Prison gang

A prison gang is an organized group that forms within prisons. These gangs have power structures, unique symbols, and strict rules for behavior.

 United States 
Currently, the most powerful and violent prison gangs in the United States are the Aryan Brotherhood, Mexican Mafia, Nuestra Familia, and Black Guerrilla Family. These gangs initially formed for self-defense in California prisons during the 1950s and 1960s. 

However, since then, they have expanded into organized crime. Prison gangs play a major role in the prison black market (its underground economy, where prisoners sell or trade items secretly). 

Six major prison gangs (including the Aryan Brotherhood and the Mexican Mafia) operate across the United States.

According to David Skarbek in his 2014 book, powerful prison gangs can even "govern the outside":Powerful prison gangs can “tax” drug dealers on the street because drug dealers [expect to go to prison], have high [re-offending] rates, and recognize prison gangs’ power. Because prison gangs can tax drug dealers on the street, they have incentives to provide governance to the drug market. Three important types of governance [that prison gangs give drug dealers] are protection of property rights, enforcement of agreements, and adjudication of disputes.According to a 2022 article by David Pyrooz, about 15% of prisoners in the United States belong to a prison gang. Pyrooz wrote that research says people join and quit prison gangs while incarcerated.

 England 
Prison gangs are a major cause of violence in English prisons, according to a 2024 BBC article.

At just one London prison called HMP Isis, there are around 600 inmates and 136 active gangs in the prison, according to a recent Independent Monitoring Board report. The report estimated that half of all inmates were part of a gang.

These gangs include "postcode gangs" (who rule over a specific territory), drug gangs, and religious gangs.

 Latin America 
In a 2024 article, the New York Times declared: "In Latin America, Guards Don't Control Prisoners, Gangs Do."

As of 2025, El Salvador has imprisoned thousands of suspected gang members in a mega-prison called the Center for Terrorism Confinement (CECOT). CECOT is the largest prison in the Americas: it can hold 40,000 prisoners. Inmates are not allowed visitation, recreation, or education programs.

 References 

 List of prison gangs 
Nazi Lowriders
The Aryan Brotherhood
Category:Gangs