Criminal Gangs Research Articles

The Military Response to Criminal Violent Extremist Groups: Aligning Use of Force Presumptions with Threat Reality

In 1949, the inclusion of Common Article 3 to the four Geneva Conventions represented a significant advance in the regulation of armed hostilities. That article extended international humanitarian law to the realm of non-international armed conflicts. At that time, these conflicts were considered synonymous with intrastate conflicts such as civil wars. While the scope of applicability of Common Article 3 to internal threats and disturbances has witnessed what is arguably a significant evolution since that time, it is unclear whether and when this baseline humanitarian obligation – and the broader customary laws and customs of war applicable to non-international armed conflicts once this article is triggered – are applicable when a state confronts organised criminal gangs who possess a capability to engage in violence and wreak havoc that rivals, if not exceeds, that of traditional insurgent threats.Much of this uncertainty derives from the fact that the response to criminal disturbances appears to have been specifically excluded from situations triggering Common Article 3 when it was adopted in 1949. However, it is unlikely that the drafters of the Conventions at that time anticipated the nature of organised criminal gangs and the destabilising effect these groups have today in many areas of the world. The nature of this threat has resulted in the increasingly common utilisation of regular military forces to restore government control in areas in which they operate. This results in the use of force and the exercise of incapacitation powers that far exceed normal law enforcement response authority. It is therefore the thesis of this article that when the nature of these threats exceeds the normal law enforcement response authority and compels the state to resort to regular military force to restore order, international humanitarian law, or the law of armed conflict, provides the only viable legal regulatory framework for such operations. However, it is also the view of the authors that the risk of excess of authority inherent in this legal framework necessitates a carefully tailored package of rules of engagement to mitigate the risk that the effort to restore order will result in the unjustified deprivation of life, liberty and property.

Characterization of the formation and structuring of criminal gangs in the department of magdalena

From tracking reports state institutions and media analysis and interviews with demobilized paramilitaries, a characterization of the rise and expansion of Bacrim in the department of Magdalena is. Under the gaze and descriptive with the collection and processing of information that enable qualitative techniques is achieved specify how they are created, positioned and expand. The research is based on the business theory to a better understanding of the criminal phenomenon approximation.

A Decision Support System for Prioritizing Investments in an Energy Efficiency Program in Favelas in the City of Rio de Janeiro

AbstractThis study proposes an integrated qualitative and quantitative assessment of expert opinions aiming at ranking a set of five shantytowns (favelas) located in the city of Rio de Janeiro. These communities are candidates for investments in an energy efficiency program implemented by the local electric utility company. The city, state, and federal governments want to eliminate domination of these areas by organized criminal gangs and present the city as a peaceful metropolis while hosting two big sports events: the soccer World Cup in 2014 and the Olympic Games in 2016. In recent years, some favelas were chosen to be prototypes for an ambitious project to reshape Rio de Janeiro. This involves first sending in special tactics police to drive drug gangs out, then installing the Pacifying Police Unit in the favela. Once security has been established, it is possible to improve general living conditions in these areas, including by providing public services such as health clinics, formal electricity connections and cable television. The core of the energy efficiency program was to convert informal customers to formal ones, because such communities were responsible for approximately 40% of the commercial losses (stolen energy) in the city. The model specification presented in this paper was set up with ten relevant criteria for decision making, identified through an in‐depth interview with the decision maker. The relative importance of the criteria and the performance of each favela regarding each criterion were measured by the Simos method. The preferences resulting from this method were translated into a nine‐point scale. The imprecision of subjective judgment was partially compensated by using a fuzzy analytical hierarchy process. Some criteria were ordinal, such as ‘Fair Relationship with the Community’ and ‘Complexity to Rebuild the Distribution Lines’, whereas other were cardinal, like ‘Percentage of Clients in Default’ and ‘Commercial Loss Due to Energy Theft’. At the end, the model was efficient in ranking the five favelas, therefore contributing to a rational and transparent approach for capital investment in social projects. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Boko Haram Insurgency and the Widening of Cleavages in Nigeria

ABSTRACTThe Boko Haram terrorist group’s philosophy and activities have been subjected to different interpretations among the Nigerian populace. Such interpretations follow traditional lines of ethnic, regional, cultural, and religious cleavages in Nigeria. Some perceive it as war by Muslims against Christians, some as a sponsored conspiracy against the Muslim North, and others interpret it as the Northern war against the emergence of President Jonathan from the south-south geopolitical zone. A few regard it as a generic name for criminal gangs in Northern Nigeria. While overwhelming opinions in the south tilt toward a scorched-earth policy to counter Boko Haram, much of the north favors dialogue. One of the implications of these responses is the widening of already existing cleavages in Nigerian society, thereby further undermining efforts at building unity and coexistence among Nigeria’s varying nationalities.

