The Shape of Cover-Up: Mapping the Clergy Abuse Crisis in Boston

• In Event: Poster Session

Abstract

How do organizations respond when members are charged with misconduct? While much prior research has examined the structure of criminal networks, we know comparatively little about how organizations respond when members face public criminal charges. I investigate this question through analysis of the clergy abuse crisis in Boston. By compiling information on credibly accused clergy and their placement histories, I examine a unique dataset of priest-level movements among parishes. I supplement this data with parish attributes, including urbanity and demographics of the population served. These data are viewed as a parish-to-parish network, with directional ties between parishes indicating movements of priests. This parish-level network is examined in two steps. First, I descriptively analyze the network using structural measures, such as degree centrality and global clustering, and algorithmically detect the core-periphery structure. Second, I use valued exponential random graph models to examine whether parish characteristics are related to priest movements. The results of this study will demonstrate the connection between parish characteristics and the structure of the church response to individual misconduct. This contributes to the understanding of organizational response to crime by showing how movements of accused individuals can serve to cover-up accusations, resulting in a larger criminal network.

Author

• Jenna Wertsching, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill