Robert A Roks
Biographic Data
| ID | 3591045 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Robert A Roks |
| GIVEN NAMES | Robert A |
| FAMILY NAME | Roks |
| SIGNATURE | ROKS R A |
| AFFILIATIONS | Erasmus University Rotterdam |
| ORCID | 0000-0003-3247-7658 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 14 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 65 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 14 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2017 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 6 |
Civil Bans on Outlaw Motorcycle Gangs and Their Effect on Members’ Criminal Careers in Netherlands
Outlaw motorcycle gangs (OMCGs) are a cause of growing concern, not least because their members are found to be disproportionately engaged in serious and organized crime. As of 2020, upon request of the Public Prosecutor’s Office, the Dutch civil court issued civil bans against the most notorious Dutch OMCGs. The current study estimates the effects of those civil bans on the registered crime rate of the banned OMCGs’ membership. We use generalize…
Inside the Dutch Hells Angels: An empirical study into the club’s entry mechanisms
Outlaw biker clubs have drawn considerable attention of law enforcement agencies across European countries. Despite law enforcement efforts, the popularity of the outlaw biker subculture has been on the rise recently. There is, however, still little understanding of how individuals become engaged in the outlaw biker subculture. Using unique data from interviews with current members of the Dutch Hells Angels (N = 24), this article addresses the en…
‘Stories from the shadows’ narrative poses of incarcerated men convicted of murder related to organized crime in the Netherlands
In this paper, we present four distinct narrative poses – the ‘DIY’er’, the ‘Professional’, the ‘Naïve’, and the ‘Denier who knows’ – adopted by incarcerated men involved in organized crime-related murders in the Netherlands. Drawing on life story interviews conducted in five Dutch prisons between 2020 and 2022, this study offers a unique emic perspective on how these individuals construct meaning around their involvement in lethal violence. It r…
I am No Longer Active, but I will Always Be a Crip: A Longitudinal Ethnography (N = 1) of Gang Desistance in the Netherlands
This article centers on the process of (gang) desistance of Jermaine, a man with a substantial criminal record who has been a member of the Dutch Crips gang for over a decade. Drawing on longitudinal ethnographic research, Jermaine’s process of desistance is outlined. This life story illustrates how much desistance should be understood as a struggle, accompanied by periods of relapsing into old patterns of (criminal) behavior. In addition to thes…
Walls of silence and organized crime: A theoretical and empirical exploration into the shielding of criminal activities from authorities
In this article, we aim to further our understanding of the social embeddedness of organized crime by exploring the (possible) ways the social environment adds to the shielding of organized crime or criminal activities by organized crime groups. We argue that the metaphor of ‘walls of silence’ provides a fruitful way to examine the shielding of organized crime. Based on a theoretical and empirical exploration of 30 cases from the fifth data sweep…
Getting a foot in the door. Spaces of cocaine trafficking in the Port of Rotterdam
As an important gateway to Europe, the Port of Rotterdam is known for its high-quality facilities and efficiency, but also attracts organised crime groups who use the transatlantic legal trade flows to traffic cocaine. Based on a qualitative study, consisting of 73 interviews with public and private actors, an analysis of 10 criminal investigations and field visits to public and private organisations in the port, this article examines how organis…
“I Showed You What I Thought Was Appropriate”: Reflections on Longitudinal Ethnographic Research and the Performativity of Dutch Gang Life
This article highlights some aspects of doing longitudinal ethnography in criminology. By zooming in and reflecting on some of the key moments and methodological choices made over the course of more than 15 years of fieldwork among members of a Dutch gang, this article illustrates that relations with informants have the potential to strengthen over time, but that building rapport and trust with (active) offenders is not necessarily a linear proce…
The Hybridization of Street Offending in the Netherlands
Based on the results of two research projects from the Netherlands, this paper explores how street-oriented persons adapt and use digital technologies by focussing on the changing commission of instrumental, economically motivated, street crime. Our findings show how social media are used by street offenders to facilitate or improve parts of the crime script of already existing criminal activities but also how street offenders are engaging in cri…
Making Sense of Murder: The Reality versus the Realness of Gang Homicides in Two Contexts
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…
Cybercrimes on the Streets of the Netherlands? An Exploration of the Intersection of Cybercrimes and Street Crimes
This article explores the intersections of street crimes and cybercrimes. Fourteen Dutch criminal investigations into networks that committed cybercrimes were analyzed to gain insight into offline and local dimensions of these activities. Firstly, we examined whether the networks in these cases are also involved in other criminal activities than cybercrimes. Secondly, we analyzed the origin and growth of these networks, with specific attention fo…
GangstaLife: Fusing Urban Ethnography with Netnography in Gang Studies
Recent research on street-involved populations has documented their online presence and has highlighted the effects of their online presentations on their lives in the real world. Given the increasing conflation between the online and offline world, contemporary urban ethnographers should pay increased attention to their participants' online presence and interactions. However, methodological training of this sort is still in its infancy stages an…
