Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Social Network Analysis and Crime Prevention

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Crime Prevention in the 21st Century

Abstract

Social network analysis (SNA) has proven its value in refining criminological concepts and theories to aid the understanding of social processes behind crime problems and to assist law enforcement agencies in enforcing crime. Social network methods and techniques have a great value for crime prevention as well. SNA can be adopted to study crime epidemics and gang-related violence to identify proper violence reduction strategies. Furthermore, the adoption of a network approach can help understand the etiology and dynamics of criminal groups and assess the implications of different disruption strategies, thus limiting network reorganization. This chapter discusses the network approach in criminology and its value for crime prevention.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 99.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 129.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 179.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Notes

  1. 1.

    Degree and betweenness measure an actor’s centrality within a network. Degree centrality measures the number of nodes with which each node is connected. Betweenness centrality measures the extent to which a node lies on the shortest path between any two other nodes (Wasserman & Faust, 1994).

References

  • Ayling, J. (2009). Criminal organizations and resilience. International Journal of Law, Crime and Justice, 37(4), 182–196.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Berlusconi, G. (2013). Do all the pieces matter? Assessing the reliability of law enforcement data sources for the network analysis of wire taps. Global Crime, 14(1), 61–81.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Berlusconi, G. (2014). Law enforcement and criminal network resilience: The impact of law enforcement action on the structure of mafia-related drug trafficking networks (PhD Thesis). Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Milano. Retrieved from http://hdl.handle.net/10280/2457

  • Berlusconi, G., Aziani, A., & Giommoni, L. (2015). Does size matter? The determinants of heroin flows in Europe. Presented at the 7th Annual Illicit Network Workshop, Montreal.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bichler, G. M., & Franquez, J. (2014). Conflict cessation and the emergence of weapons supermarkets. In A. J. Masys (Ed.), Networks and network analysis for defence and security (pp. 189–215). Cham: Springer.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Bichler, G. M., Schoepfer, A., & Bush, S. (2015). White collars and black ties: Interlocking social circles of elite corporate offenders. Journal of Contemporary Criminal Justice, 31(3), 279–296.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Boivin, R. (2014). Risks, prices, and positions: A social network analysis of illegal drug trafficking in the world-economy. International Journal of Drug Policy, 25(2), 235–243.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brantingham, P. J., Tita, G. E., Short, M. B., & Reid, S. E. (2012). The ecology of gang territorial boundaries. Criminology, 50(3), 851–885.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bright, D. A. (2015). Identifying key actors in drug trafficking networks. In G. M. Bichler & A. E. Malm (Eds.), Disrupting criminal networks: Network analysis in crime prevention (pp. 66–88). Boulder, CO: FirstForumPress, a division of Lynne Rienner Publishers.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bright, D. A., Caitlin, E. H., & Chalmers, J. (2012). Illuminating dark networks: A social network analysis of an Australian drug trafficking syndicate. Crime, Law and Social Change, 57(2), 151–176.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bright, D. A., Greenhill, C., & Levenkova, N. (2014). Dismantling criminal networks: Can node attributes play a role? In C. Morselli (Ed.), Crime and networks (pp. 148–162). New York and London: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Calderoni, F. (2012). The structure of drug trafficking mafias: the ‘Ndrangheta and cocaine. Crime, Law and Social Change, 58(3), 321–349.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Calderoni, F. (2014a). Identifying mafia bosses from meeting attendance. In A. J. Masys (Ed.), Networks and network analysis for defence and security (pp. 27–48). Cham: Springer.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Calderoni, F. (2014b). Network analysis of organized criminal groups. In G. Bruinsma & D. Weisburd (Eds.), Encyclopedia of criminology and criminal justice (pp. 4972–4981). New York, NY: Springer.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Calderoni, F. (2015). Predicting organised crime leaders. In G. M. Bichler & A. E. Malm (Eds.), Disrupting criminal networks: Network analysis in crime prevention (pp. 89–110). Boulder, CO: FirstForumPress, a division of Lynne Rienner Publishers.

    Google Scholar 

  • Campana, P. (2011). Eavesdropping on the Mob: The functional diversification of Mafia activities across territories. European Journal of Criminology, 8(3), 213–228.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Carley, K. M., Lee, J.-S., & Krackhardt, D. (2002). Destabilizing networks. Connections, 24(3), 79–92.

