ted by prison gangs" (Gaines, Kaune, Miller, 2000, p.652). The Texas Prison System consists of eleven classified security threat groups; Texas chooses to classify a gang as a S.T.G. when they become involved in violent activity. "P

hat oversees operations and issues orders for organized crime or violent activities. The council is made up of certain offenders from prison units across the state and each member of the council acts as the liaison for the members of their respective unit. The identifying marks that some members choose are relics of the German Nazi type symbols, such as a swastika inside a circle or a shield with two swords crossed with a swastika in the middle. Two lightning bolts side by side are also characteristic of Aryan Brotherhood of Texas members, but must not be confused with the similar use of the same tattoo by the white knights. Its enemies consist of gangs such as the Mandingo Warriors, La Nuestra Familia, Black Guerilla Family, and other black groups. At this current time the enemies of the Texas Aryan Brotherhood are not classified as security threat groups because of their small number of members.

Texans incarcerated in the California Prison System formed the Texas Syndicate (TS) in 1974. Some members came back to Texas, were arrested and incarcerated in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, where the recruiting began and brought the Texas Syndicate to be the second largest S.T.G. in Texas. Members are predominately Mexican American males, but there are some instances where White offenders have been accepted as full members. "The TS has a formal organizational structure and set of written rules (movidas) for its members. A TS member is called a "carnal," a group is called "carnales," and a TS recruit is called a "cardinal." The institutional leader is called the "Chairmen""(F.B.P., 1994, p.19). The primary goal of the TS is the control of the narcotics trade, extortion of other offenders, control prostitution, undermine prison officials, and conduct contract killings as needed. "The Texas Syndicate also employs what are called "advisors" or "financers" who a!

protection rackets, and staff intimidation" (F.B.P., 1994, p.36). The HPL has split into two factions because of disagreements in the way operations were being run. One faction is called the "16/12", which refers to the 16th and 12th letters of the alphabet "P" and "L". The "P" and "L" stand for Pistoleros Latinos. The other faction is called the "45's" which is derived from the tattoo of a .45 caliber pistol found usually on the stomach area directly under the ribs. Both factions use the original constitution and rules. The HPL is currently conducting meetings in order to reunite both sides back together. Some of the 16/12's are refusing to unite and are forming their own group called the Pistoleros Mexicanos or PM. At one time the HPL aligned with the Mexikanemi (Mexican Mafia), but is now at war with them because of some recent events involving drug deals gone wrong and murdering of each other's members.

o their intense rivalry with the Crips" (F.B.P., 1994, p.53). The Bloods do not usually wear a tattoo signifying their affiliation, but will wear some type of red clothing. In the correctional setting the members will try to wear red shoestrings or red shoes, since they are unable to wear street clothing in prison. When the bloods are on the streets they are easily identified by the wearing of red bandanas and red clothing. The Bloods have their own cipher and use graffiti to get their message across. Some of the most common graffiti is negative towards the Crips or is used to mark their territory. The Bloods are allied with any gang that considers the Crips an enemy.

a majority vote is required to gain admittance to the gang" (Ralph, 1997, p.185). The Mexican Mafia is structured under para-military lines with a president, vice-president, and generals that members are expected to follow strictly. The president is in charge of all members both inside and outside the prison system. This is also true for the vice-president and generals. Each of the generals are responsible for a specific geographical area of the state. Lieute

Some common words found in the essay are:
Prison System, Texas Syndicate, Mexican Mafia, Security Threat, Crips FBP, Criminal Justice, Ricans Venezuelans, Mexican American, Bohm Haley, STG's FBP, mexican mafia, texas syndicate, texas department criminal, department criminal, fbp 1994, texas department, security threat, criminal justice, department criminal justice, prison system, street gang, aryan brotherhood, classified security threat, aryan brotherhood texas, la hermanos de,
Approximate Word count = 2733
Approximate Pages = 11 (250 words per page double spaced)