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(U) Structure
(U) Many street and prison gangs organize into
a single structure that divides into two primary
categories: leadership and soldiers. Leadership
roles of incarcerated members extend from
prison activities to street operations.
• (U) In Hispanic gang culture, particularly in
California, prison gangs strictly oversee
street gangs. The two lead Hispanic prison
gangs in California – the Mexican Mafia and
the Nuestra Familia – and their respective
subordinates – Sureños b and Norteños –
maintain structures wherein incarcerated
members direct their street partners. In
the Mexican Mafia/Sureño infrastructure,
leadership falls exclusively to the Mexican
Mafia, which is comprised almost entirely
of inmates with life sentences. Hispanic
gang structure is a parent/subordinate
arrangement, whereby Mexican Mafia and
Nuestra Familia leaders appoint shot callers
to direct Sureño and Norteño street activity.
Appointed Sureño and Norteño shot callers
enforce orders from their prison leaders and
thereby act as conduits between the street
and prison.
intelligence reveals reversals of power and
opposite methods of operations in street/
prison arrangements. While the power
structure in these instances is not one of
prison leadership and street subordination,
prison gang involvement still contributes
to criminal activities outside correctional
facilities and can elevate the threat to
communities.
(U) Criminal Activity
(U) Prison gangs commit a wide spectrum of
crimes, from minor transgressions to acts of
extreme violence that claim multiple victims.
Not every prison gang commits every type of
crime, as gangs vary by sophistication, size, and
other factors that influence criminal potential.
However, prison gangs will engage in any
illicit activity that will further their objectives to
generate money, control territory, and secure
power.
(U) The dynamic between street and prison
gangs is usually one of prison leadership and
street subordination. However, some
b (U) The Mexican Mafia and Sureños are distinct yet interdependent organizations that function in a parent/subordinate capacity. The Mexican Mafia issues
orders to Sureños that in turn serve as foot soldiers for the Mexican Mafia. Sureño gangs, to include MS-13, do not hold membership in the Mexican
Mafia and can be categorized into their own distinct gangs.
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National Gang Intelligence Center
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