the nature of criminality within one-percent motorcycle clubs

Quinn, James; Koch, D. Shane

doi:10.1080/01639620390117291

Cited by 66 publications

(64 citation statements)

References 6 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…Our analyses reveal a complex picture, where the organizations under study exhibit qualitatively different patterns. We can be sure of one thing: criminal activity is a central part of the careers of the members in these organizations, a finding that is in line with previous research (Quinn and Shane Koch 2003). In the case of HAMC and RWC, over 95% of full members have been suspected for crimes, and RDMC is slightly behind with 85%.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 75%

“…There are several thousand clubs around the world and they are far from a homogeneous milieu with each club having its distinctive profile, which in turn influences recruitment of members and its activities (Quinn and Shane Koch 2003;Wolf 1991). With the help of unique Swedish data on co-offending and gang membership, we are able to vertically compare HAMC and its sub-organizations.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…While, it is generally recognized that criminality is a significant aspect of the OMCs milieu (Richardson 1991;Quinn and Forsyth 2009;Quinn and Shane Koch 2003) and are classified as a form of organized crime (Abadinsky 2012), there are different views on how this criminality can best be described. Quinn and Shane Koch (2003) describes this duality as two accounts: OMC crimes are described as either Bquite lacking in finesse and even antithetical to the welfare of a sophisticated syndicate^or Bas sophisticated international crime syndicates operation in a rationally calculated manner akin to that of traditional organized crime syndicates^ (Quinn and Shane Koch 2003:294).…”

Section: Introduction Outlaw Motorcycle Clubsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Quinn and Shane Koch (2003) describes this duality as two accounts: OMC crimes are described as either Bquite lacking in finesse and even antithetical to the welfare of a sophisticated syndicate^or Bas sophisticated international crime syndicates operation in a rationally calculated manner akin to that of traditional organized crime syndicates^ (Quinn and Shane Koch 2003:294). In their attempt to explore the nature of criminality within OMCs, Qiunn and Koch (2003:296) outlined four distinct types of offenses that can be observed within these groups: 1) spontaneous expressive acts (one or a few members involved in violent crimes, such as bar fights, directed at rivals or other actors from within the saloon society milieu); 2) planned expressive acts (violent crime committed against adversaries and reflecting the priorities of the club); 3) short-term instrumental acts (exploiting an opportunity to meet a goal for at least one member such as theft); and 4) ongoing instrumental enterprises (planned criminal activities involving one or more cliques such as drug production and distribution).…”

Section: Introduction Outlaw Motorcycle Clubsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The term denotes a subculture comprising organizations that bring together and organize motorcycle riders into clubs with distinctive and recognizable value system, set of principles, symbols and paraphernalia embracing a certain law-breaking character (Lauchs et al 2015;Quinn andShane Koch 2003, 2010).…”

Section: Introduction Outlaw Motorcycle Clubsmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 4 more Smart Citations

Organizing on two wheels: uncovering the organizational patterns of Hells Angels MC in Sweden

Rostami

Mondani

2017

Trends Organ Crim

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

During the last decades, Outlaw Motorcycle Clubs (OMCs) have become a concern for crime prevention and law enforcement agencies. The general perception of OMCs is ambiguous. They are seen either as highly structured criminal organizations whose members use their motorcycle clubs for conducting sophisticated criminal enterprises, or as clubs built around the camaraderie of freedom-seeking bikers. Using unique Swedish longitudinal data on gang membership and co-offending patterns, we study the organizational dynamics of Hells Angels MC Sweden and its sub-organizations Red & White Crew and Red Devils MC. Our results reveal a complex picture. Co-offending network patterns and offense type distributions vary for each sub-organization, indicating potential differences in organizational dynamics. Red & White Crew has features that are more similar to street gangs than OMCs, and Red Devils MC has a more decentralized and chapter-based pattern of criminal collaboration than Hells Angels MC. Besides increasing our understanding of OMC collaboration structure, our results have implications for crime prevention strategies. We suggest that social responses and law enforcement efforts should take into account the heterogeneity of OMCs in order to avoid counterproductive consequences in terms of increased group cohesiveness.

show abstract

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 75%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introduction Outlaw Motorcycle Clubsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introduction Outlaw Motorcycle Clubsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introduction Outlaw Motorcycle Clubsmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Organizing on two wheels: uncovering the organizational patterns of Hells Angels MC in Sweden

Rostami

Mondani

2017

Trends Organ Crim

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

Moral panic neutralization project: a media‐based intervention

Veno

Eynde

2007

Community & Applied Soc Psy

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Moral panics are a major technique used by government in the politics of fear. The central research question addressed was 'can moral panic be neutralized?' Researchers formed a coalition with folk devils (an outlaw motorcycle club) in an emerging moral panic to answer the research question. The contest for public support was played out in the media. Results of the action research process are reported using 'thick narrative' and included: (1) government calling off its moral panic campaign, (2) a large decrease in public support for the government's campaign against outlaw motorcycle clubs (OMCs), (3) increased acceptance of OMCs in public opinion polls and (4) dramatic reversals in newspaper editorials. The case study illustrates actors in moral panics have agency and provides an example of a macro-level intervention through which liberation from oppression was affected.

show abstract