Stunning Portraits of Members of One of America's Most Violent Criminal Gangs (11 photos)

London-based photographer Adam Hinton captured a series of mesmerizing portraits of members of Mara Salvatrucha, also known as MS-13, one of the most violent criminal gangs in the Americas. These photographs were taken in an El Salvadoran prison.





"The men stood around, and in their eyes there was no desire, no purpose—only the desire to kill endless minutes, hours, and days."

MS-13 members come from the poorest and most marginalized strata of El Salvadoran society. They are all covered in tattoos. The prison, which holds approximately 2,600 inmates, is designed to accommodate only 800. It is guarded by the army.

"El Salvador is a place without hope or opportunity, and gang membership is the only real option," says the project's author.

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