    Google Scholar 

  • Carrington, P. J. (2011). Crime and social network analysis. In J. Scott & P. J. Carrington (Eds.), Sage handbook of social network analysis (pp. 236–255). London: SAGE Publications.

    Google Scholar 

  • Carrington, P. J., Scott, J., & Wasserman, S. (Eds.). (2005). Models and methods in social network analysis. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Coles, N. (2001). It’s not what you know - it’s who you know that counts: Analysing serious crime groups as social networks. British Journal of Criminology, 41(4), 580–594.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Davis, R. H. (1981). Social network analysis: An aid in conspiracy investigations. FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin, 50(12), 11–19.

    Google Scholar 

  • Décary-Hétu, D. (2014a). Information exchange paths in IRC hacking chat rooms. In C. Morselli (Ed.), Crime and networks (pp. 218–230). New York, NY: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Décary-Hétu, D. (2014b). Police operations 3.0: On the impact and policy implications of police operations on the Warez scene. Policy & Internet, 6(3), 315–340.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Décary-Hétu, D., & Dupont, B. (2012). The social network of hackers. Global Crime, 13(3), 160–175.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Descormiers, K., & Morselli, C. (2011). Alliances, conflicts, and contradictions in Montreal’s street gang landscape. International Criminal Justice Review, 21(3), 297–314.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Duijn, P. A. C., & Klerks, P. (2014). Social network analysis applied to criminal networks: Recent developments in Dutch law enforcement. In A. J. Masys (Ed.), Networks and network analysis for defence and security (pp. 121–158). Cham: Springer.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Emirbayer, M. (1997). Manifesto for a relational sociology. American Journal of Sociology, 103(2), 281–317.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ennett, S. T., Bauman, K. E., Hussong, A., Faris, R., Foshee, V. A., Cai, L., et al. (2006). The peer context of adolescent substance use: Findings from social network analysis. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 16(2), 159–186.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Everton, S. F., & Cunningham, D. (2014). Terrorist network adaptation to a changing environment. In C. Morselli (Ed.), Crime and networks (pp. 287–308). New York and London: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Faulkner, R. R., & Cheney, E. R. (2015). Defection from a fraud network. In G. M. Bichler & A. E. Malm (Eds.), Disrupting criminal networks: Network analysis in crime prevention (pp. 111–128). Boulder, CO: FirstForumPress, a division of Lynne Rienner Publishers.

    Google Scholar 

  • Galaskiewicz, J., & Wasserman, S. (1994). Advances in the social and behavioural sciences from social network analysis. In S. Wasserman & J. Galaskiewicz (Eds.), Advances in social network analysis: Research in the social and behavioural sciences (pp. xi–xvii). London: SAGE Publications.

    Google Scholar 

  • Grannis, R. (2014). Social network analysis and the measurement of neighborhoods. In G. Bruinsma & D. Weisburd (Eds.), Encyclopedia of criminology and criminal justice (pp. 4964–4972). New York: Springer.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Harper, W. R., & Harris, D. H. (1975). The application of link analysis to police intelligence. Human Factors: The Journal of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society, 17(2), 157–164.

    Google Scholar 

  • Haynie, D. L. (2001). Delinquent peers revisited: Does network structure matter? American Journal of Sociology, 106(4), 1013–1057.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Haynie, D. L. (2002). Friendship networks and delinquency: The relative nature of peer delinquency. Journal of Quantitative Criminology, 18(2), 99–134.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Haynie, D. L., & Soller, B. (2014). Network analysis in criminology. In G. Bruinsma & D. Weisburd (Eds.), Encyclopedia of criminology and criminal justice (pp. 3265–3275). New York: Springer.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Heber, A. (2009). The networks of drug offenders. Trends in Organized Crime, 12(1), 1–20.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hegemann, R. A., Smith, L. M., Barbaro, A. B. T., Bertozzi, A. L., Reid, S. E., & Tita, G. E. (2011). Geographical influences of an emerging network of gang rivalries. Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications, 390(21–22), 3894–3914.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ianni, F. A. J., & Reuss-Ianni, E. (1990). Network analysis. In P. Andrews & M. B. Peterson (Eds.), Criminal intelligence analysis (pp. 67–84). Loomis, CA: Palmer Enterprises.

