Comparative Qualitative Case Studies of Gang Members and Terrorist Perpetrators

• In Event: Radicalization to Violent Extremism: Is One Thing Like Another?

Abstract

Despite calls for research on the similarities and differences between terrorism and more ordinary forms of crime, to this point there have been few empirical comparisons of gang members and terrorist perpetrators. To the extent that there are strong similarities between these two forms of crime, community-level anti-gang programs may have relevance for countering violent extremism. In this paper we assess 32 gang case studies conducted in Denver, Los Angeles, Phoenix, and St. Louis. We draw on current and former gang members with a long history of gang membership and deep involvement in the criminal justice system, especially older individuals who have been to prison. We compare the experiences of these gang members to 40 in-depth case studies on terrorist perpetrators from the Profiles of Radical Extremist in the United States (PIRUS) data, collected as part of an earlier National Institute of Justice-funded project. In this paper we focus on how the pathways to extremist violence compare to the pathways to gang membership; how well mainstream criminological theories explain gang membership and membership in terrorist organizations; and the most promising criminal justice responses to gangs and members of extremist organizations. Our preliminary results suggest that actual collaboration between members of extremist groups and gangs has been rare and where it has occurred has been limited mostly to alliances or recruitment between differing types of organizations.

Authors

• Gary LaFree, University of Maryland

• David Pyrooz, University of Colorado Boulder

• Scott Decker, Arizona State University