Tom Barker (ed): North American Criminal Gangs: Street, Prison, Outlaw Motorcycle, and Drug Trafficking Organizations

Tom Barker (ed): North American Criminal Gangs: Street, Prison, Outlaw Motorcycle, and Drug Trafficking Organizations

Filling in the blanks. An estimation of illicit cannabis growers’ profits in Belgium

BackgroundAs a result of increased pressure on cannabis cultivation in The Netherlands, the number of confiscated indoor cannabis plantations in Belgium is rising. Although increases are reported for all plantations sizes, half of the seized plantations contain less than 50 plants. In this study, factors and variables that influence costs and benefits of indoor cannabis cultivation are investigated as well as how these costs and benefits vary between different cannabis grower types. MethodsReal-situation data of four growers were used to perform financial analyses. Costs included fixed and variable material costs, as well as opportunity costs. Gross revenue per grow cycle was calculated based on most recent forensic findings for illicit Belgian cannabis plantations and was adjusted for the risk of getting caught. Finally, gross revenues and return on costs (ROC) were calculated over 1 year (4 cycles). FindingsFinancial analysis shows that in all cases gross revenues as well as ROC are considerable, even after a single growth cycle. Highest profitability was found for large-scale (600 plants, ROC=6.8) and mid-scale plantations (150 plants, ROC=6.0). However, industrial plantations (23,000 plants, ROC=1.4) and micro-scale plantations (5 plants, ROC=2.8) are also highly remunerative. Shift of police focus away from micro-scale growers, least likely to be involved in criminal gangs, to large-scale and industrial scale plantations would influence costs as a result of changing risks of getting caught. However, sensitivity analysis shows that this does not significantly influence the conclusions on profitability of different types of indoor cannabis growers. ConclusionSeizure and confiscation of profits are important elements in the integral and integrated policy approach required for tackling illicit indoor cannabis plantations. The large return of costs evidenced in the present study, underpin the policy relevance of confiscating those illicit profits as part of enforcement.

Strategies for Countering Somalian Piracy: Responding to the Evolving Threat

Modern piracy has emerged as the bane of the contemporary seafarer. Having first made headlines in 2005, Somalian piracy has evolved considerably within a short period of time and has emerged as a major maritime threat with transnational characteristics in the Indian Ocean region. The Somalian piracy, which had extensive tribal linkages initially, has now developed extensive linkages with terrorist organisations and well-financed organised criminal gangs based inland and modifying its modalities of operation over time. Somalia, regarded as a failed state, has made progress in introducing a sense of democracy and stability by the election of a new President but the efficacy of basic democratic institutions is low and hence governance is still rudimentary. In such an atmosphere, the solution for eradicating piracy does not exclusively lie at sea as is often perceived by most governments. The innumerable warships in the region can at best suppress the number of incidents temporarily, as has been done currently. But complete eradication necessitates the espousal of multi-pronged proactive approaches that need to be collaborated by all the major stakeholders and the affected states—otherwise piracy will undoubtedly see a resurgence shattering the current sense of achievement.

Fryshuset - A Force of Passion

This article describes a remarkable and successful Stockholm-based social project, which emanated from one person´s dedication and strong belief in the power of human connection. He also believed in the importance of shared activities and the commitment of the adult generation to act as role models and fellow human beings for young people. The project started in 1984, supported by YMCA, under modest conditions in an old cold storage warehouse on the outskirts of Stockholm. It has now expanded to contain a multiplicity of activities all aimed to support and empower young people in difficult circumstances and opened branches in other cities and developed international connections. There has always been an emphasis on youth activities such as sport, rock bands and skate boarding but always in the context of human connection and fellowship. Many specific groups have formed for particular groups such as refugees or young women or they have been formed to prevent street violence or to support people who have left extreme movements such as neo-Nazism and criminal gangs. The project a journied through some difficult phases but it has, in a unique way, used the so-often overlooked positive power of groups to give young people opportunities for change

Gang joining in Denmark: prevalence and correlates of street gang membership

This paper examines gang joining among juveniles in socially disadvantaged residential neighbourhoods with gang presence. The analysis is based on a school-based survey among students (n = 1,886) in Copenhagen, the capital of Denmark. The theoretical framework is inspired by the Eurogang Program of Research—that is, their definition of street gangs was utilized in the study. The results indicate that 13% of the youths aged 13–17 are members of street gangs. The street gang members are more likely to be characterized by poor parental monitoring, weak pro-social values, and high-risk lifestyles compared with other crime involvement groups, including serious offenders; and they commit a disproportionately large number of offences. The results also indicate that proximity to criminal gangs on a higher organizational level than street gangs increases willingness to join such criminal gangs, especially for street gang members, as they are more likely to be in contact with older and more powerful gang members already—for example, they have helped them by being a look-out or passing messages.

