mary Mitchell Mexican Mafia

Nelson Franklin Nuestra Familia

Paula police officer

record shop hospital

salt hacksaw

Sammy Davis, Jr. bootlicking

Supermarket killed or dead

The Federal Bureau of Prisons

tracks four traditional prison

gangs as Certified Disruptive

Groups: the Aryan Brotherhood, Mexican Mafia, Texas

Syndicate, and Black Guerrilla Family. In 1994 the Bureau added three street gangs

to the list: the Crips, Bloods,

and Latin Kings. The Crips

and Bloods were decertified in

1996.

This year the Bureau anticipates adding the Mexikanemi to the list. Inmates

Certified Disruptive and Security Threat Groups

from four state systems—California, Connecticut, Illinois,

and Texas—tend to account

for the majority of individuals

classified as members of Certified Disruptive Groups in

federal prisons. Although not

included in the list of Certified Disruptive Groups, a

number of prison gangs in

state systems have members in

federal custody.

The Bureau informally

tracks several of these and

other gangs, including street

gangs, as Security Threat

Groups. Examples of Security

Threat Groups include the

Arizona Aryan Brotherhood,

Black Gangster Disciples, 27’s,

Barrio Aztecas, Neta’s, Jamaican Posse, Raza Unida, Nuestra Raza, and Hell’s Angels.

Federal officials indicate that

there are currently over 2,540

individuals who are members,

suspected members, or associates of prison gangs and security threat groups in Federal

Bureau of Prisons custody.

Sample La Nuestra Familia cipher. This particular

cipher was found during a cell search.

AJS

BKT

CLU

DMV

E NW

FOX

GP Y

HQ Z

I R
Special Needs Offenders Bulletin ◆ October 1997 ◆ Prison Gangs 8

Prison walls do not separate

inmates from crime.

In 1996, Massachusetts police began investigating an inmate at a Florida prison who

was suspected of using a prison

telephone to order the slayings

of two Massachusetts gang

members. In San Jose, California, La Nuestra Familia gang

members were charged with

slayings thought to have been

planned in the state’s jails and

prisons. Both cases were cited

in a 1996 article in The Washington Post on gangs in prison.

One of the people whom reporter Marcia Green spoke

with in preparing the article

was Santa Clara County

Deputy District Attorney

Catherine Constantinides.

“While gang members

Gang Activities Outside Prison

would like to insulate themselves from crime liability by

saying they were incarcerated,”

Constantinides explained to

Green, “the true masterminds

are the ones who have 24 hours

to sit around in jail and figure

out what to do next and to who.

The men in prison are sending

orders out to people on the

streets.”

Juveniles

Law enforcement officials assert

that prison gangs have begun

using street gangs to conduct

prison gang activities on the

outside. Prison gangs use juveniles because juveniles often

receive probation for felony

convictions or lighter sentences

than adults. In general, street

gang members are quickly released to the community, where

they resume their criminal activity on behalf of the prison

gang. Recent intelligence suggests, however, that in some

cases the relationships between

street gangs and prison gangs

may be strained. For example,

the Federal Bureau of Prisons

reports that members of a number of small Latino street gangs

coming into federal custody

harbor resentments against the

Mexican Mafia, which charges

them a “feria” (street tax) for

being allowed to conduct gang

operations in Mexican Mafia

territory.

Released members

In addition to using juveniles

for criminal activities, released

prison gang members are expected to remain in contact

with members still in prison

and to conduct gang business

outside prison. Released members of the Aryan Brotherhood,

for example, are expected to

support incarcerated members

financially. The Mexican Mafia and Texas Syndicate use

members outside prison to expand their narcotics trafficking

activities.

