Why do racial gangs form in prisons?

Prison gangs do not exist in the United Kingdom, at least not with anything like the sophistication or reach of those in California or Texas, and in that respect Skarbek .... That moment of gang genesis, Skarbek says, forced an arms race, in which different groups took turns demonstrating a willingness to inflict pain on others. read more

Floods of first offenders started pouring in, the tolerable prison norms disappeared, and the authorities lost control. Prisoners banded together for self-protection, and the first California prison gang was born. That moment of gang genesis forced an arms race among ethnic groups, Skarbek says. read more

Also, another method they use to circumvent the rules is, setting up a “religious organization” There was a gang of “Muslims” at my jail that were really just abunch of black dudes from Philadelphia that pretended to be Muslim in order to skirt by the anti-gang rules. read more