Gang Research Articles

Unveiling the Digital Underworld – Exploring Cyberbanging and Recruitment of Canadian Street Gang Members on Social Media

This study explores the online behavior of Canadian street gang members on X (formerly known as “Twitter”), Facebook, and YouTube. As scholarly Western inquiries have predominantly focused on American and British street gangs, their presentation of online recruitment often differs. Law enforcement and journalists claim that street gangs have begun using social media platforms explicitly to search for and recruit new members. Certain scholarly publications have also suggested that a small minority of street gangs utilize social media to recruit new participants; however, they do not provide ample context to describe what this looks like online. Others argue that while cyberbanging – online gang content and propaganda – can be found online, some of this content can act as indirect recruitment, as it promotes gang lifestyles to the outside observer. To examine the use of cyberbanging and the indirect recruitment it inspires, the present study examines 59 social media user profiles linked to Canadian street gang members (23 Twitter users and 36 Facebook users), along with 10 YouTube rap videos produced by street gang members, to assess the online behavior of these particular social media users. The results suggest that the most prominent type of cyberbanging content is the promotion of gang ideologies, with a clear presence of indirect recruitment techniques observed, such as displaying drugs, weapons, money, and illegal gains, boasting of facets of gang lifestyles, and other propaganda. This content, while considered cyberbanging, blurs the line between content defined as cyberbanging and that of online recruitment.

Can the youth gang speak? A review of the limits and the consequences of mediation processes in Ecuador

ABSTRACT This article aims to analyse the agencies and forms of representation of young people who participated in mediation processes related to youth gangs in Ecuador. Since the beginning of the 21st mediation alternatives –in which different hegemonic sectors have intervened– have been rehearsed proposing different options to substitute violence suffered and exercised (as a response) by youth gangs from Ecuador. The research is grounded on interviews conducted between 2018 and 2023 with various actors that have participated and documented the processes and results of mediation. By reviewing the historical processes of inequality and colonialism, placed in dialogue with the empirical material, we discuss the consequences and limits of mediation processes.

The Transnational Mental Health Burden of Haiti's Alleged Collapse: Preliminary Findings from the Haitian Well-Being Study.

Transnational drug trafficking, political unrest, gang violence, and paramilitarism, which are pervasive in Haiti, have resulted in a mental health crisis for the broader Haitian community. This study explores the mental well-being of Haitians in Haiti and the United States by identifying barriers and facilitators to mental health through the lived experiences of men and women. Four Focus group discussions conducted in April and November 2023 engaged 28 participants (20 women and eight men) aged between 23 and 60 years from locations in Haiti (Port-au-Prince, Cite Soleil, Cayes, Cap-Haitien, Saint-Marc) and the United States. Discussions revolved around the definition of mental health, stressors, coping mechanisms, risk and protective factors, and barriers to mental health care. Six principal themes emerged: 1- Chronic Traumatic Stress: continued violence, political instability, unemployment, lack of social support, adverse childhood experiences, family separation, and forced displacement were significant sources of stress. 2- Increased Health Burden: Participants reported experiencing chronic physical and psychological symptoms (i.e., hypertension, anxiety, depression, sleep issues, substance abuse, suicidal ideations, characteristics of post-traumatic stress disorder [PTSD]), which were attributed to Haiti's social, political, and infrastructure collapse. 3- Risk Factors: limited access to mental health services, pervasive hopelessness, scarcity of opportunities, and stigma were identified as significant risks. 4- Future Uncertainty: widespread concerns regarding the future predominated. 5- Multigenerational Concerns: Significant anxiety concerning the mental health and development of children, as well as the functionality of mental health practitioners, was noted. 6- Coping and Protective Factors: Effective coping strategies include mental stimulation, peer support, managing digital consumption, engaging in leisurely activities, such as listening to music, and faith/spirituality. The study's findings underscore the sociopolitical and economic crisis in Haiti, which has resulted in violence and a collapse of political, educational, financial, and health infrastructures. These factors were identified as the primary source of chronic distress, contributing to widespread mental health issues, adverse physical symptoms, and disruption in daily life. The implications for practice, healing, research & policy are discussed.

