Evolving Patterns of Aggression: Investigating the Structure of Gang Violence during the Era of Civil Gang Injunctions

Gisela Bichler, Alexis Norris and Citlalik Ibarra
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Gisela Bichler: Criminal Justice Department, California State University San Bernardino, San Bernardino, CA 92407, USA
Alexis Norris: Criminal Justice Department, California State University San Bernardino, San Bernardino, CA 92407, USA
Citlalik Ibarra: Center for Criminal Justice Research, California State University San Bernardino, San Bernardino, CA 92407, USA

Social Sciences, 2020, vol. 9, issue 11, 1-19

Abstract: Mapping the structural characteristics of attack behavior, this study explores how violent conflict evolved with the implementation of civil gang injunctions (CGIs). Networks were generated by linking defendants and victims named in 963 prosecutions involving street gangs active in the City of Los Angeles (1998–2013). Aggregating directed ties to 318 groups associated with the combatants, we compare four observations that correspond with distinct phases of CGI implementation—development (1998–2001), assent (2002–2005), maturity (2006–2009), and saturation (2010–2013). Using a triad census to calculate a ratio of simple patterns (retaliation, directed lines, and out-stars) to complex three-way interactions, we observed that CGIs were associated with a substantive thickening of conflict—greater complexity was found in conflict relations over time. Dissecting the nature of change, stochastic actor-oriented models (SAOMs) show that enjoined gangs are more likely to initiate transitive closure. The findings suggest that crime control efforts must make regular adjustments in response to the evolving structure of gang interactions.

Keywords: street gang violence; civil gang injunctions; conflict network; social network analysis (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: A B N P Y80 Z00 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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