Released members who

generate income from drug trafficking on their own are also

expected to surrender a certain

percentage to the gang. The

Texas Syndicate requires 10%

of the member’s income, the

Mexican Mafia 15%. In both

gangs, failure to submit the

percentage is punishable by

death. ♦

In the late 1980s, federal institutions began experiencing a rapid influx of inmates

belonging to street gangs

such as the Crips, Bloods,

and Jamaican Posse. Members of Asian gangs and a

wide variety of local street

gangs are part of this rising

tide. Many recent disturbances in prisons are attributable to members of street

gangs, the Federal Bureau of

Prisons reports.

Prison gangs offer the

street gang members protection in and out of prison.

Street Gangs in Prison

Some street gang members

become prison gang members

when incarcerated. Hispanic

gang members frequently join

the Mexican Mafia or La

Nuestra Familia. Some African-American gang members

join the Black Guerrilla Family. And White gang members sometimes join the

Aryan Brotherhood.

When released from

prison, gang members often

return to their former street

gangs but retain some allegiance to the gangs they

joined in prison.
Special Needs Offenders Bulletin ◆ October 1997 ◆ Prison Gangs 9

Because information on prison

gangs is scarce, officers should

draw on the experience of colleagues and other law enforcement personnel to learn what

they need to know to investigate and supervise prison gang

members.

As Robert Fong pointed out

in his March 1990 Federal Probation article on the organization of prison gangs,

The inability to obtain information directly from

gang members is a frustrating experience shared by

both researchers and

prison administrators.

Thus far, the only available method for intelligence-gathering has been

the sole reliance on information provided by a few

voluntary former gang

members who are placed

on gang “death” lists and

are under maximum official protection in the prisons.

Following are some of the

supervision and investigation

issues relevant to prison gangs.

These issues were cited by experienced officers. Supervision

plans and investigation activities should address these issues

as much as possible, depending

on the specific circumstances of

each offender or defendant and

on district policy and procedures.

Lifetime membership

and loyalty

Virtually all prison gangs observe exclusive membership

rules; an inmate may only be a

Investigation and Supervision Issues

member of one prison gang at

a time. In addition, membership generally demands a blood

oath that requires lifetime loyalty and obedience. Thus, officers should regard offenders as

active prison gang members

even after they return to the

community. Be wary of offenders who claim they no longer

belong to a gang.

Ongoing criminal activity

and criminal associates

Once gang members are released from prison, they are expected to continue their illegal

activities and to adhere to the

code of the gang. Officers

should therefore assume that a

released prison gang member

will participate in criminal activity outside prison and will

associate with gang members

and other criminals.

Collateral contacts

Prison gang members often rely

on females (e.g., wives, mothers, sisters, and girlfriends) to

relay messages, bring contraband into prison, and provide

other forms of assistance. Officers should not assume that

these people are the best or only

reliable collateral contacts.

Recidivism

Some prison gang members are

more comfortable in prison,

with the rest of their organization, than outside prison. Consequently, it is not uncommon

for released gang members to

purposely violate the condi-

(continued on next page)

Suspects Associates Members Suspects Associates Members

Suspects Associates Members Suspects Associates Members

Black Guerrilla Family Aryan Brotherhood

Texas Syndicate Mexican Mafia

Actual 1996 Membership of Selected Prison Gangs

Source: Federal Bureau of Prisons

150

50

0

100

150

50

0

100

150

50

0

100

150

50

0

100
Special Needs Offenders Bulletin ◆ October 1997 ◆ Prison Gangs 10

tions of their supervision in order to return to

prison. In addition, many gang members know

they may spend less time serving their sentence

in prison than they would completing it under

supervised release or probation. Other gang members wish to return to prison to accomplish a specific task, such as establishing an outside drug

connection, carrying out a hit, or relaying specific instructions or communication from a gang

leader on the outside. According to Probation

Officer Stephen Alvarez (Southern District of

Texas), however, prison gang members generally

violate within the first six months, or not at all.

Violence and weapons

Prison gangs almost universally endorse the use

of violence. And since gangs tend to be well organized and well financed, gang members often

have access to high-powered weapons. Therefore,

officers should assess the potential risk that

known prison gang members pose to the officers

and the public. Consider placing these offenders

under intensive supervision, perhaps even team

supervision. ♦

(continued from page 9)

Sacramento Intelligence Unit

The Sacramento Intelligence Unit (SIU) is a joint

operation of the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP), U.S.

Marshals Service, and U.S.

Probation and Pretrial Services. It was established in

1990 to provide operational

intelligence and direct investigation support to officers and field employees of

these agencies and other federal, state, and local law enforcement and judicial organizations.

SIU is hosted by the

BOP Intelligence Section,

Central Office, and staffed

by employees from each of

a wide variety of bulletins,

guides, and investigative

support materials such as

the Security Threat Groups

Symbols and Terminology

Manual.

SIU operates Monday

through Friday from 7 a.m.

to 5 p.m. (PST). For assistance or to order a copy of

the Security Threat Groups

Symbols and Terminology

Manual, contact Walter

Jeffery, Disruptive Groups

Specialist, SIU, Suite 210,

2941 Sunrise Boulevard,

Rancho Cordova, CA

95742; phone (916) 851-

0204; fax (916) 851-0207.

the three agencies. While

SIU puts special emphasis

on street and prison gangs,

it also provides intelligence

on other threat groups who

pose a danger to officers and

the community.

Selected SIU services

include preparation of intelligence summaries on gang

or security threat groups,

gang-related incident analysis, reports on intelligence

trends, assistance in gang

membership validation procedures, support in analyzing threats to the judiciary,

notice to officers of pending

releases, and publication of

In the early 1980s, white supremacists

began recruiting members in prison.

According to the Southern Poverty

Law Center, white supremacist leaders

representing themselves as agents of the

Identify Movement are able to circumvent prison mail restrictions and contact prisoners. Further, by claiming to

be church groups, white supremacist

prison gangs are able to hold meetings

and recruit members in prison, the Law

Center says. The consequences of these

recruitment efforts are serious.

“White supremacist prisoners have

proven records of violence and crime,”

the Law Center reports. “Their views

are typically hardened by prison life,

and they emerge from prison eager to

spread their gospel of hatred and violence.”

White Supremacists

in Prison
Special Needs Offenders Bulletin ◆ October 1997 ◆ Prison Gangs 11

Administrative Office of the U.S.

Courts. “Inclusion of Gang Information in Presentence and Dispositional Reports” (memorandum to

chief probation officers). Washington, D.C., July 17, 1997.

American Correctional Association.

Gangs in Correctional Facilities: A

National Assessment. Laurel, Md.,

April 1993.

California Department of Justice.

Gangs 2000: A Call to Action. The

Attorney General’s Report on the Impact of Criminal Street Gangs on

Crime and Violence in California in

the Year 2000. Sacramento, Cal.,

March 1993.

Casillas, Victor A. “Identifying and

Supervising Offenders Affiliated

with Community Threat Groups.”

Federal Probation 58, no. 2 (June

1994): 11–19.

Federal Bureau of Prisons, Intelligence

Section. Sacramento Intelligence Unit:

Executive Briefing Guide. Washington, D.C., October 8, 1993.

Federal Bureau of Prisons, Intelligence

Section. Security Threat Groups Symbols and Terminology Manual. Washington, D.C., September 1994.

Federal Bureau of Prisons, Intelligence

Section. Staff Briefing Guide: Selected

The Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) is reporting an increase in disruptive activities in prisons

by prison gangs, street gangs, and other security

threat groups. The Bureau is requesting that officers include gang affiliation information in presentence and dispositional reports.

The Administrative Office directs officers to

include in their reports the name of the gang;

the names of major gang members, including the

defendant’s or offender’s associates or family

members; the local chapter of the gang; the

defendant’s or offender’s role in the gang; the

length of the defendant’s or offender’s membership or association in the gang; and known gang

identifiers, such as tattoos, colors, common terminology, hand signals, codes, and ciphers.