‘Black dealers kill people and come from the projects; Whites dealers kill people and come from nice families’: contextualized racialized perceptions of related criminal behaviors within an attribution theory framework

ABSTRACT Some believe certain racial groups are associated with specific behaviors, like homicide, drug dealing, and drug use. It is unclear if these perceptions are connected or if culpability as offender or victim for these behaviors is also racialized. The present study examines perceptions of people’s involvement in these related criminal behaviors. Using semi-structured interviews, data were gathered from men and women (n=32) living in 15 contiguous neighborhoods in a mid-sized city in the northeastern US. All study area neighborhoods experienced the effects of the opioid epidemic and repercussions of subsidized public housing policy changes, and some had high levels of violent and drug crimes. Interview data were analyzed using thematic content analysis applying iterative, open coding techniques to identify themes and recurrent concepts across participants. Findings show that respondents viewed Black persons engaged in homicides and drug dealers as offenders and white persons engaged in drug use as victims. Crimes attributed to Black people were also contextualized as a problem among gang members and people receiving subsidized public housing. Applying the racial threat hypothesis, study findings and implications for research on racialized perceptions of related criminal behaviors and culpability as offenders or victims are discussed within an attribution theory framework.

Inequalities in the Cape Flats: Principals’ perspectives on children’s schooling

Background: A separate, apartheid system of schooling in South Africa entrenched European racialised ideologies of white supremacy that left a legacy of social, economic, and educational inequalities. The 1995 White Paper for Education, the 1996 South African Schools Act, and the Revised National Curriculum Statement outlined steps for equalising education. However, inequalities within the schooling system remain.Aim: The study aimed to understand how principals experience the lasting effects of apartheid-era segregationist policies in primary schools and to document principals’ solutions.Setting: A meeting of principals who work at primary schools in the Western Cape province.Methods: Researchers purposively sampled four principals from the primary schools represented at the meeting, conducted semi-structured interviews with the principals chosen, and adopted an interpretive approach to analyse findings.Results: This study finds from principals’ perspectives that neighbourhood gang violence, and highly unequal funding for schools in different neighbourhoods adversely impact primary school children’s education and principals’ abilities to lead as a result of context, overcrowding and inequality. Principals note that when parent-led programmes such as the Walking Bus produce a positive effect, the government tends to undercut parents’ efforts to work with principals to secure and equalise young children’s schooling.Conclusion: Giving greater governance power to parents and principals may help to equalise the extremes of inequalities in primary schools remaining from Nationalist Party policies of the pre-1994 apartheid era.Contribution: This study contributes to primary school principals’ ideas for improving primary schoolchildren’s education.

Strategic anarchy; a model of prison violence as a means to informal governance and rent extraction

Prison gangs are often thought to create a “culture of violence” in U.S. prisons and jails. Yet mounting research and evidence suggests that prison gangs, in pursuit of profits from illicit market activity, also act as a check on the violent behavior of the broader prison population. This paper synthesizes existing research on prison gangs into a modeling framework that treats gangs as profit-maximizing suppliers and sources of informal governance in an illicit marketplace. The model offers broad policy implications that highlight the challenges and potential unintended consequences of correctional policies that address violence and gang activity.

The biasing nature of gang evidence: inducing memory errors for evidence of past criminal behavior

ABSTRACT Two experiments were conducted to examine the effects of introducing gang evidence on jurors’ memory of the evidence and decision-making. In Experiment 1, 234 participants viewed a staged trial. The evidence against the defendant was weak and consisted of a single tentative eyewitness identification. Half of the participants viewed a version of the trial in which the defendant was described as a dangerous gang member, and half viewed the trial with no mention of gangs. Those who heard the gang testimony were significantly more likely to falsely recall hearing evidence that was never presented describing the defendant’s previous criminal conduct and convictions for similar crimes. The second experiment (N = 328) was conducted online to secure a more diverse national sample. The results replicated, as those in the gang condition were significantly more likely to falsely remember hearing testimony about the defendant’s criminal history and to find the defendant guilty.

