Ethnic heterogeneity in the activity and structure of a Black street gang

Abstract

Despite acknowledgment of ‘hybrid’ street gangs in the literature, there is little systematic research into ethnic heterogeneity within gangs. This research aims at moving beyond the broad categorization of the Black street gang. For this purpose, we examine an all-Black London-based gang in detail, using fieldwork and police arrest data, and investigate the role of ethnic heterogeneity for the workings of the gang. Our findings suggest that ethnic heterogeneity within this gang is crucial for its criminal operation. Although there is no evidence for ethnicity-related specialization of crime, the structural co-offending pattern of the gang’s activities is dominated by ethnicity. Ethnicity matters for who offends with whom.