Research on Gang-Related Violence in the 21st Century

A special issue of Social Sciences (ISSN 2076-0760).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 December 2020) | Viewed by 70778

Printed Edition Available!
A printed edition of this Special Issue is available here.

Special Issue Editors


E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Sociology Department, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, USA
Interests: the socio-spatial dynamics of gang behavior; effective strategies aimed at reducing neighborhood violence and discouraging gang activity
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Criminology & Criminal Justice, UNC Charlotte, Charlotte, NC 28223, USA
Interests: street gangs; white power youth; crime; violence
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear colleague,

Conflict, including the threat or fear of potential violence, or being witness to or a victim of physical, violence, constantly surrounds gangs and their communities and is the principal driver sustaining gang life. Much of the conventional gang-related research remains focused on this violence as a neighborhood-based phenomenon that directly impacts local community residents; however, the ubiquity of digital technology, particularly social media platforms, has disrupted this traditional dynamic. Online violence, including threats, taunts, or posting of violent acts that have taken place, is much less understood. This knowledge gap includes the link between the online activities of gang members and how it can manifest into real-world action. This Special Issue will examine the diverse nature of gang-related violence with the goal of better understanding the growing complexities of gang violence over the last two decades to better inform public policy solutions. Given the dynamic nature of gang-related violence today, we aim to include empirical and theoretical research (quantitative, qualitative, or mixed-methods) with multi/interdisciplinary perspectives from around the world that highlights cutting-edge approaches to examining gang-related violence. All submissions will be considered; however primary consideration will be given to manuscripts that

  • Investigate the relationship between online activity and real-world violence;
  • Examine the efficacy of gang-related violence interventions;
  • Conduct multi-site comparisons of gang-related violence;
  • Conduct cross-cultural studies of gang-related violence;
  • Describe innovative approaches to advance our understanding of gang-related violence.
Dr. Matthew Valasik
Dr. Shannon E. Reid
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a double-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Social Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • gangs
  • violence
  • homicide
  • guns
  • conflict
  • youth
  • social media
  • neighborhood effects
  • intervention
  • public policy

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • e-Book format: Special Issues with more than 10 articles can be published as dedicated e-books, ensuring wide and rapid dissemination.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue polices can be found here.

Published Papers (10 papers)

Order results
Result details
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Editorial

Jump to: Research, Review

5 pages, 189 KiB  
Editorial
“The More Things Change, the More They Stay the Same”: Research on Gang-Related Violence in the 21st Century—Introduction to Special Issue
by Matthew Valasik and Shannon E. Reid
Soc. Sci. 2021, 10(6), 225; https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci10060225 - 11 Jun 2021
Viewed by 5206
Abstract
The goal of this Special Issue is to examine the diverse nature of gang-related violence in modern life by providing insights into the growing complexities to better direct public policy solutions in the 21st Century [...] Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Research on Gang-Related Violence in the 21st Century)

Research

Jump to: Editorial, Review

17 pages, 462 KiB  
Article
Social Media and the Variable Impact of Violence Reduction Interventions: Re-Examining Focused Deterrence in Philadelphia
by Jordan M. Hyatt, James A. Densley and Caterina G. Roman
Soc. Sci. 2021, 10(5), 147; https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci10050147 - 22 Apr 2021
Cited by 12 | Viewed by 8473
Abstract
Focused deterrence is a gang violence reduction strategy that relies on a unique mix of strong enforcement messages from law enforcement and judicial officials coupled with the promise of additional services. At the heart of the intervention is a coordinated effort to communicate [...] Read more.
Focused deterrence is a gang violence reduction strategy that relies on a unique mix of strong enforcement messages from law enforcement and judicial officials coupled with the promise of additional services. At the heart of the intervention is a coordinated effort to communicate the costs and consequences of gun violence to identified gang members during face-to-face meetings and additional community messaging. In Philadelphia, focused deterrence was implemented between 2013 and 2016, and although an impact evaluation showed a significant decrease in shootings in targeted areas relative to matched comparison neighborhoods, the effect on targeted gangs was not universal, with some exhibiting no change or an increase in gun-related activity. Here, we employ data on group-level social media usage and content to examine the correlations with gun violence. We find that several factors, including the nature of social media activity by the gang (e.g., extent of activity and who is engaging), are associated with increases in the average rate of gang-attributable shootings during the evaluation period, while content-specific variables (e.g., direct threats towards rivals and law enforcement) were not associated with increases in shootings. Implications for violence reduction policy, including the implementation of focused deterrence, are discussed. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Research on Gang-Related Violence in the 21st Century)
Show Figures

