Work

Differentiating Between Outlaw Motorcycle Gangs (OMCGs): Estimating the Effect of Membership of the Most Crime-Prone OMCGs on Crime Using Matching Weights

Year: 2021

Type: article

Abstract: Outlaw motorcycle gangs (OMCGs) are increasingly viewed as societal menace. Prior research corroborates concerns about OMCGs by showing that many outlaw bikers have a criminal record for various—at times serious–types of offenses (Blokland et al., 2019 ; Klement, 2016 ; Rostami & Mondani, 2019 ; Van Deuren et al., 2021 ). From a theoretical point of view, OMCGs appear to occupy somewhat of a middle-ground between street gangs and organized crime groups (Von Lampe & Blokland, 2020 ). Like street gangs, OMCGs are durable, street orientated associations, whose members engage in criminal activity, such as violence and damaging offenses (Klein & Maxson, 2006 ). Unlike street gang members, however, OMCG members tend to be adults (Blokland et al., 2019 ; Klement, 2016 ). Some OMCGs have also been found to engage in serious and organized crimes, such as the manufacturing and trafficking of drugs, extortion, and racketeering (Barker, 2015 ; Quinn & Koch, 2003 ; Von Lampe & Blokland, 2020 ), making them resemble organized crime groups rather than juvenile street gangs in this respect (Lauchs et al., 2015 ).

Source: Journal of Developmental and Life-Course Criminology

DOI: 10.1007/s40865-021-00180-w

Authors: Sjoukje van Deuren, Arjan A. J. Blokland, Edward R. Kleemans

Institutions: Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Leiden University, Netherlands Institute for the Study of Crime and Law Enforcement

Language: English

Topic: Crime Patterns and Interventions

Subfield: Sociology and Political Science

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDG: Peace, justice, and strong institutions

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $2,780