The Menacing Grip of Gangs in Romeo and Juliet:A Literary Evidential Analysis

Often admired for its portrayal of young love, William Shakespeare and his “Romeo and Juliet” tragedy likewise delve into the menacing impact and theme of gang violence. This research considers how Shakespeare uses the violent clashes in the play to expose the social and family structures of his time, the renaissance, highlighting the impact of gang mentality on districts and families. Through a qualitative, historical, and literary methodological approach, the research takes a close look at the key scenes in the play, the consequences of the territorial fights, and the behavior of the characters to prove that that gang violence is behind the deaths of the protagonists. The prime discovery revealed that the feud between the Montagues and Capulets reflected and are crucial to impact both society and inner family safety. The findings suggest that Shakespeare uses gang violence as a powerful metaphor to explore how rivalries can negatively impact both unity of a community and individual destinies. This research serves in attempting to bond both classical literature and modern social concerns, relating tactics and recitals, as a novel way to view, break down, and prove the historic existence of gang violence.

Feeling understood fosters identity fusion.

If the consequences of identity fusion are well established, its psychological antecedents are not. To address this shortcoming, eight studies tested the hypothesis that self-verification (receiving evaluations that confirm one's self-views) increases fusion (a synergistic union with a group, individual, or cause), which, in turn, increases behavioral support for the target of fusion. Correlational studies showed that perceived self-verification was positively associated with fusion, which was positively associated with willingness to fight and die for a group (Study 1a), a value (Study 1b), and a leader (Study 1c). Study 2 revealed that increasing perceived self-verification fostered greater willingness to fight and die for the group but only indirectly through increases in fusion. Study 3 showed that 4 months after indicating the degree of fusion with a group, increasing perceived self-verification augmented endorsement of fighting and dying for the group indirectly through elevations in fusion. In Study 4, relational ties mediated the relationship between perceived self-verification and fusion. Finally, face-to-face interviews with incarcerated members of street gangs and organized crime gangs (Studies 5a-5b) showed that perceived self-verification was positively associated with fusion, which was positively associated with sacrifices for the gang (replicating Studies 1a-1c). No evidence emerged supporting a rival causal path in which fusion caused willingness to fight and die through perceived self-verification. Implications for related theoretical approaches and for conceptualizing the relationship between personal identities, social identities, and group processes are discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

A Critical Discussion of the Relationship Between Processes of Spatial Transformation and Youth Gang Activity in Denver

Denver, Colorado is one of the most rapidly gentrifying cities in the United States. Case studies of gentrifying cities, including Chicago and Los Angeles demonstrate a relationship between urban restructuring and the emergence of youth gangs. However, this phenomenon is under-investigated in Denver. Drawing on an integrative literature review, this paper engages in a critical discussion of the relationship between processes of spatial transformation and youth gang activity in Denver. The contestation of urban space is identified as a central contributor to rising rates of gang criminality in the city’s gentrifying areas. These findings highlight the significance of community activism in popular resistance to gentrification and the protection of residents’ rights to the city.

Modern Illegal Drug Business in Ukraine: Multidisciplinary Study of the System of Prevention and Countermeasures Against the Legalization of Income (Money Laundering) Obtained by Criminal Means

