The Most Feared Prison Gangs

He’s not a tough guy. He would barely  consider himself a criminal, but for one act   of recklessness, he’s landed himself in prison.  If intake and processing weren’t scary enough,   not to mention humiliating, his walk to the  general population feels like a nightmare,   as if he’s living the life of somebody else. The foreboding clanking of doors locking,   the cacophony of other inmates. It suddenly  hits him. He’s one of them. That first night he   doesn’t sleep a wink, thinking all the time about  what’s in store for him. He’s well aware there are   gangs in this prison. He’s watched documentaries  about prison bullying, about ruthless men that   will rearrange your face for merely accidentally  bumping into them in the chow line. Will he have   to join one of the gangs, so he’s protected? God  forbid, he’ll be asked to put in work for them.   Just the thought of that is unbearable. Many ex-cons will inform you that anyone   who tells you they weren’t the least bit afraid  or intimidated when entering prison for the first   time in their life is lying. Sure, for many people  it might not be as bad as men shouting at you from   their cells as you walk down the landing, all  saying they’ll do unspeakable things to you,   but it’s also no walk in the park. What we described to you in the intro is kind   of a generic experience for inmates incarcerated  in U.S. prisons, so what you might experience   in a prison in Papua New Guinea, or Sweden, or  Paraguay, might be very different from what you   would experience in a lock-up in, say, Arizona. In  Norway, you might see convicted killers making a   communal meal and chopping onions with a six-inch  knife, or in Brazil, you could see prisoners   walking around with weapons and not even hiding  them. Over in the UK, you might get prison gangs,   but you might also see prisoners sticking  together based more on where they come from,   unlike the U.S., where race is a big factor. No one prison is the same, but in many places,   you’re likely going to come across a prison gang,  the topic of today’s show. Ok, now let’s have a   look at some of those gangs. 4. The Aryan Brotherhood  When we’re talking about the most feared  prison gangs, of course we’re going to   discuss the country that has by a long way the  biggest prison population in the world. In fact,   thanks to the popularity of US movies and TV  shows, we are quite sure all you non-Americans are   quite familiar with violence inside US prisons. In the US, where you’re incarcerated will   determine who the most powerful gang is. There  will likely be a mix of powerful gangs but   that doesn’t mean they’re always fighting. In  fact, to keep the peace and keep the flow of   contraband flowing through prisons it’s best  not to cause a huge stir. That only leads to   cell searches and sometimes quite lengthy  lockdowns. This is not good for business.  One of those gangs that does a huge amount  of business behind prison walls is the Aryan   Brotherhood. It’s reported that in California  this gang attempted to create an army,   always looking for new recruits like the guy  described at the start of the show. In terms   of crime, they have their fingers in a lot of  pies. Over decades they’ve evolved from a bunch   of angry Irish bikers who called themselves the  “Diamond Tooth Gang” to an organized crime outfit.  They go back a long way, starting in  1964. The reason for the beginning of   the pack was to fight back against other  gangs, such as the Black Guerrilla Family,   another very feared prison and street gang. As  smaller gangs amalgamated, they grew larger and   later started getting involved in drugs, drug  trafficking, firearms trafficking, extortion,   robberies, and violence…a lot of violence. Much of their infamy stemmed from instances   of extreme violence inside prisons. If you are  part of this gang, you might at times have had to   cause another person a serious injury, if not kill  them. Even though the prison population doesn’t   have more of them than many other gangs, the FBI  has said a disproportionate number of murders are   committed by them. The last available statistics  we can find say they constitute only one percent   of the US Federal prison population but are behind  18–25% of murders. That’s why they make this list.   There are plenty of white supremacist gangs in  the US, but we’d say this one is the most feared.  They have a kind of motto which is “blood in,  blood out”, which should mean that once you’ve   joined and spilled blood - “made your bones” as  the expression goes - the only way to leave is to   die. That’s not always the case, but just turning  around to them while you’re still locked up and   saying, “Hey boys, I think I’ve had enough.  Godspeed fellas, toodle-oo”, will very likely   lead to a stiff reprimand. By that, we mean your  blood will be spilled or your life will be taken.  What was different about them in the prison  system is they started getting organized.   