Friends and family claim that William was a pleasant and quiet boy before he left for prison to serve a couple years for burglary. When he was released, his personality seemed irrational and violent and he was covered in racist tattoos. Friends say he frequently spoke about white supremacy and was anxious to develop his own splinter white supremacist gang. King's defense attorney explained that it was the high rate of violence in Texas's B

While it is impossible to know the impact of prison gangs on our street, experts dispute over the control and communication between street and prison gangs. Some argue that there is little connection between street and prison gangs and that operations of prison gangs remain behind prison walls. Drug trafficking does exist within prisons; it is usually made possible through inmate's friends and/or girlfriends (Huff 248). Still others feel quite different, and see prison gang control reach far beyond an inmates cell. Some speculate that a large percentage of drug dealing in East Los Angeles is controlled from within prison walls by the Mexican Mafia. Joe 'Pegleg" Morgan was in prison for forty years, beginning with a conviction of murder at the age sixteen. He manage to gain so much power and control of drug trafficking, street crimes, violence and money laundering that he rose to serve as the Mexican Mafia's Godfather in the later half of his life (Barker, 311).

Prison gangs tend to display a distinct hierarchical structure. A single inmate who best embodies the gang's value (Territo, 580) assumes the role of the leader. A leader time in control is normally short, partially due to the prison system's ability to relocate inmates. It is usually the strongest remaining gang member that assumes leadership or the gang's elite counsels a decision. A member's degree of influence flows down a criterion of ranks, with the recruits having no say in any aspect of the gang's direction and function. Gaining higher position in the ranks usually involve violent acts against opposing gang members. Each member takes an oath to maintain loyalty and obedience to the gang; any signs of defiance or inability to represent gang ideals would lead to violent confrontation.

While there are many splinter gangs and offshoots, officials are aware of about six major prison gangs within the country: Neta, Mexican Mafia, La Nuestra Familia, Texas Syndicate, Aryan Brotherhood, and Black Guerrilla Family. Each one of these gangs has historical significance concerning the sociological implications of society. The two states that experience the brunt of prison gang activity are Texas and California. Most of these gangs are divided along strict racial lines causing a severe degree of racism among inmates. Convicts like William King, are good examples of the hatred within prison walls.

The need to fight back against to reality of prison violence is evident in the origin of most prison gangs, and the development of white prison gangs is a classic example. Being so racially outnumbered in an unfamiliar subculture, white inmates also had to create a protection network. The William King closely relates to this concept, as his attitude toward race as radically changed from the time he went in to the time he was released. With rape and abuse common inside prisons, the means fight back is essential if one was to avoid being bought and sold to various gang member as a 'bitch.' Under such circumstances, staying neutral or claiming nothing makes an inmate a prime victim for gang members. Unfortunately, joining a gang harbors racism and hate that manifests itself violently.

The Texas Syndicate came out of the Folsom prison in California during the early nineteen seventies. Its members were Mexican-American/Hispanic males who joined as a direct response to the growing reality of violence and rape by other prison gang's member. The tattoos that were generally located on the back of the right forearm, were intricate designs that somewhere adopted the initials 'TS.' An interesting characteristic of the Texas Syndicate which displays the existence of hierarchical organization, are the terms used by gang member's to describe themselves, groups, and recruits. The term 'Carnal' refers to any gang member, and the term 'carnales' represents a group of members. They use the term 'cardinal' in reference to the recruits, and 'chairman' in reference to t

Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 3112
Approximate Pages = 12 (250 words per page double spaced)