TRANSNATIONAL GANG MOVEMENTS: VIOLENT PANDILLAS IN MILAN

In alcune parti dell'Europa meridionale le notizie su criminalità e violenza legate alle bande latinoamericane sono aumentate negli ultimi dieci anni. Ciononostante, pochi studi empirici hanno analizzato il comportamento criminale di queste bande in nuovi contesti socioculturali. Attraverso il caso di studio della città di Milano, la ricerca mira ad approfondire e rivelare le caratteristiche delle bande transnazionali di latinos (come MS-13 e Barrio18) concentrando l'attenzione sulla formazione, sull'organizzazione e sui comportamenti antisociali e criminali di questi gruppi di strada. In particolare, il presente studio esamina: 1) i processi associati alla formazione delle bande latine al di fuori del proprio contesto di origine, 2) la struttura e le caratteristiche organizzative delle bande così come le attività in cui sono coinvolte e 3) il coinvolgimento dei membri della banda in atti criminali e violenti. L'analisi adotta il disegno di ricerca a metodo misto, un approccio metodologico che comprende interviste in profondità con esperti, analisi del contenuto di oltre 2.000 intercettazioni telefoniche, social network analysis di 142 reati in concorso ed analisi di regressione delle caratteristiche degli affiliati. I dati sono stati estratti da 5 ordinanze di custodia cautelare emesse durante il periodo 2005-2016 che hanno portato all'individuazione di oltre 200 individui appartenenti ad oltre 10 bande diverse. I risultati mostrano che la formazione delle gang ed il coinvolgimento degli individui all'interno di questi gruppi sono associati alla ricerca di identità e status. Le bande latinoamericane sono principalmente dedite ad attività di gestione del gruppo, organizzate gerarchicamente con regole e ruoli formali e coinvolte in risoluzione di conflitti interni/esterni attraverso l'uso sistematico della violenza. Nonostante il carattere criminale e la capacità organizzativa, non è emersa alcuna prova riguardo alla loro evoluzione in gruppi criminali organizzati. I risultati sono discussi confrontando tra loro diversi tipi di bande di latinos, soffermandosi infine sulle implicazioni per le ricerche future.In parts of Southern Europe, reports about crime and violence linked to Latin American gangs have increased over the past decade, yet few studies have assessed Latin gangs’ criminal behavior in new contexts. With a focus on Milan, Italy, the proposed research aims to investigate the characteristics of transnational Latin American gangs in terms of gang formation, gang organization and activity, and gang criminal behavior. As part of the assessment, the present study examines: 1) the processes associated with Latin gang formation outside their context of origin, 2) gang organizational features and activities, and 3) gang members’ involvement in co-offending crimes. The research adopts a mixed-method approach comprising in-depth interviews with experts, and content analysis, social network analysis, and regression analysis of data extracted from five judicial/police files issued between 2005-2016. Results show that gang formation and gang joining are associated with individuals’ search for identity and status. Gangs are mainly involved in group management activities, conflict, and violent crimes, and are hierarchically organized with formal rules and roles. Nonetheless, no evidence has emerged regarding their evolvement into organized criminal groups. Findings are compared across different types of gangs and implication for future research are discussed

A Policy-oriented Agent-based Model of Recruitment into Organized Crime

Criminal organizations exploit their presence on territories and local communities to recruit new workforce in order to carry out their criminal activities and business. The ability to attract individuals is crucial for maintaining power and control over the territories in which these groups are settled. This study proposes the formalization, development and analysis of an agent-based model (ABM) that simulates a neighborhood of Palermo (Sicily) with the aim to understand the pathways that lead individuals to recruitment into organized crime groups (OCGs). Using empirical data on social, economic and criminal conditions of the area under analysis, we use a multi-layer network approach to simulate this scenario. As the final goal, we test different policies to counter recruitment into OCGs. These scenarios are based on two different dimensions of prevention and intervention: (i) primary and secondary socialization and (ii) law enforcement targeting strategies.Comment: 15 pages, 2 figures. Paper accepted and in press for the Proceedings of the 2019 Social Simulation Conference (Mainz, Germany

Recruitment into organised criminal groups: A systematic review

This paper provides a narrative synthesis of the results of a systematic review of the social, psychological and economic factors leading to recruitment into organised crime. This is based on the analysis of evidence emerging from 47 qualitative, quantitative and mixed-method studies published in or before 2017. While the selected studies varied markedly in method and quality, several factors emerged as particularly important in understanding recruitment into organised criminal groups. These included the role of social relations (family, kinship, friendship and work-relations), criminal background and criminal skills