They created a hierarchical power structure  similar to that of the American mafia – people who   they did business with after offering protection  to mafia boss John Gotti when he was locked up.  Of the fifteen to twenty thousand members,  both inside prison and outside of prison,   they are all Caucasian. You need to be  to join, and you also have to have served   time or are currently serving time. In the 1980s, they introduced a 12-man   council for votes on various things and  that was overseen by a three-man council.   It was this kind of organization that bolstered  their power. Members were also asked to read books   such as Sun Tzu’s The Art of War and Machiavelli’s  The Prince, books that talk about warfare tactics,   power, and keeping control. As for maintaining  control, former members said that they learned   from these books that if you are going to  commit an act of violence, make it vicious,   make it a spectacle of fear. This is a snippet from that book   The Prince that gang members should have read: “People should either be caressed or crushed.   If you do them minor damage  they will get their revenge;   but if you cripple them there is nothing they can  do. If you need to injure someone, do it in such a   way that you do not have to fear their vengeance.” Once you have sworn in, you are very likely going   to have to hurt another inmate or even an  officer – although violence against officers   will always cause them a lot of trouble. Attacking  someone else is sometimes called putting in work,   and the person that gives the green light for that  is called a shot caller. This is not, however,   only something that happens in the Aryan  Brotherhood. They just wrote the rule book.  They’ve become so powerful and so  scrutinized in their activities in prison   that it might be difficult for officers to know  who calls the shots, and if they do find out,   that person might be looking at a lengthy  time separated from the general population.  Sure, there is racism in the gang,  after all, they are white supremacists,   but these people are more concerned about their  profitable crime ventures than concentrating on   spewing racial hatred. According to experts  and former members, cash is king, and they’ll   do anything to ensure their operations remain  intact, including making a murder so brutal it   sends a strong message to others. This makes them  one of the most feared prison gangs in the world.  3. The Mexican Mafia This gang is also known as a prison gang,   as opposed to a regular street gang, although  like the Aryan Brotherhood they don’t just operate   inside prison walls. As far as we can tell, these  two extremely powerful gangs have a truce going,   so they are not currently at war. While you’ve all heard of the various   Mexican drug cartels, this gang is an American  gang, one that some people say is even more   powerful than the Aryan Brotherhood at  least in the California prison system.   It doesn’t seem to be anywhere near as big,  though, with roughly 500 full-time members and   another 1,000 associates. As for its affiliations  with other dangerous gangs, well, it has many.  Like other prison gangs, it started because  groups of people, namely Hispanic people,   wanted strength in numbers inside  prisons. That was back in the 1950s,   but when the gang grew in size it got involved  with illicit drug trafficking, arms trafficking,   human trafficking, extortion, murder, and more. Inside prison, they were renowned for   violence, and as their power grew, they became  more of a danger to other inmates. Many of those   inmates were Hispanics themselves and they also  wanted strength in numbers. Some of them got   together and named themselves the Nuestra Familia.  This gang became the mortal enemy of the Mexican   Mafia. The conflict between the two has led to  the loss of many lives and will continue to do so.  They don’t have a strict hierarchical structure,  but a newbie might be told by older members to put   some work in and hurt or kill another inmate.  If that request is turned down, it might just   happen that the budding member is killed himself  or at least hurt badly. If there is going to   be a hit on an established member, the green  light has to be given by three other members,   men who’ve been in the gang for a while. Again, there’s a blood oath you have to swear,   so you spill blood to get in and you aint getting  out easily. People do get out of course, but not   without some risk to themselves. There are rules  to follow, with the obvious that you never admit   there’s a Mexican Mafia when talking to the cops. You should also value the gang over family,   or God for that matter, and when you’re in prison  you should forget your beef with any other members   that you both had in the streets. If you want in,  you must be sponsored by another member, but the   rub is, if you violate the rules he’s the guy that  will kill you. Still, the rules also state you   should respect all members as friends and protect  them as if they were your own flesh and blood.  