    Google Scholar 

  • Keegan, B., Ahmed, M. A., Williams, D., Srivastava, J., & Contractor, N. (2010). Dark gold: Statistical properties of clandestine networks in massively multiplayer online games. In Proceedings of the Second IEEE International Conference on Social Computing (pp. 201–208). Minneapolis, MN.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kila, J., & Bouchard, M. (2015). Vulnerabilities in online child exploitation networks. In G. M. Bichler & A. E. Malm (Eds.), Disrupting criminal networks: Network analysis in crime prevention (pp. 153–176). Boulder, CO: FirstForumPress, a division of Lynne Rienner Publishers.

    Google Scholar 

  • Klerks, P. (2001). The network paradigm applied to criminal organizations: Theoretical nitpicking or a relevant doctrine for investigators? Recent developments in the Netherlands. Connections, 24(3), 53–65.

    Google Scholar 

  • Knoke, D., & Kuklinski, J. H. (1991). Network analysis: Basic concepts. In G. Thompson, J. Frances, R. Levacic, & G. Mitchell (Eds.), Markets, hierarchies and networks: The co-ordination of social life (pp. 173–182). London: SAGE Publications.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kreager, D. A., & Haynie, D. L. (2011). Dangerous liaisons? Dating and drinking diffusion in adolescent peer networks. American Sociological Review, 76(5), 737–763.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Krebs, V. E. (2001). Mapping networks of terrorist cells. Connections, 24(3), 43–52.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lupsha, P. A. (1980). Steps toward a strategic analysis of organized crime. The Police Chief, (May 1980), 36–38.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lupsha, P. A. (1983). Networks versus networking: Analysis of an organized crime group. In G. P. Waldo (Ed.), Career criminals (pp. 59–87). Beverly Hills, CA: SAGE Publications.

    Google Scholar 

  • Malm, A. E., & Bichler, G. M. (2011). Networks of collaborating criminals: Assessing the structural vulnerability of drug markets. Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency, 48(2), 271–297.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Malm, A. E., Bichler, G. M., & Nash, R. (2011). Co-offending between criminal enterprise groups. Global Crime, 12(2), 112–128.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Malm, A. E., Bichler, G. M., & Van De Walle, S. (2010). Comparing the ties that bind criminal networks: Is blood thicker than water? Security Journal, 23(1), 52–74.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McAndrew, D. (1999). The structural analysis of criminal networks. In D. Canter & L. Alison (Eds.), The social psychology of crime: Groups, teams and networks (pp. 51–94). Aldershot: Ashgate Publishing.

    Google Scholar 

  • McCuish, E. C., Bouchard, M., & Corrado, R. (2015). The search for suitable homicide co-offenders among gang members. Journal of Contemporary Criminal Justice, 31(3), 319–336.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McGloin, J. M. (2007). The organizational structure of street gangs in Newark, New Jersey: A network analysis methodology. Journal of Gang Research, 15(1), 1–34.

    Google Scholar 

  • McGloin, J. M. (2009). Delinquency balance: Revisiting peer influence. Criminology, 47(2), 439–477.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McGloin, J. M., & Kirk, D. S. (2010). Social network analysis. In A. R. Piquero & D. Weisburd (Eds.), Handbook of quantitative criminology (pp. 209–224). New York: Springer.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • McGrath, C., Blythe, J., & Krackhardt, D. (1997). The effect of spatial arrangement on judgments and errors in interpreting graphs. Social Networks, 19(3), 223–242.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Morenoff, J. D., Sampson, R. J., & Raudenbush, S. W. (2001). Neighborhood inequality, collective efficacy, and the spatial dynamics of urban violence. Criminology, 39(3), 517–558.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Morselli, C. (2009). Inside criminal networks. New York, NY: Springer.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Morselli, C., Giguere, C., & Petit, K. (2007). The efficiency/security trade-off in criminal networks. Social Networks, 29(1), 143–153.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Natarajan, M. (2006). Understanding the structure of a large heroin distribution network: A quantitative analysis of qualitative data. Journal of Quantitative Criminology, 22(2), 171–192.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Papachristos, A. V. (2006). Social network analysis and gang research: Theory and methods. In J. F. Short & L. A. Hughes (Eds.), Studying youth gangs (pp. 99–116). Lanham, MD: AltaMira Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Papachristos, A. V. (2009). Murder by structure: Dominance relations and the social structure of gang homicide. American Journal of Sociology, 115(1), 74–128.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Papachristos, A. V. (2011). The coming of a networked criminology? Using social network analysis in the study of crime and deviance. In J. McCord (Ed.), Beyond empiricism: Institutions and intentions in the study of crime (pp. 101–140). New Brunswick, NJ: Transaction Publishers.