Established that the modern illegal drug trade is an integral part of transnational organized crime, involving the laundering of proceeds obtained through criminal activities. A comprehensive multidisciplinary study was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of Ukraine's efforts to combat the contemporary drug trade and to analyze the international system for preventing and countering the legalization of illicit income (money laundering). This study confirmed the connection between transnational organized crime and the laundering of money derived from the illegal trafficking of banned psychoactive substances. The research emphasized the critical need to enhance the criminal and legal frameworks, improve medical and pharmaceutical support, and expand social and economic assistance. By examining the global experience in combating organized crime and drug-related offenses, the study provided valuable insights into effective strategies. Particular attention was given to forensic pharmaceutical practices related to the detection of prohibited psychoactive substances and the legalization of income from their illicit trade. To address these challenges, the study recommends increasing the criminal liability for members of organized drug trafficking gangs and suggests specific amendments to articles 115, 305, and 307 of the Ukrainian Criminal Code. Furthermore, a detailed analysis of the European Union’s roadmap and international cooperation efforts in combating the illegal circulation of prohibited psychoactive substances and the laundering of illegal profits was conducted. Normative initiatives aimed at amending Article 209 of the Ukrainian Criminal Code were developed and proposed. The study indicated the importance of implementing the EU Roadmap measures in Ukraine to foster cooperation among various private and public institutions. This collaborative approach aims to coordinate joint actions, conduct research, and organize conferences and training sessions based on the EMCDDA European prevention program and UN initiatives. The study underscores the relevance, timeliness, and practical significance of engaging the international community, including scientists, medical professionals, pharmacists, students, the public, legal experts, law enforcement, and government authorities. Through this multidisciplinary approach, the study seeks to promote a more effective and coordinated response to the challenges posed by the modern drug trade and its associated criminal activities.

Questionable relations: On aggressive financialised ‘assemblages’ in creative and ecologically-challenged space-economies

In this contribution, the interest is in three things, arising from a project on ‘dark’ F-KIBS clusters. This has already resulted in critical papers on management consultancy and accounting ‘assemblages’ in which such clusters are embedded (Cooke, 2023a; 2003b). Questions posed are: first, why is there so much financial crime being punished with huge fines? Second has there been a significant rise in such prosecutions in recent years? Third, which jurisdictions or clusters display the most prosecuted firms and sectors? These questions are stimulated by an interest in ‘assemblage geography’ and evolutionary spatial analysis; accordingly, financial ‘dark’ clusters are proposed for study in this contribution. Assemblage connections may be hypothesised to be found in financial districts that replicate Marshallian proximity, notably Delaware in the US (Weitzman, 2022). That state specifically and its main city, Wilmington, is proposed as an exemplary rising agglomeration of relational interactions specialising in US tax avoidance and bankruptcy. In Switzerland, Bellinzona Federal Criminal Court recently hosted a Swiss Bank’s first-ever domestic trial for criminality in the shape of Credit Suisse. This bank had a fine of SFr2mn imposed on the bank, which was also ordered to pay €18.6mn in compensation to the Swiss government. An extra penalty was imposed by confiscation of SFr12 mn in criminal assets from the convicted perpetrators. The case had involved a group of Bulgarian clients laundering cocaine profits between 2004 and 2008 involving huge sums of cash being brought to the bank in suitcases, further associated with two assassinations. These red flags were missed by a bank which had received multiple fines elsewhere (Carrel, 2022). In reference to gang crime, in 2004, a Credit Suisse banker in Tokyo was arrested for allegedly helping launder at least ¥5bn linked to Japan’s largest Yakuza gang connected in a Japan, Switzerland and Hong Kong network (Makortoff and Pegg, 2022). Regarding the demise of Switzerland’s second global bank, after being badly hit by the huge Greensill and Archegos bankruptcies Credit Suisse was bailed out for £45 billion by the Swiss Central Bank in March 2023. Earlier, in 2015–2017, Disney, the creative economy exemplar in this narrative, is profiled in our third vignette as an imperious tax-dodging ‘fiefdom’ yet surviving as the global mass-entertainment leader. Finally, in sections 4 and 5, we profile two London-centred banking ‘scandals’ with ‘sustainability’ rather than ‘creative’ overtones. Thus of dubious banking practices London’s many categories of financial regulator are served by two ‘assemblage’ cases that will be analysed subsequent to being advanced as candidates. One recent exemplar is Balli Steel, an Anglo-Iranian sanctions-breaker, while another is Britishvolt, a financially failed EV gigafactory project in the UK.

Merchant gang culture and financial slack: Empirical evidence from listed companies

The phrase "merchant gang culture" refers to the established norms and corporate philosophy developed over time through commercial practices. This study examines how this culture influences the financial slack. Specifically, this paper explores the relationship between corporate merchant gang culture and financial slack. The data utilized for this research spans the years 2011 to 2021. Increasing the intensity of corporate merchant gang culture can effectively strengthen corporate financial slack. Moreover, the mechanism analysis demonstrates that corporate financial slack is improved by the intensity of corporate merchant gang culture, primarily through financing constraint reduction and business credit improvement effects.

