Neither street gangs nor prison gangs invented initiation rites as a requirement to belong to the gang but they certainly have expanded
the initiation requirements to belong to the gang.
Initiation
definition: 1)A rite, ceremony, or instructions with which one is
made a member of a sect or society, or is vested with a particular
function or status;
2)
the condition of being
initiated
into some experience or sphere of activity.
Initiations have probably been a part of culture ever since man began organizing groups and there were those who wanted to join. There are clubs, organizations and secret societies all over the world that require the
prospective member to go through some form of initiation. An initiation may be something as simple as learning a set of rules and regulations and then reciting them in front of the membership. Or at the opposite end of the spectrum, the initiation may require the individual to endure some hardship that will cause pain.
Gangs use the initiation rite as a means of determining if the inductee is mentally and physically strong enough to be worthy of membership. In other words they want members who
have "heart" and who will run at the first sign of trouble.
Gang members frequently refer to joining a gang as "Blood in - Blood out" -
This is particularly true of prison gangs. "Blood in" requires
the prospective member to shed the blood of someone by assaulting
them or murdering them. "Blood out" refers to the only way a
member can leave the gang - either by his natural death or his death
at the hands of the gang.
The "Blood in" requirement serves two purposes. Prison gangs, not wanting law enforcement agencies to try and infiltrate the gang by placing an informant or undercover agent in the group, generally require a prospective member to murder or seriously assault someone in the prison. This "assures" the leadership that the individual's loyalty
to the gang is legitimate. Theoretically, if a gang member has killed someone,
or is aware of acts of violence committed by the gang, he will not
reveal this fact to the authorities.
Street gangs use a variety of acts of initiation to induct an individual into full membership.
These acts may include one or more of the following:
"Beat in" or "jump in" - The inductee must prove him/her self by
enduring a severe beating by a pre-determined number of members for a
pre-determined number of minutes. During this act the members use fists, kicks
and stomps, or even clubs to beat the new member. This is frequently called an
"act of love." It is also, in many cases, an act of extreme violence. The new
member at best may survive with broken ribs, cuts and contusions or maybe a
broken jaw. However the beating can be so severe that the person could suffer
permanent injury or even death.