They’ve had plenty of conflicts, including a  very bloody one with the Mexican drug cartel,   the Los Zetas. But in Southern  California at least, they command   the respect of all the smaller Hispanic gangs. Then there’s the gang’s relationship they have   with the very large and very violent street  gang called Mara Salvatrucha, aka MS13. This   gang is transnational and its power structure is  complicated or non-existent, but according to the   Justice Department, its members in California  prisons are allied with the Mexican Mafia.   Other allies include the very dangerous Sinaloa  Cartel, the Italian-American Mafia, and the Texas   Mexican Mafia, among others. On top of that, the  FBI has said that the Mexican Mafia has even paid   the Aryan Brotherhood for contract murders. Now let’s look outside of the USA and to   gang members that have mostly experienced a  kind of poverty not often seen in America.  2. The Numbers Gang Ok, so if you’re in this   gang you might belong to the 26s or the 27s or  the 28s. They are a South African gang and can   be found in most prisons throughout the country.  They’re not hard to make out because most of the   time they don’t exactly hide their number since  it will be tattooed where someone can see it. The numbers gang is more a prison gang than it  is a street gang. Unlike the USA where you’ll   find quite a large number of different prison  gangs, in South Africa, one of the most violent   places on Earth in terms of murder, the numbers  gang pretty much runs every prison - the inmates   at least. This is what makes them powerful. Like many gangs, they are organized and follow   a top-down structure. If you’re a newbie to  prison, you might find yourself having to join   one of these gangs. Sure, that might not happen,  but it’s very likely if you don’t join you’ll be   supporting the gangs in some way. If you refuse to  join and refuse to pay your support money, well,   life might be tough inside prison. When we say structured, we mean it.   Right at the top you have the “government” of the  gang that runs things. These belong to “The Number   Ones” and they are higher than the “Number Twos.”  Inside both of these structures you’ll find judges   and doctors and soldiers and lawyers and clerks  and captains and more. The rule is, you don’t   step out of line, but you also do what’s expected  of you even if you hold a high position. Heavy   is the head that wears the crown in this gang. In short, the 26s control wealth and that’s why   you’ll often see a money sign tattooed on them.  The 27s protect and enforce the many rules of the   gangs and the 28s mostly concentrate on spilling  blood. It’s all very complicated. According to   Human Rights Watch these gangs go back to the  mid-1800s, so it’s not surprising they’ve built   a complex structure. There’s been a lot of time  for expansion, so make no mistake, this gang is   all over the prison system in South Africa. Inside prison, they actually do provide some   support given you join the gang at the bottom  and follow the many rules. The problem is,   you might sometimes have to do things you don’t  want to do, such as stab a prison guard. The   numbers gang have attacked so many guards it’s  a wonder anyone wants that job in South Africa.   Some prisoners have also said that within  the gangs the higher ups have done things   like demanded cash from them to be allowed a  visit from a relative, so it’s certainly not   all support. There’s also the matter of physical  abuse, which happens often within the gangs.  The scariest thing about the numbers gang is  the initiation, something we imagine most of you   viewers couldn’t imagine being put through.  This is how the initiation is for the 28s.  When a new inmate arrives, he gets  asked a question by a gang member.   This member is called a “die glas”, meaning  binoculars, because he will have watched how   the prisoner acted during his first few days.  The new inmate is asked what he would do if   the die glas asked him to help him during a  rainstorm - a storm making him wet and cold.  Would he A, offer to share his umbrella, or B,  join him in the pouring rain? If he answers A,   he will become a slave, sometimes a sex slave.  If he answers B, ok, he can join the gang.   It’s not that easy, though, because to join you’ll  have to stab another inmate, a prison guard,   or even a warden. In this respect, once you are  in you will have more time added to your sentence.   The “doctor” of the gang will measure the length  of the knife, so that pretty much determines   how hurt, or dead, the victim will be. After this deed is complete the inmate   then has to undergo a kind of initiation  and get hit twice with a pipe. It’s then   determined if he should become a warrior 28  or a lower ranking 28, basically a slave.  