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Estimates of Aryan Brotherhood membership vary from 15,000 to 20,000 members in and out of prison.
[1][3][30]
The Aryan Brotherhood has members inside federal and state prisons, and outside on the streets. All members are Caucasian, and are either in prison or have been in prison. Joining is difficult. New members are on probation for a year, must swear a blood oath for life, and must commit a violent act to join the Brotherhood, such as killing a rival inmate, assaulting an officer or murdering a black or Hispanic prisoner.
[31] Members are inculcated with various reading materials smuggled into prisons published by
Aryan Nations,
Militia of Montana, and other groups,
[32] as well as
Mein Kampf,
The Art of War, and
Machiavelli's
The Prince.
[3] Early members liked the
Western novels of
Louis L'Amour, source of the organization's self-proclaimed "the Brand" moniker. Therefore, they perpetuated an admiration for the
outlaw gunslingers of the American West. Members also have a fondness for medieval
Vikings and the
piratesof the
Golden Age.
