Watch Aryan Brotherhood

The Aryan Brotherhood is a documentary series that is produced by and aired on the National Geographic Channel. This series goes behind the bars at some of America's most notorious maximum security prisons to take a closer look at one of the deadliest gangs known as the Aryan Brotherhood.

The series delves into the history of the Aryan Brotherhood and how it was formed in the 1960's. It was originally created by Caucasian convicts in San Quentin State Prison as a race war against the Black Guerilla Family and the Mexican Mafia prison gangs.

Known as the Brand in prison, the Aryan Brotherhood quickly became established and had members in every California prison. They soon became some of the most violent criminals behind bars so prison officials filtered the gang members out to prisons across the nation. This only caused the gang to band together nationwide and it now has over 20,000 members both in and out of the prison system.

The Aryan Brotherhood series also investigates how this gang became one of the most powerful crime syndications from the cells of the maximum security prison in which they reside. This trafficking enterprise includes drug dealing, extortion, prostitution and even murder.

Even though the Aryan Brotherhood only comprises less than 1 percent of the prison population, they are personal responsible for nearly 25 percent of all deaths behind bars. It investigates how this vicious gang managed to gain the upper hand within the federal prison system and how the prison is trying to combat it.

Through personal interviews with Aryan Brotherhood members, this series takes a behind the scene look at what makes these members choose to live this lifestyle. The story behind their distinctive tattoos is told; as well as the correlation behind the Aryan Brotherhood, Nazi symbolisms and Celtic iconography. They candidly discuss the reasons behind their crimes and the role that they play in the California Department of Corrections.