Youths’ Involvement in Organized Crime - Panel 2

Session Submission Type: Pre-arranged Panel

Abstract

Youths becoming involved in organized crime at a very young age is recognized as a growing global concern. Becoming part of a criminal group has been linked to persistent offending and, particularly for young people, poses a risk to their normative development and their ability to build a future outside of the criminal milieu. The mechanisms through which youths become involved in organized crime - such as drug crimes and gun violence - are receiving increasing international attention. Applying qualitative, quantitative, and mixed-methods approaches, two panel sessions will introduce state-of-the-art research conducted in Belgium, Ireland, England, Sweden, and the Netherlands. These studies aim to identify risk factors, pathways into crime, and factors that promote desistance. Additionally, they explore methodologies for identifying and mapping criminal networks, utilizing social network analysis, law enforcement intelligence, and large-scale offender register data to uncover structures and recruitment strategies within organized crime groups. Research methods include interviews with youths involved in organized crime, victims of organized crime, and (whole-population) register data of organized crime offenders. These findings will contribute to evidence-based strategies for preventing youth involvement in organized crime.

Subtopic

• Topic 2: Types of Offending / Organized Crime (Organized Crime WG)

Chair

• Nathalie Denie, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam

Individual Presentations

• From Exposure to Action: The Role of Network Exposure in Youths’ Organized Crime Involvement - Julie Erber, Netherlands Institute for the Study of Crime and Law Enforcement; Marjolijn Das, Statistics Netherlands, Erasmus University Rotterdam; Brenda Bos, Statistics Netherlands; Jan van der Laan, Statistics Netherlands; Paul Nieuwbeerta, Leiden University; Arjan Blokland, NSCR

• The family as a pathway into organised crime: a social network analysis of co-offending in a Danish sample - Inge-Mai Jonsson, University College London

• The Greentown Project: The Twinsight Methodology - Catherine Mary Naughton, REPPP University of Limerick

• Filling the knowledge gap: understanding youth involvement in organized drug crimes in Belgium through lived experiences - Emma De Caluwé, University of Ghent, Institute for International Research on Criminal Policy (IRCP); Charlotte Colman, University of Ghent, Institute for International Research on Criminal Policy (IRCP) and National Drug Coordinator