From Breakers to Bikers: The Evolution of the Dutch Crips 'Gang
Based on ethnographic fieldwork and a content analysis of secondary sources, the current study presents an in-depth case study of gang evolution. We chart the history and development of the Dutch Crips, from playgroup origins in the 1980s to criminal endeavors in the 1990s, to its rebirth as an Outlaw Motorcycle Gang in the 2000s. At each evolutionary stage, we examine the identity of the group, its organization, the nature of its criminal activi…
Crip or Die? Gang Disengagement in the Netherlands
Building on the growing body of research on gang desistance and disengagement, this article focusses on the departure of 20 members of the Dutch Rollin 200 Crips during three years of ethnographic fieldwork (2011-2013) in a small neighborhood in the Dutch city of The Hague. In this article, I retrace the process of gang disengagement from the onset of conflicts within the gang, the growing discontent with Dutch gang life, up until the actual depa…
In the ‘h200d’: Crips and the intersection between space and identity in the Netherlands
Since the early 1990s, there have been reports in the Netherlands of groups of youngsters calling themselves Crips and Bloods. In this article, I will focus on the case of the Dutch Rollin 200 Crips from the city of The Hague, drawing on three years of fieldwork (2011–2013) in a small neighbourhood that this Dutch ‘gang’ claims as their ‘h200d’. The history of the Rollin 200 Crips shows their deeply rooted connection to the locality, whilst the i…
GangstaLife: Fusing Urban Ethnography with Netnography in Gang Studies
Recent research on street-involved populations has documented their online presence and has highlighted the effects of their online presentations on their lives in the real world. Given the increasing conflation between the online and offline world, contemporary urban ethnographers should pay increased attention to their participants' online presence and interactions. However, methodological training of this sort is still in its infancy stages an…
From Breakers to Bikers: The Evolution of the Dutch Crips 'Gang
Based on ethnographic fieldwork and a content analysis of secondary sources, the current study presents an in-depth case study of gang evolution. We chart the history and development of the Dutch Crips, from playgroup origins in the 1980s to criminal endeavors in the 1990s, to its rebirth as an Outlaw Motorcycle Gang in the 2000s. At each evolutionary stage, we examine the identity of the group, its organization, the nature of its criminal activi…
In the ‘h200d’: Crips and the intersection between space and identity in the Netherlands
Since the early 1990s, there have been reports in the Netherlands of groups of youngsters calling themselves Crips and Bloods. In this article, I will focus on the case of the Dutch Rollin 200 Crips from the city of The Hague, drawing on three years of fieldwork (2011–2013) in a small neighbourhood that this Dutch ‘gang’ claims as their ‘h200d’. The history of the Rollin 200 Crips shows their deeply rooted connection to the locality, whilst the i…
The Hybridization of Street Offending in the Netherlands
Based on the results of two research projects from the Netherlands, this paper explores how street-oriented persons adapt and use digital technologies by focussing on the changing commission of instrumental, economically motivated, street crime. Our findings show how social media are used by street offenders to facilitate or improve parts of the crime script of already existing criminal activities but also how street offenders are engaging in cri…
Crip or Die? Gang Disengagement in the Netherlands
Building on the growing body of research on gang desistance and disengagement, this article focusses on the departure of 20 members of the Dutch Rollin 200 Crips during three years of ethnographic fieldwork (2011-2013) in a small neighborhood in the Dutch city of The Hague. In this article, I retrace the process of gang disengagement from the onset of conflicts within the gang, the growing discontent with Dutch gang life, up until the actual depa…
Cybercrimes on the Streets of the Netherlands? An Exploration of the Intersection of Cybercrimes and Street Crimes
This article explores the intersections of street crimes and cybercrimes. Fourteen Dutch criminal investigations into networks that committed cybercrimes were analyzed to gain insight into offline and local dimensions of these activities. Firstly, we examined whether the networks in these cases are also involved in other criminal activities than cybercrimes. Secondly, we analyzed the origin and growth of these networks, with specific attention fo…
Making Sense of Murder: The Reality versus the Realness of Gang Homicides in Two Contexts
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…
In the ‘h200d’: Crips and the intersection between space and identity in the Netherlands
Since the early 1990s, there have been reports in the Netherlands of groups of youngsters calling themselves Crips and Bloods. In this article, I will focus on the case of the Dutch Rollin 200 Crips from the city of The Hague, drawing on three years of fieldwork (2011–2013) in a small neighbourhood that this Dutch ‘gang’ claims as their ‘h200d’. The history of the Rollin 200 Crips shows their deeply rooted connection to the locality, whilst the i…
Crip or Die? Gang Disengagement in the Netherlands
Building on the growing body of research on gang desistance and disengagement, this article focusses on the departure of 20 members of the Dutch Rollin 200 Crips during three years of ethnographic fieldwork (2011-2013) in a small neighborhood in the Dutch city of The Hague. In this article, I retrace the process of gang disengagement from the onset of conflicts within the gang, the growing discontent with Dutch gang life, up until the actual depa…
GangstaLife: Fusing Urban Ethnography with Netnography in Gang Studies
