The Role of Intergenerational Ties in Facilitating Brokerage in Organized Crime Networks

• In Event: Recent Advances in Network Approaches to Study Gangs and Criminal Organizations

Abstract

Criminal mentorship between adults and adolescents has been shown to extend the longevity and success of the youth’s criminal career. Few studies however, have examined the effect of intergenerational ties on the structure of networks. The current study examines the impact that criminal mentorship – measured via age differentials among group members – has on organized crime across different groups types. Our working hypothesis is that mentorship may be more prevalent within homogenous group structures with intergenerational familial ties (e.g. indigenous groups) as opposed to those organized crime groups lacking these characteristics (bikers). Data stem from investigations conducted within Alberta, Canada, and collected by the Criminal Intelligence Service of Alberta (CISA) which was aggregated into a centralized database. The sample comprises of over 1600 individuals identified as belonging to an organized crime group or as an associate with an observed link to another member. The results suggest that the presence of intergenerational ties among groups is associated with higher levels of brokerage within, and across group boundaries.

Authors

• Bryan Monk, Simon Fraser University

• Martin Bouchard, Simon Fraser University