‘On the frontline’: gangs, teachers, and the ethics of care

Knife crime in the UK is on the increase, prompting an emphasis in education policy on the role of secondary schools in addressing gang violence. Very little is known, however, about how teachers in secondary schools experience this new role. This article helps to fill this gap in the literature by foregrounding teachers’ perspectives on gang violence in an East London secondary school. It analyses their teaching practices through an ‘ethics of care’ lens, understanding ‘care’ as an inherently relational practice based on mutuality and trust. The article shows how these qualities are being subverted by individualised approaches to care in education, which reproduce rather than challenge the violent care offered by gangs. It argues that the political dimensions of care must be reclaimed if efforts by schools to address gang violence are to be effective.

Live Experiences of Former Gang Members in Cebu City, Philippines

This paper explores the lived experiences of former gang members in Cebu City. Specifically, it determined the following: experiences of the informants as former gang members, including the reasons why they join, stay and leave the group and the impact of gang membership of the informants as former gang members. This study employed a qualitative method of research employing a phenomenological approach that involves qualitative analysis and assessment of themes derived from semi-structured interviews and follow up questions has been made and with an aid with interview guide, observation and exploring the lived experiences of former gang members. The study was conducted in highly urbanized cities, namely Cebu City, Mandaue City, Lapu-Lapu City and Talisay City. A purposive convenient sampling was employed to select the informants. There were fourteen (14) informants in the study. Fifteen (6) emergent themes were created. For the experiences of former gang members on reasons why they join the gang, three themes emerged, namely: Personal Safety, Peer pressure, and lastly, Broken Homes. For the reasons why they stay in the gang, two themes emerged, namely: Give and Earn Money, The Thug Lifestyle, and More Fun and Happiness. For the reasons why they leave the group, three themes emerged, namely: Family and Job Responsibilities, Realization to Have a Happy and Peaceful life; and In-group Rivalry. Regarding the impact of gang membership and the positive experiences of the informants as former gang members, three themes emerged: A sense of Belongingness, Develop Respect and Trust, and School Achiever. Regarding the negative experiences, three themes emerged: Gang War and Violence, Crime Involvement, and Incarceration. The community must create and sustain a collaborative process for working toward a community free of gang membership and violence. This includes providing a clearinghouse for information on resources, strategies, services, best practices, and funding to prevent, intervene and suppress gang violence.

A relational approach to organised crime

This is an introduction to the articles submitted to the special issue of Trends in Organized Crime on ‘Crime and Networks’. The aim of this special issue is to advance our relational understanding of organised crime, gangs and crime more generally by presenting six works exploring a diverse set of questions related to organised crime, street gangs, outlaw motorcycle gangs, money laundering and groups operating in cyberspace.

Killing Time: The Role of Boredom in Glasgow Gangs

Abstract Boredom may be one of the largest maladies of the modern world. A phenomenon which has increasingly become embedded in our social structures. Yet, as a concept within criminology there is a dearth of knowledge concerning it, despite the influence it has on offending and offending behaviours. Through a constructivist grounded theory (CGT) methodology with gangs in Glasgow, insights are shared, exploring how and in what ways boredom affects gang members and the strategies employed to alleviate it. This paper applies Svendsen’s (2005) existential definition of boredom and explores the concepts of temporality, meaning-making and agency as occurring at the nexus of boredom and excitement-seeking behaviours for Glasgow gang members.

