Mapping the Evolving Structure of Gang Violence in Los Angeles

• In Event: Networks and Crime I: Street Gang and Terrorist Networks

Abstract

Comparing the centrality of gangs and changing structure of attack behavior, this study examines how violent conflict evolves over time. Linking defendants and victims named in prosecutions involving 246 gangs based in the City of Los Angeles (1997-2015), we assess the impact that civil gang injunctions, turf proximity, rivalries, and alliances have on violent conflict. The preliminary findings suggest that a few gangs are centrally-positioned in a dynamic web of non-reciprocated conflict, exhibiting complex hierarchical structures that change dramatically between observation periods.

Authors

• Gisela Bichler, California State University, San Bernardino

• Alexis Norris, California State University, San Bernardino

• Citlalik Ibarra, California State University, San Bernardino

• Britney Boyd, California State University, San Bernardino