'Truth Be Told' sees scared teen join Aryan Brotherhood: Organized protection and influence of prison gangs on new inmates
Apple TV+’s legal and crime drama ‘Truth Be Told’ revolves around a long-time investigative journalist and now-popular true-crime podcaster Poppy Parnell (Octavia Spencer). In the series, Poppy takes a hard look at a 19-year-old case she reported on, and in the process managed to generate public opinion on -- a case that sent 16-year-old Warren Cave (Hunter Doohan) to prison on murder charges.
When Poppy decided to backtrack her reportage and rectify what she now considered a journalistic mistake, she gave a now-adult Warren (Aaron Paul) a visit. Obviously, she expected animosity from the man considering she had profiled him as a monster.
What she did not expect was to find a neo-Nazi sitting across the table. A cold Warren flashed his tattoos of the Nazi Swastika and logos of the Aryan Brotherhood casually to intimidate her and it had its desired effect.
She was spooked. But it did not deter her. She returned, wondering how a scared young boy had turned into such a monster in prison. And it’s an important question. The Aryan Brotherhood, also known as A. B. or One-Two, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center, is America’s oldest major white supremacist prison gang, and a national crime syndicate.
It was founded in 1964 by Irish bikers as a form of protection for white inmates in newly desegregated prisons. The Aryan Brotherhood, today, is considered to be the largest and deadliest prison gang in the United States, with an estimated 20,000 members inside prisons and on the streets.
The group is involved in drug trafficking, male prostitution rings, gambling and extortion inside prison walls. Even to one outside the menacing walls of a prison, the gang would appear threatening. Things on the other side of the wall, of course, are scarier.
More than anything, a prison ecosystem is one that elicits fear in general. And gangs provide protection in prisons where officials often fail to do so. According to an explainer in The Economist, prison gangs did not exist until the 1950s.
Prisons were run according to the unwritten tenets of a “convict code” that dictated inmates to refrain from helping prison or government officials in matters of discipline. And from giving them information, especially information that could be used against fellow convicts.
The explainer added that with the exponential growth of the prison population in America, inmates could no longer rely on the code to keep them safe. Many were also ignorant of such a code.
An influx of people from different cultures and races also made it difficult to maintain prison harmony. As a result, prisoners joined gangs for more organized protection, and race and tattoos became useful ways of identifying members of such covens.
Speaking to ATTN, David Skarbek, author of ‘The Social Order of the Underworld’, said, “The main reason why inmates affiliate with gangs is for safety. People in prison feel vulnerable, and turning to gangs is a way to protect oneself from other inmates.”
Skerbek added gangs also “regulate social and economic affairs, including the underground economy.” He also explained the necessity of recruiting new members: “Prison gangs often rely on extensive written constitutions, explicit codes, elections and complaint procedures. They require new recruits to prove their ability to operate effectively in prison, to wield violence, and to negotiate interactions with other inmates and staff.”
As with things in a chaotic but confined ecosystem, things exacerbate. And prison is exactly that. So while on the outside world, propaganda and tales of racial supremacy may take a long time to have a considerable impact, inside a prison, things are quicker.
It becomes easier to brainwash scared new inmates into believing gang ideologies. According to Mathew Durkin, an ex-convict and once-member of the Aryan Brotherhood, “They would brainwash you into believing if you weren't for the white race, you weren't for any race. I started as a soldier and worked my way up to the president.”
As their membership pledge goes: “An Aryan brother is without a care. He walks where the weak and heartless won’t dare. And if by chance he should stumble, and lose control. His brothers will be there, to help reach his goal. For a worthy brother, no need is too great. He need not but ask, fulfillment’s his fate. For an Aryan brother, death holds no fear. Vengeance will be his, through his brothers still here.”
It remains to be seen if Warren cooperates with Poppy as she attempts to exonerate him, or will he, like a loyal member of the Brotherhood, depend on his gang to sort his affairs, both in and outside prison.
‘Truth Be Told’ is available for viewing on Apple TV+.