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Be whacked. so i started seeing that they asked people to do stuff that they wouldn't do themselves, and they're playing people as a puppet. and that's what basically they are, puppet masters. and i'm not a puppet. >> one of the things i noticed in the transitional housing unit is that there was a real mix of prisoners. people that previously on the main yard would have been trying to kill each other, but were now all mixing. there were books, counseling sessions. a much less tense atmosphere from the rest of the prison. the irony, though, is that some of them still carry this weight of being,...

That's what they want. they look for that. when your whole environment is nothing but drive byes and -- drive bys and gang-land slayings, the thrill of surviving every day is a merit badge. >> even for some of the most hardened prison gang members, the dues of belonging came at too high a cost. >> people would be put in the hat -- meaning the hit list for any agenda. for any reason. i didn't want is that to happen to me. >> when former gang members decided to leave gang life behind pelican bay had a place for them to go a protective housing unit but admittance came with a price. >> one of the ...

>> a lot of the inmates will fill bags full of water for weightlifting. >> and that kind of creativity is important because some prisons have permanently removed weights from the yard. >> so that's why we're out here trying to improvise and stuff. you know, lifting gash an chance and stuff like that. took a good wholesome thing from us, you know. it's something that was filling people's time and taking away negative energy. took those out. >> some prison authorities see all this added muscle as a potential security threat, but others see benefits to having weights on the yard. >> i think the i...

Adrenaline rush of combat that that's what they want. they look for that. when your whole environment is nothing but drive byes and gangland slayings, the thrill of surviving every day is a merit badge. >> even for some of the most hardened prison gang members, the dues of belonging came at too high a cost. >> people would be put in the hat -- meaning the hit list for any agenda. for any reason. i didn't want is that to happen to me. >> when they decided to leave gang life behind, pelican bay had a place for them to go. but admittance came with a price. >> one of the areas at pelican bay is th...

The prison authorities, they then get the protection of being put away from the prison population. >> you give up information on the organization and other individuals who are involved. but the thing is they are trying to build up some credibility with you. are you being honest with us or are you trying to be a sleeper so you can get out there and stab one of these people who has disassociated themselves from one of these gangs. >> for a gang member, it's probably one of the toughest decisions they'll ever make in their life. it's easy to get into the gang and start doing stuff with the gang. ...