Comparing the Ties That Bind Criminal Networks: Is Blood Thicker Than Water?

• NCJ Number: 229476
• Journal: Security Journal Volume: 23 Issue: 1 Dated: February 2010 Pages: 52-74
• Author(s): Ali Malm; Gisela Bichler; Stephanie Van De Walle
• Date Published: February 2010
• Length: 23 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

Rather then investigating networks formed exclusively through formal organizational ties, this study compared the structure of criminal networks formed by different types of ties (co-offending, kinship, formal organization membership and legitimate business or other noncriminal connections) using p*(exponential random graph) models.

Abstract

Structural analysis of illicit markets suggests that criminal enterprise is to some degree linked with legitimate enterprise, and that networks generally comprise groups and clusters of individuals with varying subgroup structural characteristics. The results of the current study indicate that kinship and formal organization networks are highly cohesive and have low fragmentation probabilities. Therefore, the results show that blood, both through kinship ties or the metaphoric blood that ties formal criminal organizations is thicker than the ties that bind co-offending groups. Policy implications for policing techniques are also discused. (Publisher Abstract)