NCJ Number
236502
Date Published
October 2009
Length
37 pages
Annotation
This profile of the Aryan Circle (AC), a White supremacist gang based primarily in Texas, addresses its organizational structure, leadership, recruitment strategies, and criminal activities.
Abstract
The AC first appeared in the Texas prison system in the mid-1980s and is now the second largest White supremacist gang in Texas. The AC has four segments: the Texas prison population, the Federal prison population, its out-of-State prison population, and its non-incarcerated population. Its total membership is estimated to be just over 1,400, making it one of the largest White supremacist groups in the United States. The AC is led by an elected president and administered by senior members. The AC recruits its membership from prisons and on the streets. Members tend to come from lower socioeconomic backgrounds, with many members working in the oil industry. Women can become members and have even achieved positions of significant responsibility; however, sexism makes it difficult for them to rise to the highest ranks. Although its members still have only a crude understanding of White supremacist ideology, the theme of White supremacy is used to increase group solidarity. The AC does not have strong links to traditional White supremacist groups, and its relations with other prison gangs are often violent; it has been involved in a number of prison gang wars. The AC deals in drugs, and many members abuse drugs, particularly methamphetamine. Many of the AC's criminal activities are profit-driven. Inside prisons, it is involved in the smuggling of contraband (particularly drugs and tobacco). Outside of prison, members engage in drug trafficking and a variety of theft and robbery rings. Organized violence is a significant feature of AC activity, which includes killing suspected informants and attacking rival gangs. Members have also committed hate crimes, both inside and outside of prisons.