Gangs Within the Prison System

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Introduction Life in prison is tough so prison inmates form gangs in order to protect their interests. The philosophy of prison gangs is simple. When people unite, they are better able to protect themselves. This is the underlying belief which precipitates the formation of prison gangs. Each of the prison gangs that is in existence has a reason for being. They did not just “drop out of the sky.” There are a number of factors which led to the creation of these prison gangs. Prison gangs go a long way in United States history. There are five original prison gangs in the United States. These gangs were formed in the 1960s and 1970s in prisons in California. These gangs are as follows: Aryan Brotherhood, La Nuestra Familia, Mexican Mafia, Texas Syndicate and The Neta Association. However, Zackasee writes that in 2004 the Federal Bureau of Prisons classified the following prison gangs as disruptive groups. These are as follows: the Mexican Mafia, the Black Guerilla Family, the Mexikanemi, the Aryan Brotherhood, and the Texas Syndicate. The threat of prison gangs Usually prison inmates join these gangs in order to protect themselves from other gangs and also to ensure some form of protection from the harsh conditions in prison. These conditions are usually wide ranging. Prison gangs have had a major impact on prisons in the United States, however, some states are more notorious for prison gangs. These states are as follows: California, Arizona, Texas and Florida. Over the years prison gangs have grown and spread throughout many of the states in the US. Some other prison gangs started elsewhere and spread to the US. For example, the prison gang called “Netas” started in Puerto Rico and spread to the United States. This particular group is found in prisons on the US east coast that has very high Hispanic population in prison. Furthermore, it is

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