Figure 1

17 pages, 367 KiB  
Article
East Side Story: Disaggregating Gang Homicides in East Los Angeles
by Matthew Valasik and Shannon E. Reid
Soc. Sci. 2021, 10(2), 48; https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci10020048 - 1 Feb 2021
Cited by 12 | Viewed by 4893
Abstract
This research extends the homicide literature by using latent class analysis methods to examine the neighborhood structural and demographic characteristics of different categories of homicides in the Hollenbeck Community Policing Area of the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD). The Hollenbeck area itself is [...] Read more.
This research extends the homicide literature by using latent class analysis methods to examine the neighborhood structural and demographic characteristics of different categories of homicides in the Hollenbeck Community Policing Area of the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD). The Hollenbeck area itself is a 15 square-mile region with approximately 187,000 residents, the majority of whom are Latino (84 percent). Hollenbeck also has a protracted history of intergenerational Latinx gangs with local neighborhood residents viewing them as a fundamental social problem. Hollenbeck has over 30 active street gangs, each claiming a geographically defined territory, many of which have remained stable during the study period. Over twenty years (1990–2012) of homicide data collected from Hollenbeck’s Homicide Division are utilized to create an empirically rigorous typology of homicide incidents and to test whether or not gang homicides are sufficiently distinct in nature to be a unique category in the latent class analysis. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Research on Gang-Related Violence in the 21st Century)
22 pages, 343 KiB  
Article
Changes in Personal Social Networks across Individuals Leaving Their Street Gang: Just What Are Youth Leaving Behind?
by Caterina G. Roman, Meagan Cahill and Lauren R. Mayes
Soc. Sci. 2021, 10(2), 39; https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci10020039 - 26 Jan 2021
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 4427
Abstract
Despite a small but growing literature on gang disengagement and desistance, little is known about how social networks and changes in networks correspond to self-reported changes in street gang membership over time. The current study describes the personal or “ego” network composition of [...] Read more.
Despite a small but growing literature on gang disengagement and desistance, little is known about how social networks and changes in networks correspond to self-reported changes in street gang membership over time. The current study describes the personal or “ego” network composition of 228 street gang members in two east coast cities in the United States. The study highlights changes in personal network composition associated with changes in gang membership over two waves of survey data, describing notable differences between those who reported leaving their gang and fully disengaging from their gang associates, and those who reported leaving but still participate and hang out with their gang friends. Results show some positive changes (i.e., reductions) in criminal behavior and many changes toward an increase in prosocial relationships for those who fully disengaged from their street gang, versus limited changes in both criminal behavior and network composition over time for those who reported leaving but remained engaged with their gang. The findings suggest that gang intervention programs that increase access to or support building prosocial relationships may assist the gang disengagement process and ultimately buoy desistance from crime. The study also has implications for theorizing about gang and crime desistance, in that the role of social ties should take a more central role. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Research on Gang-Related Violence in the 21st Century)
18 pages, 329 KiB  
Article
Making Sense of Murder: The Reality versus the Realness of Gang Homicides in Two Contexts
by Marta-Marika Urbanik and Robert A. Roks
Soc. Sci. 2021, 10(1), 17; https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci10010017 - 12 Jan 2021
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 4975
Abstract
Despite the proliferation of research examining gang violence, little is known about how gang members experience, make sense of, and respond to peer fatalities. Drawing from two ethnographies in the Netherlands and Canada, this paper interrogates how gang members experience their affiliates’ murder [...] Read more.
Despite the proliferation of research examining gang violence, little is known about how gang members experience, make sense of, and respond to peer fatalities. Drawing from two ethnographies in the Netherlands and Canada, this paper interrogates how gang members experience their affiliates’ murder in different street milieus. We describe how gang members in both studies made sense of and navigated their affiliates’ murder(s) by conducting pseudo-homicide investigations, being hypervigilant, and attributing blameworthiness to the victim. We then demonstrate that while the Netherland’s milder street culture amplifies the significance of homicide, signals the authenticity of gang life, and reaffirms or tests group commitment, frequent and normalized gun violence in Canada has desensitized gang-involved men to murder, created a communal and perpetual state of insecurity, and eroded group cohesion. Lastly, we compare the ‘realness’ of gang homicide in The Hague with the ‘reality’ of lethal violence in Toronto, drawing attention to the importance of the ‘local’ in making sense of murder and contrasting participants’ narratives of interpretation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Research on Gang-Related Violence in the 21st Century)
15 pages, 1360 KiB  
Article
The Social Network Consequences of a Gang Murder Blowout
by Alice Airola and Martin Bouchard
Soc. Sci. 2020, 9(11), 204; https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci9110204 - 11 Nov 2020
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 5942
Abstract
An unexpected crisis in a criminal organization offers a rare opportunity to analyze whether and how the configuration of business and trust relationships changes in response to external shocks. The current study recreates the social network of the Red Scorpion gang members involved [...] Read more.
An unexpected crisis in a criminal organization offers a rare opportunity to analyze whether and how the configuration of business and trust relationships changes in response to external shocks. The current study recreates the social network of the Red Scorpion gang members involved in the Surrey Six Murder, one of the deadliest gang-related homicides to occur in Canada. The event, which involved two bystanders and six victims in total, was the result of a poorly executed retaliation. Our analyses focus on two phases of the network, the conspiracy phase and the post-murder phase. In each phase, we examine the balance of business, trust, and conflictual ties. Results show that the relative importance of key participants changed from the conspiracy to the post-murder phases, whereby strong, trusted ties gained prominence over the mostly business-oriented network of the conspiracy phase. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Research on Gang-Related Violence in the 21st Century)
Show Figures

Figure 1

19 pages, 1016 KiB  
Article
Evolving Patterns of Aggression: Investigating the Structure of Gang Violence during the Era of Civil Gang Injunctions
by Gisela Bichler, Alexis Norris and Citlalik Ibarra
Soc. Sci. 2020, 9(11), 203; https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci9110203 - 11 Nov 2020
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 5648
Abstract
Mapping the structural characteristics of attack behavior, this study explores how violent conflict evolved with the implementation of civil gang injunctions (CGIs). Networks were generated by linking defendants and victims named in 963 prosecutions involving street gangs active in the City of Los [...] Read more.
Mapping the structural characteristics of attack behavior, this study explores how violent conflict evolved with the implementation of civil gang injunctions (CGIs). Networks were generated by linking defendants and victims named in 963 prosecutions involving street gangs active in the City of Los Angeles (1998–2013). Aggregating directed ties to 318 groups associated with the combatants, we compare four observations that correspond with distinct phases of CGI implementation—development (1998–2001), assent (2002–2005), maturity (2006–2009), and saturation (2010–2013). Using a triad census to calculate a ratio of simple patterns (retaliation, directed lines, and out-stars) to complex three-way interactions, we observed that CGIs were associated with a substantive thickening of conflict—greater complexity was found in conflict relations over time. Dissecting the nature of change, stochastic actor-oriented models (SAOMs) show that enjoined gangs are more likely to initiate transitive closure. The findings suggest that crime control efforts must make regular adjustments in response to the evolving structure of gang interactions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Research on Gang-Related Violence in the 21st Century)
Show Figures

Figure 1

21 pages, 359 KiB  
Article
Exploring the Influence of Drug Trafficking Gangs on Overdose Deaths in the Largest Narcotics Market in the Eastern United States
by Nicole J. Johnson, Caterina G. Roman, Alyssa K. Mendlein, Courtney Harding, Melissa Francis and Laura Hendrick
Soc. Sci. 2020, 9(11), 202; https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci9110202 - 7 Nov 2020
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 7106
Abstract
Research has found that drug markets tend to cluster in space, potentially because of the profit that can be made when customers are drawn to areas with multiple suppliers. But few studies have examined how these clusters of drug markets—which have been termed [...] Read more.
Research has found that drug markets tend to cluster in space, potentially because of the profit that can be made when customers are drawn to areas with multiple suppliers. But few studies have examined how these clusters of drug markets—which have been termed “agglomeration economies”—may be related to accidental overdose deaths, and in particular, the spatial distribution of mortality from overdose. Focusing on a large neighborhood in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, known for its open-air drug markets, this study examines whether deaths from accidental drug overdose are clustered around street corners controlled by drug trafficking gangs. This study incorporates theoretically-informed social and physical environmental characteristics of street corner units into the models predicting overdose deaths. Given a number of environmental changes relevant to drug use locations was taking place in the focal neighborhood during the analysis period, the authors first employ a novel concentration metric—the Rare Event Concentration Coefficient—to assess clustering of overdose deaths annually between 2015 and 2019. The results of these models reveal that overdose deaths became less clustered over time and that the density was considerably lower after 2017. Hence, the predictive models in this study are focused on the two-year period between 2018 and 2019. Results from spatial econometric regression models find strong support for the association between corner drug markets and accidental overdose deaths. In addition, a number of sociostructural factors, such as concentrated disadvantage, and physical environmental factors, particularly blighted housing, are associated with a higher rate of overdose deaths. Implications from this study highlight the need for efforts that strategically coordinate law enforcement, social service provision and reductions in housing blight targeted to particular geographies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Research on Gang-Related Violence in the 21st Century)
13 pages, 294 KiB  
Article
Comparing Violent and Non-Violent Gang Incidents: An Exploration of Gang-Related Police Incident Reports
by Dena Carson and Natalie Kroovand Hipple
Soc. Sci. 2020, 9(11), 199; https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci9110199 - 3 Nov 2020
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 5917
Abstract
Prior research has established a strong link between gangs and violence. Additionally, this connection is demonstrated across multiple methodologies such as self-report surveys, qualitative interviews, as well as official records. Officially recorded gang data can be increasingly hard to obtain because data collection [...] Read more.
Prior research has established a strong link between gangs and violence. Additionally, this connection is demonstrated across multiple methodologies such as self-report surveys, qualitative interviews, as well as official records. Officially recorded gang data can be increasingly hard to obtain because data collection approaches differ by agency, county, city, state, and country. One method for obtaining official gang data is through the analysis of police incident reports, which often rely on police officers’ subjective classification of an incident as “gang-related.” In this study we examine 741 gang-related incident reports collected over four years from the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department. This study will explore reasons why incidents were attributed to gangs as well as compare the characteristics of violent, drug, and non-violent gang-related incidents. This work has implications for understanding the complexities associated with gang incident reports as well as for the commonality of violent gang crimes. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Research on Gang-Related Violence in the 21st Century)

Review

Jump to: Editorial, Research

24 pages, 638 KiB  
Review
Street Gang Intervention: Review and Good Lives Extension
by Jaimee Mallion and Jane Wood
Soc. Sci. 2020, 9(9), 160; https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci9090160 - 15 Sep 2020
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 12900
Abstract
Tackling street gangs has recently been highlighted as a priority for public health. In this paper, the four components of a public health approach were reviewed: (1) surveillance, (2) identifying risk and protective factors, (3) developing and evaluating interventions at primary prevention, secondary [...] Read more.
Tackling street gangs has recently been highlighted as a priority for public health. In this paper, the four components of a public health approach were reviewed: (1) surveillance, (2) identifying risk and protective factors, (3) developing and evaluating interventions at primary prevention, secondary prevention, and tertiary intervention stages, and (4) implementation of evidence-based programs. Findings regarding the effectiveness of prevention and intervention programs for street gang members were mixed, with unclear goals/objectives, limited theoretical foundation, and a lack of consistency in program implementation impeding effectiveness at reducing street gang involvement. This paper proposes that the Good Lives Model (GLM), a strengths-based framework for offender rehabilitation, provides an innovative approach to street gang intervention. Utilizing approach-goals, the GLM assumes that improving an individual’s internal skills and external opportunities will reduce the need to become involved in street gangs. Wrapping the GLM framework around current evidence-based interventions (e.g., Functional Family Therapy) increases client engagement and motivation to change, which is notably poor amongst those at risk of, or involved in, street gangs. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Research on Gang-Related Violence in the 21st Century)
Show Figures

Figure 1

Back to TopTop