The Most Dangerous Prison Gangs in U.S. Prisons | Aryan Brotherhood, MS-13, Bloods & More

Описание: U.S. prison gangs became powerful in ways that are tied to real, documented shifts in American incarceration—especially the post-1960s rise in overcrowding, long sentences, and racially segregated housing policies that pushed many people to organize for protection, money, and influence. The Aryan Brotherhood is often described by prosecutors and prison agencies as one of the most violent “security threat groups,” emerging in California prisons in the 1960s and later expanding through alliances, drug trafficking, extortion, and contracted violence. Another major network, the Mexican Mafia (La Eme), also formed in California’s prison system and became known for controlling street “Sureño” gangs and collecting “taxes” from drug sales outside, a pattern repeatedly cited in court cases and gang investigations. Across different states, prison systems have also documented how large street gangs—like Bloods and Crips sets—can reorganize behind the walls, where leadership structures, “cars” (groupings), and rules are shaped by local prison politics and security crackdowns.

Groups like MS-13 have a different origin story that’s still rooted in real events: it began in Los Angeles among Salvadoran immigrants fleeing civil war and later spread through deportations and transnational movement, with members showing up in jails and prisons where cliques recruit, enforce discipline, and maintain ties to the street. In federal and state investigations, officials have linked some gang activity to drug pipelines, contraband, and violence used to protect reputation and territory—though influence can vary a lot by region and by facility. Over time, responses like segregation units, validation/step-down programs, and federal racketeering prosecutions have sometimes weakened certain leadership layers, but they’ve also produced adaptations—new alliances, decentralized “sets,” and communication methods designed to survive lockdowns and monitoring.