Social networks and gangs

Moving research forward with low-cost data collection opportunities in school and prison settings

Bibliographic Data

ID12936636
AuthorsMartin Bouchard (0000-0002-2911-5544, Simon Fraser University, corresponding author)
Year2021
Volume13
Issue2/3
Pages110-124
Publication date2021-07-08
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Aggression Conflict and Peace Research (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1759-6599 • E-ISSN: 2042-8715
PublisherEmerald Publishing Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1108/jacpr-12-2020-0563
OpenAlexW3178167610
LanguageEN
Citations received4
References cited49

Purpose As useful as police data have been in furthering our knowledge of gangs and gang violence networks, not everything about gang networks can be learned from examining police data alone. There are numerous alternative sources of data that already exist on gang networks and some that can be developed further. This study aims to introduce existing research on social networks and gangs with a specific focus on prisons and schools. Design/methodology/approach This study reviews the existing empirical literature on gang networks in schools and prison settings and use the broader literature on social networks and crime to propose directions for future research, including specific suggestions on data collection opportunities that are considered to be low-cost; that is, strategies that simply make use of existing administrative records in both settings, instead of developing original data collection procedures. Findings The author found the existing literature on each of these settings to be quite limited, especially when the spotlight is put specifically on gang networks. These shortcomings can be addressed via low-cost opportunities for data collection in each of these settings, opportunities that simply require the network coding of existing administrative records as a foundation for gang network studies. Originality/value Investing in these low-cost network data collection activities have the potential for theoretical and empirical contributions on our understanding of gang networks, and may also bring value to practitioners working in school and prison settings as a guide for network-based planning or interventions

Computer security · Criminology · Data collection · Data science · Empirical research · Management science · Originality · Political science · Prison · Public relations · Qualitative research · Social science · Sociology · Value (mathematics · Computer Science · Crime Patterns and Interventions · Crime, Illicit Activities, and Governance · Criminal Justice and Corrections Analysis · Engineering

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