Prison gang

A prison gang is an organized group that forms within prisons. These gangs have power structures, unique symbols, and strict rules for behavior.

United States

A tattoo showing that this man belongs to the Sureños, a national gang

Currently, the most powerful and violent prison gangs in the United States are the Aryan Brotherhood, Mexican Mafia, Nuestra Familia, and Black Guerrilla Family. These gangs initially formed for self-defense in California prisons during the 1950s and 1960s.

However, since then, they have expanded into organized crime. Prison gangs play a major role in the prison black market (its underground economy, where prisoners sell or trade items secretly).

Six major prison gangs (including the Aryan Brotherhood and the Mexican Mafia) operate across the United States.

According to David Skarbek in his 2014 book, powerful prison gangs can even "govern the outside":

Powerful prison gangs can “tax” drug dealers on the street because drug dealers [expect to go to prison], have high [re-offending] rates, and recognize prison gangs’ power. Because prison gangs can tax drug dealers on the street, they have incentives to provide governance to the drug market. Three important types of governance [that prison gangs give drug dealers] are protection of property rights, enforcement of agreements, and adjudication of disputes.

According to a 2022 article by David Pyrooz, about 15% of prisoners in the United States belong to a prison gang. Pyrooz wrote that research says people join and quit prison gangs while incarcerated.

The Brotherhood, prison gang

England

Prison gangs are a major cause of violence in English prisons, according to a 2024 BBC article.

At just one London prison called HMP Isis, there are around 600 inmates and 136 active gangs in the prison, according to a recent Independent Monitoring Board report. The report estimated that half of all inmates were part of a gang.

These gangs include "postcode gangs" (who rule over a specific territory), drug gangs, and religious gangs.

Latin America

In a 2024 article, the New York Times declared: "In Latin America, Guards Don't Control Prisoners, Gangs Do."

As of 2025, El Salvador has imprisoned thousands of suspected gang members in a mega-prison called the Center for Terrorism Confinement (CECOT). CECOT is the largest prison in the Americas: it can hold 40,000 prisoners. Inmates are not allowed visitation, recreation, or education programs.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "Prison gangs in the United States | Research Starters | EBSCO Research". EBSCO. Retrieved 2025-10-04.
  2. ↑ "Prison Gangs: Inmates Battle for Control | Office of Justice Programs". www.ojp.gov. Retrieved 2025-10-04.
  3. ↑ Skarbek, David (2014-07-01). The Social Order of the Underworld: How Prison Gangs Govern the American Penal System. Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199328499.003.0006. ISBN 978-0-19-932849-9.
  4. 1 2 Pyrooz, David C. (January 2022). "The Prison and the Gang". Crime and Justice. 51: 237–306. doi:10.1086/720944. ISSN 0192-3234.
  5. 1 2 3 4 "Prison gangs: 'I've chopped people, attacked staff, hidden drugs'". www.bbc.com. 2024-10-15. Retrieved 2025-10-04.
  6. ↑ "In Latin America, Guards Don't Control Prisons, Gangs Do (Published 2024)". 2024-02-21. Retrieved 2025-10-05.
  7. 1 2 3 Rios, Michael (2025-03-17). "What we know about El Salvador's 'mega prison' where Trump is sending alleged Venezuelan gang members". CNN. Retrieved 2025-10-05.

List of prison gangs