Recent research on street-involved populations has documented their online presence and has highlighted the effects of their online presentations on their lives in the real world. Given the increasing conflation between the online and offline world, contemporary urban ethnographers should pay increased attention to their participants' online presence and interactions. However, methodological training of this sort is still in its infancy stages an…
From Breakers to Bikers: The Evolution of the Dutch Crips 'Gang
Based on ethnographic fieldwork and a content analysis of secondary sources, the current study presents an in-depth case study of gang evolution. We chart the history and development of the Dutch Crips, from playgroup origins in the 1980s to criminal endeavors in the 1990s, to its rebirth as an Outlaw Motorcycle Gang in the 2000s. At each evolutionary stage, we examine the identity of the group, its organization, the nature of its criminal activi…
Getting a foot in the door. Spaces of cocaine trafficking in the Port of Rotterdam
As an important gateway to Europe, the Port of Rotterdam is known for its high-quality facilities and efficiency, but also attracts organised crime groups who use the transatlantic legal trade flows to traffic cocaine. Based on a qualitative study, consisting of 73 interviews with public and private actors, an analysis of 10 criminal investigations and field visits to public and private organisations in the port, this article examines how organis…
“I Showed You What I Thought Was Appropriate”: Reflections on Longitudinal Ethnographic Research and the Performativity of Dutch Gang Life
This article highlights some aspects of doing longitudinal ethnography in criminology. By zooming in and reflecting on some of the key moments and methodological choices made over the course of more than 15 years of fieldwork among members of a Dutch gang, this article illustrates that relations with informants have the potential to strengthen over time, but that building rapport and trust with (active) offenders is not necessarily a linear proce…
The Hybridization of Street Offending in the Netherlands
Based on the results of two research projects from the Netherlands, this paper explores how street-oriented persons adapt and use digital technologies by focussing on the changing commission of instrumental, economically motivated, street crime. Our findings show how social media are used by street offenders to facilitate or improve parts of the crime script of already existing criminal activities but also how street offenders are engaging in cri…
Making Sense of Murder: The Reality versus the Realness of Gang Homicides in Two Contexts
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…
Cybercrimes on the Streets of the Netherlands? An Exploration of the Intersection of Cybercrimes and Street Crimes
This article explores the intersections of street crimes and cybercrimes. Fourteen Dutch criminal investigations into networks that committed cybercrimes were analyzed to gain insight into offline and local dimensions of these activities. Firstly, we examined whether the networks in these cases are also involved in other criminal activities than cybercrimes. Secondly, we analyzed the origin and growth of these networks, with specific attention fo…
Walls of silence and organized crime: A theoretical and empirical exploration into the shielding of criminal activities from authorities
In this article, we aim to further our understanding of the social embeddedness of organized crime by exploring the (possible) ways the social environment adds to the shielding of organized crime or criminal activities by organized crime groups. We argue that the metaphor of ‘walls of silence’ provides a fruitful way to examine the shielding of organized crime. Based on a theoretical and empirical exploration of 30 cases from the fifth data sweep…
I am No Longer Active, but I will Always Be a Crip: A Longitudinal Ethnography (N = 1) of Gang Desistance in the Netherlands
This article centers on the process of (gang) desistance of Jermaine, a man with a substantial criminal record who has been a member of the Dutch Crips gang for over a decade. Drawing on longitudinal ethnographic research, Jermaine’s process of desistance is outlined. This life story illustrates how much desistance should be understood as a struggle, accompanied by periods of relapsing into old patterns of (criminal) behavior. In addition to thes…
Civil Bans on Outlaw Motorcycle Gangs and Their Effect on Members’ Criminal Careers in Netherlands
Outlaw motorcycle gangs (OMCGs) are a cause of growing concern, not least because their members are found to be disproportionately engaged in serious and organized crime. As of 2020, upon request of the Public Prosecutor’s Office, the Dutch civil court issued civil bans against the most notorious Dutch OMCGs. The current study estimates the effects of those civil bans on the registered crime rate of the banned OMCGs’ membership. We use generalize…
Inside the Dutch Hells Angels: An empirical study into the club’s entry mechanisms
Outlaw biker clubs have drawn considerable attention of law enforcement agencies across European countries. Despite law enforcement efforts, the popularity of the outlaw biker subculture has been on the rise recently. There is, however, still little understanding of how individuals become engaged in the outlaw biker subculture. Using unique data from interviews with current members of the Dutch Hells Angels (N = 24), this article addresses the en…
‘Stories from the shadows’ narrative poses of incarcerated men convicted of murder related to organized crime in the Netherlands
In this paper, we present four distinct narrative poses – the ‘DIY’er’, the ‘Professional’, the ‘Naïve’, and the ‘Denier who knows’ – adopted by incarcerated men involved in organized crime-related murders in the Netherlands. Drawing on life story interviews conducted in five Dutch prisons between 2020 and 2022, this study offers a unique emic perspective on how these individuals construct meaning around their involvement in lethal violence. It r…
Crime Patterns and Interventions (13 works) · Crime, Illicit Activities, and Governance (10 works) · Sociology (10 works) · Law (8 works) · Political science (8 works) · Criminology (7 works) · Ethnography (4 works) · Social science (4 works) · Anthropology (3 works) · Computer Science (3 works)