Chains, Crews, The Guys, and the Game: Organized Crime in Western Canada

• In Event: Organized Crime and Criminal Mobility

Abstract

Although organized crime is found wherever there is profit to be made, some regions of the world have a higher number of persons per capita who affiliate with organized crime groups as well as a wider variety of group structures. The metro Vancouver regional district (MVRD) of British Columbia, Canada is one such region. Indeed, this area appears to be particularly hospitable to a variety of organized crime groups. In this study, personal and contextual factors related to the onset and maintenance of affiliation in addition to types of group structures and control are examined through data collected over a two-year period (2013-14) via first person interviews with 88 prolific and super-prolific male and female offenders. Participants identified factors they perceived as relevant to their affiliation and ongoing relationships with organized crime groups as well as the various group structures, control, activities, and power-politics present in these groups. Using a variety of analytics including quantitative, qualitative, and computer-mathematical models, this study offers insight into the gang affiliation and maintenance process for males and females, the structures of organized crime groups in Canada, and some suggestions for potential prevention and intervention strategies for law enforcement agencies.

Author

• Hilary Kim Morden, Simon Fraser University