To give you an idea of how violent a gang  member can be, one man named John Mongrel   joined at age 14 and immediately stabbed another  prisoner through the heart. He killed a lot more   people in prisons and it’s reported he  was involved with the murders of around   1,000 people. He also once cut the eye out of a  guard and committed many, many brutal assaults.  Of course, if you break the rules you will get  punished. One punishment is having your throat   slit. Another is to ensure you’ll be infected  with HIV, and that’s done so brutally we won’t   go into details here about how it’s performed.  They call the punishment the “slow puncture.”  Lesser transgressions of the rules will result  in getting beaten with things such as padlocks   or sticks. Another punishment might not involve  getting hurt, but you may have to murder someone   who’s not affiliated with any gang - perhaps  some fairly innocent dude like the one in the   intro. All this sounds incredibly awful, and  that’s why the Numbers Gang makes this list.  The next gang is arguably even worse. Primer Comando da Capital [PCC]  This is said to be the most powerful  and ruthless gang in Brazil,   inside and outside of prison. Lately, 75  members of this gang escaped from a prison   in nearby Paraguay. The drug business is good in  Paraguay, so PCC members have operations there.  The problem is, some prisons in this fairly poor  country are what you might call out of control.   Prisoners with influence and money may have a  suite replete with a large TV in their cell,   while those on the bottom of the pile literally  have to scavenge for food in the trash.   They sleep on the walkways where men sit  taking drugs or sharpen their knives,   and no prison officer can do anything about it. After those 75 members fled the prison,   critics said there was nothing the authorities  could do to stop them. They just have too much   power and there are too many police and prison  guards that are poor enough or scared enough   to be susceptible to bribery. After more PCC members started   filling up prisons in Paraguay, violence broke  out. The local gangs soon became outnumbered   because of the PCC’s aggressive recruiting  policy. They call being recruited receiving   a “baptism.” If you become a member, you’ll  have learned the PCC statute. If you in any   way break the rules it’s punishable only by death. In 2019, at San Pedro de Ycuamandyyú Regional Jail   in Paraguay, a riot broke out that was started  by the PCC. During the mayhem some gang members   videoed themselves with their cellphones, armed  with giant machetes and swords. You might ask   how someone manages to sneak such a large weapon  into a prison, but the fact is, the gang is so   powerful they can get weapons brought in for  them. It’s basically lawless in those prisons.  Most of the violence in that riot wasn’t focused  on your average inmate, but on rival gang members.   In all, 10 were killed that day and 15 more  were injured. Six of the dead were beheaded,   three were burned, and the other prisoner  was shot to death. So, when we’re talking   about violence this gang goes to extremes,  more so than any other gang on this list.  It’s their sheer strength outside  prison and their willingness to go   to extremes inside prison that makes  them a force to be reckoned with.  Their power on the outside can’t be  underestimated. This is how one top   cop described how they work. “There’s no  way that anyone can stand up to this. They   “identify your family, they coerce your  relatives, judges, prosecutors, police.”  Of the 20,000 people belonging to this  gang, around 6,000 of them are in prison,   not only in Brazil and Paraguay, but also in  Venezuela, Ecuador, Bolivia and Peru. In 2006,   PCC gang members went on the rampage in the  city of São Paulo. They attacked any public   authority they deemed their enemy. Around  40 members of law enforcement were murdered.   Inside prisons, they killed eight prison guards  and 17 prisoners died. In 71 prisons there were   rebellions. All of this was orchestrated by gang  members using cellphones in their prison cells.  In 2012, after gang members were killed  by cops, the order was given to kill one   police for every dead gang member. For about 30  days one or two cops were brutally slain daily.  We could go on and on, because this gang has  been behind many bloody rebellions inside and   outside prison. We would argue that this is  the most feared prison gang in the world.  Now you need to watch, “Most Horrific Crimes  - The Italian Mafia.” Or, have a look at,   “The White American Who Climbed the Ranks  of the Chinese Mafia - The White Devil.”

Channel: The Infographics Show

Views: 472,029

Rating: 4.9067183 out of 5

Keywords: prison, prison gangs, aryan brotherhood, mexican mafia, prisoners, infographics, the infographics show, worst prison gangs, prison documentary, gangs, numbers gang, primer comando da capital

Id: 9VQ4XbS-L6Q

Length: 16min 10sec (970 seconds)

Published: Mon Mar 01 2021

Reddit Comments

[u/flopmaster300]

The man on the left is the man behind the slaughter.