An armament as a sign of criminal organizations: the role of judicial ballistics at investigation of banditry

The article dedicated to studying the role of the judicial ballistics in the investigation of crimes committed by criminal groups. The main idea of this study is the fact that armament is an inherent feature of banditry, which entails the need to study this phenomenon from the perspective of criminalistics namely judicial ballistics. Despite the diverse nature of the problem, namely the criminalistics emphasis of the topic is displayed in the article. Question the relevance of this subject is due to a rapidly developing of the arms market (including the «black market») and the impact of this development on the armed organized crime groups. Is a list of acts of national legislation of Ukraine that regulate legal relations connected with this phenomenon. Another problem of the research topic is the lack of the law «On Weapons» in the system national legislation of Ukraine, despite the presence of similar laws in foreign countries. Separately, emphasize the need to broaden the interpretation of the term «judicial ballistics» in connection with the enlarged list of subjects that fall under the study. The main part of the article is devoted to the description of new types of weapons that have appeared on the territory of Ukraine for the years of its independence, on their legal status and the possibility of using as weapons by organized criminal groups. Among these weapons are named: traumatic arms (pistols and revolvers), air arms (rifles) weapons chambered for «Flaubert» and the starting guns. In addition, the study points to the increasing role of the Internet in the commission of crimes today. Indicates that the weapon can be purchased by members of criminal gangs online. In this connection, attention is focused on the improvement of forensic technology in the industry of forensic identification device in the network, as well as precisely those members of organized criminal groups who commit crimes using via the Internet. At the end of the article there are four major conclusions regarding the studied issues. Firstly, there is a need to broaden the approach to the definition and understanding of the term «forensic ballistics». Secondly, it is the need to decide on technical and forensic level some issues related to criminalistics identification of and registration of new types of weapons. In continuation, points to the need to improve criminalistics technics in the industry of investigation crimes committed using the Internet. Moreover, it should take into account the need for appropriate changes in legislation. In conclusion, given the idea that the problems found and proposed their solutions do not solve the problem of organized crime, but will carry a minimum of a preventive nature.

Sex Work Undresses Patriarchy with Every Trick!

Some feminists argue that sex work reduces the female body to an object of sexual pleasure to be exploited in the marketplace by any male – an argument consistent with patriarchal notions of protection, reverence and control, the construction of women as a devi [goddess], the dasi [slave] or the veshya [sex worker]. This article addresses our work with collectivising rural women not in sex work (Vidrohi Mahila Manch [Platform for Rebellious Women] (VMM) Sangli) and rural women in sex work (Veshya Anyay Mukti Parishad (VAMP)) from South Maharashtra and North Karnataka, India. It examines the apparent control adult women in sex work have over their own bodies and lives. Although it is true that unless acting collectively, they are less successful in confronting organised criminal gangs and the brutal side of law enforcers, most of them boldly confront sexual relations with individual male clients and men from their own community.

Criminal Gangs in Mumbai City: From Actor to Network Orientation

This paper highlights the changing nature of criminal gangs in Mumbai city. As the gangs gain in financial and muscle power, their need to use violence is replaced by ability to strike ‘deals’ and work in ‘partnership’ with people who stand to gain by the manipulation of the legal process and rules. This shift in their activities leads to a gradual shedding of their earlier manpower base – an army of boys or youth ready to use force and violence at a small fee. As this process gains pace, the gangs increasingly change from an ‘actor’ orientation to a ‘network’ orientation.

