Bell V. State

Bell entered the Prison in July, 1975. He had previously been incarcerated in a federal institution and at the time of trial had spent a total of eight and one-half years in prison. In 1977, he joined the Aryan Brotherhood (Brotherhood), a white supremacist group. Bell was aware of the violent nature of the gang and understood that once he joined he was a member for life and that the only way out of the gang was by death. Bell understood that he was expected to follow any orders given by Brotherhood members and that he could be severely injured or killed if he refused to carry out such orders.