Sociodemographic Background Predisposing Youths into Gang Violence in Lagos Metropolis, Nigeria

The historical and constitutional responsibility of youths in any country cannot be underrated because youth remain one of the vital weapons for accelerating and harmonizing societal orderliness Evidence gathered from extant publication shows that youth formed the larger percentage of people apprehended for violence activities in most correctional facilities in the world. In Nigeria, Extant publications were reviewed while Anomie and rational choice theories were adopted for the study. Mixed methods were adopted for collections of data from the inmates in the Lagos correctional facility approved for the study400 hundred copied of structured questionnaires in the three approved corrections in Lagos But 347 of the questionnaires were retrieved for the quantitative analysis while 36 out of 40 interviews conducted were found useful using In-depth interview for the inmates while key informant interviews were used for collection of verbal data from the member of the Nigeria Police Force, Correctional Officers, market men/women and community elders in Lagos. The concluded that gender positioning (t-047), family background (t-=083) and marital status (t=014) significantly predisposed youths into violent activities compared with employment (t= 816), age (t=123) and level of education (t=482). In addition, the qualitative data indicated that immaturity and poor parental background influence youth gang violence. The social interventionist should encourage the family, youths and community members to get involved in decision making, adequate youth development programme should be encouraged and youth should develop act of self-creativity and innovation toward promoting self-image in Nigeria

Wounding potential of muzzle-loaded projectiles discharged from unmodified blank pistols

ABSTRACT Blank pistols are considered non-lethal-purpose imitation firearms that have been modified to function as real weapons in many countries. In Taiwan, gang members use unmodified blank pistols to fire muzzle-loaded projectiles. Herein, the muzzle energy density (ED) of the discharged muzzle-loaded projectiles was used to evaluate the wounding potential of unmodified blank pistols. A series of firing tests was conducted using three unmodified blank pistols, two projectiles, and three brands of blank cartridges. The EDs of the projectiles were determined using ballistic chronographs. The means of the ED ( ED ‾ ) of the pistols firing various cartridges and projectiles were 20.3–48.6 J/cm2. These values are all substantially higher than the human skin penetration threshold value (10 J/cm2). The results indicate that unmodified blank pistols can fire projectiles and inflict severe injuries. Therefore, they should be legally controlled in Taiwan. Additionally, a Student’s t-test of ED ‾ between paired projectiles demonstrated a significant influence of the sectional density (m p /S) of the projectiles on their ED ‾ , which was attributed to the inversely proportional effects of m p /S on the downrange deceleration of the projectiles. The results of this study indicate that steel projectiles are suitable for evaluating the wounding potential of unmodified blank pistols.

Foreign experience of investigating crimes committed by members of youth informal groups (associations)

The article deals with specific issues of foreign experience in investigating crimes committed by members of informal youth groups (associations). It is emphasized that the study of foreign experience in the investigation of crimes committed by members of youth informal groups (associations) will contribute to the development and improvement of recommendations for the investigation of the corresponding category of criminal offenses in Ukraine.
 The peculiarities of detection and investigation of crimes committed by members of youth informal groups (associations) in France, Germany, the Netherlands, Canada and the USA are analyzed.
 Most often, French youth can unite in informal groups in connection with a common place of residence (street, district, city), because of race, nationality, political views, social crises, etc. Difficulties in investigating the criminal activities of informal youth in France are associated with the active use of social networks for the preparation and concealment of committed offenses, the organization of gangs, an increase in their number, and a great public outcry.
 All youth informal groups (associations) in Germany can be divided into 3 types: 1) associations of young people who are migrants, refugees and spend their free time together, live on the same street, in the same district; 2) neo-Nazi youth associations; 3) unification of youth on the basis of political views and protest sentiments.
 The boom in youth crime in the Netherlands occurred in the early 1980s. But a balanced preventive work, starting in 1985, gave results. An active struggle is being waged against youth neo-Nazi groups (associations) on the Internet.
 There are 434 youth gangs in Canada with approximately 7,070 members. The greatest concentration of youth gangs in British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Ontario.
 In the 50s. XX century. American youth, and students in particular, showed themselves for the first time as an active political force, able to defend their positions on an equal footing with political parties and «adult» public organizations. The youth of that time advocated civil liberties – freedom of speech, organizations, meetings, etc. But informal youth groups in the USA are not only a subcultural phenomenon, but also gangs that actively engage in criminal activities based on the promotion of ideas, views, and lifestyles.