Gilberto Q. Conchas and James Diego Vigil: Streetsmart Schoolsmart: Urban Poverty and the Education of Adolescent Boys

In Streetsmart Schoolsmart, authors Gilberto Conchas and James Diego Vigil examine the culture of inner city schools and the issues that frequently prevent adolescent boys from social mobility. They argue that ‘‘boys of color’’, boys who are of Black, Latino, or Asian descent, are inherently disadvantaged in the modern school system due to the color of their skin and the unique challenges that their ethnicity faces in society. Furthermore, they face the constant choice between school attendance and ‘‘street socialization’’: skipping out on school to participate in gang activities or drug and alcohol usage, among other things. Conchas and Vigil then go on to examine some programs that have worked to deter enmeshment in the ‘‘street life’’ and encourage adolescent boys to make school a priority, set goals for high school graduation and postsecondary education, and work to improve their situation. Their purpose in writing is to promote school reform and the presence of these programs that provide the extra support that at-risk urban adolescent boys need to create and pursue goals for their future. The programs highlighted in Streetsmart Schoolsmart have high success rates and seem to have a plan that works, although there is little information offered on how these plans may be widely implemented and made available to a large number of at-risk students. The focus area for the study in Streetsmart Schoolsmart is mostly the area surrounding Los Angles, CA, USA. As minority immigration to the city took place throughout the early 1900s, different ethnicities began to occupy different areas of the city and faced the struggle of maintaining cultural identity while adapting to American culture. Street gangs were a common occurrence as a way for different ethnicities to ‘‘protect their turf’’. Many of these gangs experienced an increase in criminal behavior over the years via narcotics sales and increased violence with other gangs. Parents are often forced to work low paying jobs, sometimes two, for long hours, which leaves their children largely unsupervised. Parental support is shown to have a direct relationship to their children’s success in school. Criminal street gangs recruit young, and can easily sway young boys from school attendance to gang attendance. In school, there are vast opportunities to study hard and obtain social mobility, but without strong parental support and guidance, boys have little motivation to work hard in school when they can skip and have fun with their fellow gang members. Simply put, the street life is more attractive to adolescents, and according to the authors, we need to focus on drawing them back to school to break the cycle of poverty. The authors first share the stories of three adolescent boys who ultimately chose the path of street socialization rather than a devotion to academic work. Conchas and Vigil were able to find several programs that offered incentives for young boys to stay in school. These programs were successful in encouraging those that participated that they could break the cycle of poverty and obtain social mobility of they set goals for themselves. Conchas and Vigil do not spend time analyzing the quality of schools and the standard curriculum offered to students. They use the examples of the after school programs and label them as crucial ingredients in the success of at-risk adolescent boys, not just in urban Los Angeles, but as a model that should be widespread throughout urban communities in the United States. The introductory chapter of the book presents the two concepts that fuel the rest of the book: social capital and the ‘‘boy crisis’’. Social capital is not so much about A. C. Howell (&) Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA e-mail: alchowel@indiana.edu

Partners in Crime: National Theft of Global Fund Medicines

Millions of dollars of donated antimalarial drugs have been stolen, most often by staff of recipient government medical stores; this strengthens criminal gangs and undermines donor intent. The main culprit donor is the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria, which worryingly is pushing ahead with further schemes that have the same inherent weaknesses, which may worsen the theft problem. Sweden and Germany have already suspended funding to the Global Fund due to financial irregularities, but it is time for a thorough investigation of drug theft - to ensure that drugs are being used by those intended, rather than encouraging illegal parallel distribution systems, in both recipient nations and nations where products are diverted. It is likely that the entire incentive system needs to change, so that donors only receive future taxpayer funds when they can show that the drugs they buy actually reach intended patients in developing nations, not just reach their governments’ medical stores.

Do Aid Agencies Want to Know When Their Medicines Go Missing?

Lifesaving drugs donated by taxpayers to developing countries are being stolen, strengthening criminal gangs and undermining donor intent. More worryingly, some donors are not investigating this problem sufficiently; rather, they are moving ahead with programs that have the same inherent weaknesses, which may worsen the theft problem. The U.S. government should conduct an independent review of practices at donor agencies such as the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria (GFATM) to ensure that drugs are used by those intended, rather than facilitating illegal parallel drug-distribution systems in recipient countries. The incentive structure should change so donors receive taxpayer funds only when they show that the drugs they buy actually reach intended patients in developing countries, not just government medical stores.

