Network Structure and Victimization: A Study of the Population of Gang Factions in Chicago

• In Event: New Approaches to Understanding Youth Gangs and Gang Members

Abstract

Gangs face a basic collective action problem. Their members frequently cite protection as a motivation for joining gangs, yet it is beyond dispute that gang members are subject to higher rates of victimization. There is a large body of research on the link between gang membership and victimization, but it is based exclusively on the study of individuals. We therefore know little about how rates of victimization vary across gangs as groups, leading to an assumption that gang membership is universally a risk factor for victimization. We study the relationship between the network structure of gangs and victimization in Chicago. This research determines the structural variation of gangs that either amplifies or lessens risk for victimization.

Authors

• Timothy Lavery, Chicago Police Department

• David Pyrooz, University of Colorado Boulder

• Andrew V. Papachristos, Yale University