Aryan Brotherhood Research Paper

The Aryan Brotherhood had small beginnings within the California state prison systems, but it has since grown into one of the most powerful white supremacist gangs in the world. The Aryan Brotherhood was formed in 1964 by an Irish biker gang in the San Quentin Prison as a method of protection during a period of desegregation of the California State prison system, which had caused many violent altercations between inmates (Ferranti, 2013). Two groups that had already been around since before the desegregation; the Black Gorilla Family, and the Mexican Mafia, were the gangs that gave the Aryan Brotherhood the most issues (Anonymous, 2013). The recruits go through a “boot camp” where they do things such as physical activities, “earn their bones” by attacking other inmates and even read Hitler’s novel Mein Kampf. (Ferranti, 2013) The leaders of the Aryan also pride themselves on reading books by Sun Tzu, Machiavelli and Nietzsche. The motto of the Aryan Brotherhood is “Blood in, Blood out”, The “Blood in” means that to enter the gang, the recruit must attack or murder someone, usually an inmate or a prison guard. The “Blood out” portion of the motto means that the only way to leave the gang is to die (Ferranti, 2013). …show more content…
The Brotherhood has a huge role in the prison contraband economy, which would be items such as Marijuana, Heroin, Cocaine and Methamphetamine (Ferranti, 2013). One of the main reasons that Aryan Brotherhood members go back to jail is because the production of Methamphetamine plays a large part in the Brotherhoods funding. The gang also has a reputation as one of the most violent groups in the prison system, often stabbing other inmates for minor confrontation. Because of the gangs’ status, many first time offenders flock to join their ranks, which only increases their numbers, and in turn their social