Aryan Brotherhood Research Paper

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In a state prison in downstate Menard, Illinois, an inmate by the name of Gino Colon takes a walk around his prison wearing sunglasses, a new sweat suit, nice sneakers and even a gold chain with a diamond studded medallion hanging from his neck. Almost all 2,600 of the other inmates of the prison are locked up in their cells. At this time, a lock down was being enforced because of a serious incident at another state prison. But Colon is within the rules to be just walking around. He even has a key to his room. Gino Colon lives in a room not a cell, he lives in what is called the honor dorm. But it is believed by many law enforcement officials that Colon controls most illegal activity throughout the twenty six adult prisons in the State of Illinois,…show more content…
The Aryan Brotherhood, formed in San Quintin prison in 1967, to provide protection for white individuals from Black and Hispanic groups. Then devolved ideologies of white supremacy, in addition too roots of German and Irish heritage. In recent years, the Aryan Brotherhood has moved away from the Neo-Nazi philosophy, with gang members identifying more with there Irish line and Viking symbolism and history. Currently members will join together with black gangs, but not admit them to membership, when they are needed for drug and extortion transactions. The Aryan Brotherhood also operates in other states, such as the Arizona Aryan Brotherhood and the California Aryan Brotherhood, which do not get along between own gangs. The Mexican Mafia was originated in the late 1950’s in the California Department of Corrections. The Mexican Mafia was a street gang that worked its way in the prison system. The Mexican Mafia Consist of Mexican-Americans members and revolves around drug trafficking. The Black Guerrilla Family was founded in 1966 by a Black Panther member George Jackson and was originally know as the Black Family or Black Vanguard. It was formed as a Marxist revolutionary organization with goals to eliminate racism, maintain dignity in prison and overthrow the United States government. These gangs have leadership and organizational structure similar…show more content…
Prison gangs not only have influence on other gang member and there rivals but every single person in the prison. Inmate gangs have an impact on the well-being in prison, prisoners' lives, on prison administrators, staff and on the residents of neighborhoods into which they move upon their release from prison. In prisons in wich gangs rule, gangs decide which inmates eat at what times and where they sit in the dining hall, who gets the best and worst job in the prison, who has money and nice clothes, and even who lives and who dies. In “My Life in Prison Gangs: A prisoner in the soul finds freedom in Christ” by Henry Smedley, Henry Smedley joined the Texas Mafia. At the time, the Texas Mafia was in the middle of a violent and deadly war with the Aryan Brotherhood. “Violence, rape, murder, homosexuality, and extortion were a way of life,” says Smedley. Different gangs were constantly at war with each other. At age 20 Smedley was already a leader of the Texas Mafia. He says, “Men were bought, sold, prostituted, or beaten at my command. Power had so corrupted me; I began challenging the administration of the unit. I honestly felt I could take over. When the administration saw my rebellion, they removed me from a housing assignment with trustee class inmates and placed me among the troublemakers. The gang intelligence officer told me that he knew I was

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