NCJ Number
178380
Journal
Journal of Gang Research Volume: 6 Issue: 3 Dated: Spring 1999 Pages: 61-76
Date Published
1999
Length
16 pages
Annotation
This article chronicles the history, characteristics, and demise of the "Brotherwoods," a white-supremacist gang inside a Kansas prison.
Abstract
The name "Brotherwoods" is a combination of the names of two established prison gangs: the Aryan Brotherhood, a gang of white racist extremists, and the term "Peckerwood," which is a racist name for poor whites adopted as a gang name for a number of white racist gangs scattered throughout the United States. The Brotherwoods gang nucleus was established in March 1993 as a small clique of four inmates. The founder had studied and espoused white supremacist doctrines and was a cunning manipulator of other inmates. His ideal candidate for recruitment was young, white, and physically small. Since such inmates were typical prey for other inmates, the Brotherwood leader convinced recruits that strength in numbers was the wisest course they could pursue. The gang did come to represent a potent threat to other inmates as well as to the staff of the correctional facility. The first acts of violence and intimidation by the gang were discovered in January 1995. Activities included plans to attack black drug dealers; the claiming and defending of territory in the prison yard and dining hall; attacks on homosexual inmates; and the establishment of a time frame for plans to instigate a riot, take hostages, and possibly kill correctional officers or staff members. The method of suppressing the Brotherwood gang was simple, legal, and classical. It relied on intelligence about the level of threat posed by the individual members of the gang. Leaders of the gang were identified, separated, and segregated from the main membership base of the gang. The remaining members of the gang were then dispersed throughout the State by transfers to other institutions. Lessons learned from dealing with this gang are outlined.