Community Terrorization: Evaluating the Impact of Civil Gang Injunctions on Networked Violence between the Bloods and the Crips

• In Event: Can Society Control Gangs? Social Media and Gang Injunctions

Abstract

Civil gang injunctions (CGIs) impose significant behavioral restrictions on individuals. However, despite their use in cities across the United States, there are few scientific evaluations of the effect that civil gang injunctions have on sanctioned groups, the communities intended for protection, and on the ability of law enforcement to keep the peace in troubled neighborhoods. This study examines how the web of violence changes at the local level, comparing pre- and post-injunction violence networks for 24 gangs (7 Bloods and 17 Crips) operating in Southern California. The networks were constructed from court cases prosecuted in the greater Los Angeles area (Jan. 1, 1997 – Dec. 31, 2015) that involved at least one charge/conviction for a violent crime and a defendant that was tried as an adult. By comparing positional importance (outdegree centrality) and changing structure in attack behavior (QAP correlations), we gain insight into the shifting web of violence that accompanies the imposition of CGIs. The paper concludes with a discussion of the implications this anti-gang strategy has for combatting community terrorization.

Authors

• Jared Romeo Dmello, University of Massachusetts Lowell / California State University, San Bernardino

• Britney Boyd, California State University, San Bernardino

• Gisela Bichler, California State University, San Bernardino

• Alexis Norris, California State University, San Bernardino