Black, Latino Inmates Separated

Black and Latino detainees have found themselves in conflict over relatively minor issues.

For example, on March 3, two black detainees and two Latino detainees in a medium- to maximum-security section of the jail had a shouting match over the use of a television. Two hours a day are allotted for detainees to watch Spanish-language programs, and the conflict started when black detainees who were watching videos brushed off a request by the two Latino detainees to watch a program in Spanish, the supervisor said.

In October, a dozen detainees -- six black, six Latino -- were sent to the lockdown unit after brawling. That fight began when a Latino detainee accused a black detainee of stealing food.

Although the number of Latino detainees is small, some of them -- specifically members of the violent street gang MS-13, or Mara Salvatrucha -- are well-organized, the detention facility supervisor said. Made up of immigrants from El Salvador, Honduras and other Latin American countries, MS-13 is believed to be responsible for dozens of homicides and other attacks in the Washington region in recent years.

In the Prince George's jail, as many as 70 percent of the Latino detainees who are teenagers or in their early to mid-20s are members of MS-13, while most of the older Latino detainees are not, the supervisor said.

Nonetheless, some black detainees believe that every Latino detainee is a member of MS-13, the supervisor said. Both MS-13 and black gangs, including the Bloods, recruit inside the jail.

Violent clashes between black and Latino detainees have broken out elsewhere in the United States.

Staff researcher Rena Kirsch contributed to this report.