From the Horn of Africa to the Middle East: Human trafficking of Eritrean asylum seekers across borders

Each month hundreds of men, women, and children flee Eritrea as a result of grave violations of human rights committed by the Eritrean government. Travelling across borders, an estimated 36,000 Eritreans have been smuggled to Israel over the past seven years. For 31 per cent of those interviewed for this research, their migration involved abduction and forced movement for extortion among other abuses. Migrants have been abducted in Eastern Sudan near the border with Eritrea and then sold to criminal gangs along the Sudan-Egypt border. The gangs forcibly hold the migrants captive in the Northern Sinai desert. Many who made the journey reported being held hostage and subjected to brutal treatment in Eastern Sudan and the Northern Sinai desert, including gang rape of men and women, whipping, and various other methods of physical and psychological torture. Although not a traditional trafficking scenario, this paper explores the phenomenon in relation to borders. Intricate trafficking networks have exploited refugee outflows from Eritrea, turning the area around the Sudanese side of the Eritrea-Sudan border into a breeding ground for abductions, aggravated smuggling, and trafficking. While crossing borders to claim asylum may facilitate some protection from abuses perpetrated by the Eritrean government, it has created a new set of challenges for Eritrean migrants who now must find protection and safety from kidnappers. While refugees must cross borders to find safety, those same borders create the circumstances for trafficking networks to operate. Unless the dynamics of those involved changes, human rights abuses such as extortion, torture and human trafficking in Eastern Sudan and Sinai are expected to continue.

From the Horn of Africa to the Middle East: Human trafficking of Eritrean asylum seekers across borders

Each month hundreds of men, women, and children flee Eritrea as a result of grave violations of human rights committed by the Eritrean government. Travelling across borders, an estimated 36,000 Eritreans have been smuggled to Israel over the past seven years. For 31 per cent of those interviewed for this research, their migration involved abduction and forced movement for extortion among other abuses. Migrants have been abducted in Eastern Sudan near the border with Eritrea and then sold to criminal gangs along the Sudan-Egypt border. The gangs forcibly hold the migrants captive in the Northern Sinai desert. Many who made the journey reported being held hostage and subjected to brutal treatment in Eastern Sudan and the Northern Sinai desert, including gang rape of men and women, whipping, and various other methods of physical and psychological torture. Although not a traditional trafficking scenario, this paper explores the phenomenon in relation to borders. Intricate trafficking networks have exploited refugee outflows from Eritrea, turning the area around the Sudanese side of the Eritrea-Sudan border into a breeding ground for abductions, aggravated smuggling, and trafficking. While crossing borders to claim asylum may facilitate some protection from abuses perpetrated by the Eritrean government, it has created a new set of challenges for Eritrean migrants who now must find protection and safety from kidnappers. While refugees must cross borders to find safety, those same borders create the circumstances for trafficking networks to operate. Unless the dynamics of those involved changes, human rights abuses such as extortion, torture and human trafficking in Eastern Sudan and Sinai are expected to continue.

Colombia: new approach to guerrilla threat

Colombia is reassessing its approach to its decades-long struggle against guerrillas and criminal gangs. It is embarking on reforms of its security services and legal system as part of its efforts to tackle a new hybrid threat: groups with the military know-how of insurgents and the adaptability of criminal actors.

Gang-related crime: the social, psychological and behavioral correlates

This study examined the behavioral, social and psychological factors associated with gang-related crime. By comparing group crime committed by non-gang youth and gang members, this study sought to identify the kinds of criminal activity gang members engage in and identify the specific characteristics that differentiate gang-related crime from other group crimes. We found that gangs map out their territory with graffiti and intimidate others via threats. We also found that high levels of individual delinquency and the presence of neighborhood gangs were significant predictors of gang-related crime. Contrary to our expectations, the perceived importance of social status, moral disengagement and anti-authority attitudes did not predict gang-related crime; however, further analyses showed that the perceived importance of social status and high levels of moral disengagement predicted gang-related crime with anti-authority attitudes acting as mediator. These findings highlight a need to examine more closely, the psychological and social factors that contribute to gang membership and gang-related crime.

Community policing in the Favelas of Rio de Janeiro

This article evaluates the adoption of a new model for community policing in two communities in Rio de Janeiro. They were initially dominated by heavily armed criminal gangs that challenged the hegemony of the Brazilian state. A version of community policing was introduced in these two poor areas. Its principal feature was a commitment to delivering honest, professional, and respectful policing; other initiatives commonly associated with community policing in the northern hemisphere would have to come later. The questions addressed here were whether the police could actually mount such a program, and if they could respond effectively to crime and disorder while avoiding abusive conduct. Six hundred residents of the study communities were surveyed regarding the program and their concerns about crime and police misconduct. The survey found widespread support for the initial intervention by Rio de Janeiro’s police, which aimed at damping the presence of armed criminal gangs and reducing omnipresent fear of crime. The findings suggest that it is possible for police to improve the quality of life and reduce concern about crime in one of the most difficult urban environments in the Americas.