Exploring the Relationship between Serious and Violent Fugitives and Shooting Victimization in Co-Offending Networks

• In Event: Guns and Places: Victimization Threats and Vulnerabilities

Abstract

Nearly two million people in the United States have active felony warrants for their arrest. Violent fugitives remaining at-large have implications for crime control by compromising the deterrent threat and increasing opportunities for retaliatory violence. Despite the potential ramifications, relatively little is known empirically about the role of fugitives in community violence. This study uses social network analyses to explore the relationship between serious and violent fugitives and shooting victimization within co-offending networks in Boston from 2014-2019. Results suggest that fugitives are associated directly and indirectly with heightened risks of fatal and nonfatal shooting victimization. Prioritizing the apprehension of serious and violent fugitives could reduce direct risks of shooting victimization for the fugitives themselves and create spillover preventive effects for their co-offending peers.

Authors

• Brandon Turchan, Michigan State University

• Anthony Braga, University of Pennsylvania