Life-Course Criminal Trajectories of Mafia Members

Through a novel data set comprising the criminal records of 11,138 convicted mafia offenders, we compute criminal career parameters and trajectories through group-based trajectory modeling. Mafia offenders report prolific and persistent careers (16.1 crimes over 16.5 years on average), with five distinct trajectories (low frequency, high frequency, early starter, moderate persistence, high persistence). While showing some similarities with general offenders, the trajectories of mafia offenders also exhibit significant differences, with several groups offending well into their middle and late adulthood, notwithstanding intense criminal justice sanctions. These patterns suggest that several mafia offenders are life-course persisters and career criminals and that the involvement in the mafias is a negative turning point extending the criminal careers beyond those observed in general offenders

Organized crime groups: A systematic review of individual‐level risk factors related to recruitment

Background Studies from multiple contexts conceptualize organized crime as comprising different types of criminal organizations and activities. Notwithstanding growing scientific interest and increasing number of policies aiming at preventing and punishing organized crime, little is known about the specific processes that lead to recruitment into organized crime. Objectives This systematic review aimed at (1) summarizing the empirical evidence from quantitative, mixed methods, and qualitative studies on the individual-level risk factors associated with the recruitment into organized crime, (2) assessing the relative strength of the risk factors from quantitative studies across different factor categories and subcategories and types of organized crime. Methods We searched published and unpublished literature across 12 databases with no constraints as to date or geographic scope. The last search was conducted between September and October 2019. Eligible studies had to be written in English, Spanish, Italian, French, and German. Selection Criteria Studies were eligible for the review if they: Reported on organized criminal groups as defined in this review. Investigated recruitment into organized crime as one of its main objectives. Provided quantitative, qualitative, or mixed methods empirical analyses. Discussed sufficiently well-defined factors leading to recruitment into organized crime. Addressed factors at individual level. For quantitative or mixed-method studies, the study design allowed to capture variability between organized crime members and non-members. Data Collection and Analysis From 51,564 initial records, 86 documents were retained. Reference searches and experts' contributions added 116 additional documents, totaling 202 studies submitted to full-text screening. Fifty-two quantitative, qualitative, or mixed methods studies met all eligibility criteria. We conducted a risk-of-bias assessment of the quantitative studies while we assessed the quality of mixed methods and qualitative studies through a 5-item checklist adapted from the CASP Qualitative Checklist. We did not exclude studies due to quality issues. Nineteen quantitative studies allowed the extraction of 346 effect sizes, classified into predictors and correlates. The data synthesis relied on multiple random effects meta-analyses with inverse variance weighting. The findings from mixed methods and qualitative studied were used to inform, contextualize, and expand the analysis of quantitative studies. Results The amount and the quality of available evidence were weak, and most studies had a high risk-of-bias. Most independent measures were correlates, with possible issues in establishing a causal relation with organized crime membership. We classified the results into categories and subcategories. Despite the small number of predictors, we found relatively strong evidence that being male, prior criminal activity, and prior violence are associated with higher odds of future organized crime recruitment. There was weak evidence, although supported by qualitative studies, prior narrative reviews, and findings from correlates, that prior sanctions, social relations with organized crime involved subjects, and a troubled family environment are associated with greater odds of recruitment. Authors' Conclusions The available evidence is generally weak, and the main limitations were the number of predictors, the number of studies within each factor category, and the heterogeneity in the definition of organized crime group. The findings identify few risk factors that may be subject to possible preventive interventions

A Policy-Oriented Agent-Based Model of Recruitment into Organized Crime

Criminal organizations exploit their presence on territories and local communities to recruit new workforce in order to carry out their criminal activities and business. The ability to attract individuals is crucial for maintaining power and control over the territories in which these groups are settled. This study proposes the formalization, development and analysis of an agent-based model (ABM) that simulates a neighborhood of Palermo (Sicily) with the aim to understand the pathways that lead individuals to recruitment into organized crime groups (OCGs). Using empirical data on social, economic and criminal conditions of the area under analysis, we use a multi-layer network approach to simulate this scenario. As the final goal, we test different policies to counter recruitment into OCGs. These scenarios are based on two different dimensions of prevention and intervention: (i) primary and secondary socialization and (ii) law enforcement targeting strategies