The Aryan Brotherhood

Prison gangs are a way of life for those that are incarcerated in federal and also state prisons. Gangs, organize the races in the prison system. They offer protection to their members and also run the drug, alcohol and other crime in that facility. In return each gang expects loyalty to the cause from their members. Prison gangs are extremely organized and have many secrets, no one will ever know everything that the gangs plan or are responsible for. Each race has their own separately ran gang some of the races have more than one gang to choose from. For example in Arizona alone there have been several gangs that the Arizona Department of Corrections have validated as a threat in and outside of the prison they include, Dine’ Pride, Warrior Society, New Mexican Mafia, Old Mexican Mafia, Boarder Brothers and The Aryan Brotherhood just to name a few. Each gang has their own set of “guidelines” as to the type of member they will accept. They also have their own rules on how each member must behave. If an inmate meets the guidelines of their chosen gang he/she must then prove one’s self to the other members by following the directions given by a higher up member. Prison gangs are very powerful; within each gang there are several levels of membership that gives members different responsibilities.
The Aryan Brotherhood is an all white gang in today’s federal and state prison systems. The Aryan Brotherhood as known as the “AB” and “The Brand” was started in 1967 at California’s State Prison San Quentin by several members of a 1950’s prison gang called “The Bluebirds”. The Aryan Brotherhood is a blood in blood out gang. According to the FBI in 2006 the “AB” makes up less than 1% of the prison population but, is responsible for up to 26% of murders in federal prisons. The Aryan Brotherhood is known to be involved in drug trafficking, Extortion, Assaults, Homicides and Gambling both behind bars and also in the streets. The “AB” is also known to exhibit a strong hatred