The Mechanisms of Gang Homicides – A Social Network Analysis of Swedish Street Gangs

• In Event: Roundtable: Violence in Differing Contexts

Abstract

Gun homicides and bombs related to organized crime have increased drastically over the past few years in Sweden. Simultaneously, no other European country has experienced a corresponding development, and the Swedish government has declared organized crime as a serious national threat. Gang homicides are calculated crimes – linked with the organizational structure of the gang and affected by internal rules, geographical variables, and the prospect of criminal careers within the network. Few studies have, however, examined the mechanisms behind the shootings. Therefore, the aim of this research is to understand the correlation between organizing mechanisms in Swedish gangs and firearm-related homicides. Methodologically, the study combines qualitative and quantitative data through Social Network Analysis, interviews and topic modeling. The empirical material consists of 1) register-based individual data on criminal suspicion, 2) transcribed chat conversations, containing the
planning of several gun homicides on encrypted platforms and 3) interviews with gang members. This presentation is part of an ongoing dissertation project, which seeks to make a valuable contribution to the research field of organized crime whilst providing insights on gang homicides to law-enforcement agencies and policy makers.

Author

• Henrietta Johansson, Linnéuniversitetet