In a July 17, 1997, memorandum to chief probation officers regarding inclusion of gang information in presentence and dispositional reports,

the Administrative Office noted that “Federal

Rule of Criminal Procedure 32(b)(4)(a) generBOP Requires Citation of Gang Membership

in Presentence and Dispositional Reports

Security Threat Groups. Washington,

D.C., April 15, 1997.

Fong, Robert S. “The Organizational Structure of Prison Gangs.”

Federal Probation 54, no. 1 (March

1990): 36–43.

Green, Marcia Slacum. “Prisoners of

Violence: Street Gangs in Cellblocks.” The Washington Post, September 9, 1996, A1, A6–A7.

Gutierrez, Daniel R. “Prison Gangs

in the Southern District of Texas”

(unpublished paper). June 1997.

National Institute of Corrections.

Managing Gangs Lesson Plans 92-

M0801. Longmont, Colo. 1992.

National Major Gang Task Force.

Quarterly Newsletter 1, no. 3. (October 1994): 3, 5.

U.S. Department of Justice. Bureau of

Justice Statistics Bulletin NCJ-162843.

January 1997.

References

ally provides that the presentence report shall

provide information about the history and characteristics of the defendant.” This information

includes any prior criminal record,

financial condition, and any circumstances

affecting the defendant’s behavior which

may be helpful in imposing sentence or in

subsequent correctional treatment . . . . Officers must take care in describing the reasons for including gang-related information

in the presentence investigation or dispositional report since it may be relevant to the

imposition of the sentence or subsequent

correctional treatment, including designation by the Federal Bureau of Prisons. If the

gang association can be attributed to the

commission of the instant offense, such information should be included in the Offense

Conduct Section of the report. If gang membership is not related to the offense, such

information should be included in other relevant sections of the report . . . .

Read the AO’s News and

Views for announcements

about the Center’s October

1997 on-line workshop and

December 1997 satellite

broadcast on street gangs

and other organized threat

groups. Or contact Mark

Maggio or Dennise OrlandoMorningstar at (202) 273-

4115 for more information

on the Special Needs Offenders Series on gangs.
Special Needs Offenders Bulletin

Federal Judicial Center

Thurgood Marshall Federal Judiciary Building

One Columbus Circle, N.E.

Washington, D.C. 20002-8003

1. Establish partnerships and professional working relationships

with Bureau of Prisons officials,

state and local corrections officials, and local law enforcement to supplement knowledge

and district resources.

2. Contact the Sacramento Intelligence Unit for a list of prison

gang members who will be released from federal prison to

your district. (See page 10.)

3. Work with management and

colleagues to verify that district

case-management practices sufFive Things You Can Do to Create Expertise

on Prison Gangs in Your District

ficiently address the challenges

prison gang members present.

4. Continually update your knowledge of prison gangs. Gang intelligence is constantly changing as

gangs evolve, alliances are made

and dissolve, and leaders rise and

fall.

5. Take part in the Center’s October on-line workshop and December satellite broadcast on

street gangs and other organized

threat groups. (Watch the AO’s

News and Views for announcements.)

From the end of 1985 to the middle of 1996, the federal inmate population grew an average

of 9.5%. As of June 30, 1996, over 93,000 inmates were incarcerated in federal prisons.

Records indicate that federal prisons were operating 25% above capacity by the end of 1996.

Special Needs Offenders Bulletin

a publication of the Federal Judicial Center

No. 2, October 1997

Written by

Dennise Orlando-Morningstar

Training Specialist

Court Education Division

Edited and designed by

Nathan Dotson

Publications & Media Division

Send questions or comments to Dennise OrlandoMorningstar or Mark Maggio, Court Education Division, Federal Judicial Center, Thurgood Marshall Federal Judiciary Building, One Columbus Circle, N.E.,

Washington, D.C. 20002-8003.

This publication was undertaken in furtherance of the

Center’s statutory mission to develop and conduct education programs for judicial branch employees. The

views expressed are those of the author and are not

necessarily those of the Federal Judicial Center.