Connected to the end: the deterrence/identity continuum in online criminal networks
Modeling the impact of police crackdowns on criminal networks is a complex problem. A single strategy can indeed have very different results depending on the setting, and the targeted criminal networks. When evaluating police crackdowns that seek to disrupt the cohesion of criminal networks, and in...
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| Contributors: | ; ; ; |
| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
2024
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| In: |
Crime, law and social change
Year: 2024, Volume: 82, Issue: 5, Pages: 1363-1387 |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
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| Summary: | Modeling the impact of police crackdowns on criminal networks is a complex problem. A single strategy can indeed have very different results depending on the setting, and the targeted criminal networks. When evaluating police crackdowns that seek to disrupt the cohesion of criminal networks, and in turn their level of activity, some research has found evidence that deterrence of some actors led to a lower cohesion in the network, and lower criminal activities. Alternatively, there is also evidence that police crackdowns could increase the cohesion of criminal networks by stimulating the sense of belonging and loyalty of network actors to the group and reinforce the opposition to the police. These opposing conclusions form the cohesion/identity continuum that explains the impact of law enforcement operations on the cohesion, and level of activities of criminal networks. The aim of this research is to understand how the characteristics of online criminal networks may impact the cohension/identity, and the police strategies used to disrupt criminal activities. Our results show that, while market activity appears to decrease after police interventions, their impact on market cohesion is small. Our results raise questions about the existence of online communities and of online criminal social identity in the context of darknet drug dealing. It is indeed possible that the anonymity, uncertainty and low levels of generalized trust associated with the darknet hinder its capacity to foster high cohesion and social identification between users in ways similar to physical drug networks. |
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| ISSN: | 1573-0751 |
| DOI: | 10.1007/s10611-024-10182-6 |