Ciphers, whether they consist of numbers, symbols, letters or ancient alphabet characters can often be solved by analyzing the frequency, position and characteristics of each cipher unit. Codes Unlike ciphers, codes may represent words, phrases or ideas instead of individual letters. Codes can be spoken, written or, in the case of pagers, digital. Gang codes, especially those that represent the names of individual gang members, are common in gang graffiti. Code words are often nothing more than street slang but may also include code words specifically created with secrecy in mind.
Foreign languages are common sources of gang code words.
Hispanic prison gangs on the west coast are known to use Nahuatl, the Aztec language to communicate with gang members both in and outside of prison. Black prison gangs have been observed using African languages such as Swahili and Nubian. Aside from language-based systems, interpreting written and oral gang codes typically requires the cooperation of a gang member. Pager codes typically involve the use of numeric sequences to communicate specific messages. Concealment Unlike codes and ciphers, concealment involves hiding the message itself as a form of secrecy.