Are gang members still identified by colors as much as they used to be?
I will respectfully disagree with the above poster. You will never see a blood wear blue nor will you see a crip wear red. Originally, the colors were the easiest way for gang members to identify each other. As law enforcement and prison staff became more aware, it has changed. I work in the prison system. One of the changes that has been made is red and blue items are not allowed inside the wire. Inmates can receive sundry packages of allowable clothing but any items in red or blue is considered contraband and is returned at the inmate’s expense or is destroyed. The gangs have simply changed their tactics of identification. They will “dress left” or “dress right”. Tilt a cap to one side or the other, hang a hankie out of the left pocket or right, hike a pant’s leg higher on one side, rip one shirt pocket slightly. Anything that will show affiliation by non symmetry in dressing. An untied shoelace on one side is enough. This has worked well enough inside the wire that it has been adopt