    Google Scholar 

  • Papachristos, A. V. (2014). The network structure of crime. Sociology Compass, 8(4), 347–357.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Papachristos, A. V., Braga, A. A., & Hureau, D. M. (2012). Social networks and the risk of gunshot injury. Journal of Urban Health: Bulletin of the New York Academy of Medicine, 89(6), 992–1003.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Papachristos, A. V., Hureau, D. M., & Braga, A. A. (2013). The corner and the crew: The influence of geography and social networks on gang violence. American Sociological Review, 78(3), 417–447.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Papachristos, A. V., Wildeman, C., & Roberto, E. (2015). Tragic, but not random: The social contagion of nonfatal gunshot injuries. Social Science & Medicine, 125(Jan. 2015), 139–150.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Payne, D. C., & Cornwell, B. (2007). Reconsidering peer influences on delinquency: Do less proximate contacts matter? Journal of Quantitative Criminology, 23(2), 127–149.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Piquette, J. C., Smith, C. M., & Papachristos, A. V. (2014). Social network analysis of urban street gangs. In G. Bruinsma & D. Weisburd (Eds.), Encyclopedia of criminology and criminal justice (pp. 4981–4991). New York, NY: Springer.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Radil, S. M. (2014). Spatial models and network analysis. In G. Bruinsma & D. Weisburd (Eds.), Encyclopedia of criminology and criminal justice (pp. 4991–4997). New York, NY: Springer.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Radil, S. M., Flint, C., & Tita, G. E. (2010). Spatializing social networks: Using social network analysis to investigate geographies of gang rivalry, territoriality, and violence in Los Angeles. Annals of the Association of American Geographers, 100(2), 307–326.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rothenberg, R. (2002). From whole cloth: Making up the terrorist network. Connections, 24(3), 36–42.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sampson, R., Morenoff, J., & Gannon-Rowley, T. (2002). Assessing “Neighborhood Effects”: Social processes and new directions in research. Annual Review of Sociology, 28, 443–478.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Scott, J. (2000). Social network analysis: A handbook (2nd ed.). London: SAGE Publications.

    Google Scholar 

  • Soller, B., & Browning, C. R. (2014). Neighborhood effects and social networks. In G. Bruinsma & D. Weisburd (Eds.), Encyclopedia of criminology and criminal justice (pp. 3255–3265). New York, NY: Springer.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Sparrow, M. K. (1991a). Network vulnerabilities and strategic intelligence in law enforcement. International Journal of Intelligence and Counterintelligence, 5(3), 255–274.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sparrow, M. K. (1991b). The application of network analysis to criminal intelligence: An assessment of the prospects. Social Networks, 13(3), 251–274.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Strang, S. J. (2014). Network analysis in criminal intelligence. In A. J. Masys (Ed.), Networks and network analysis for defence and security (pp. 1–26). Cham: Springer.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Tita, G. E., Butts, C. T., Valasik, M., & Brantingham, P. J. (2012). Rivalries and reciprocity: A relational event model of gang violence. Presented at the 68th American Society of Criminology Annual Meeting, Chicago.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tita, G. E., & Radil, S. M. (2010). Making space for theory: The challenges of theorizing space and place for spatial analysis in criminology. Journal of Quantitative Criminology, 26(4), 467–479.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tita, G. E., & Radil, S. M. (2011). Spatializing the social networks of gangs to explore patterns of violence. Journal of Quantitative Criminology, 27(4), 521–545.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Van der Hulst, R. C. (2009). Introduction to social network analysis (SNA) as an investigative tool. Trends in Organized Crime, 12(2), 101–121.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Varese, F. (2013). The structure and the content of criminal connections: The Russian Mafia in Italy. European Sociological Review, 29(5), 899–909.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Von Lampe, K. (2009). Human capital and social capital in criminal networks: Introduction to the special issue on the 7th Blankensee Colloquium. Trends in Organized Crime, 12(2), 93–100.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wasserman, S., & Faust, K. (1994). Social network analysis: Methods and applications. New York, NY: Cambridge University Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Xu, J. J., & Chen, H. (2008). The topology of dark networks. Communications of the ACM, 51(10), 58–65.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

I would like to thank Dr. Francesco Calderoni, Dr. Benoit Leclerc, and the anonymous reviewer for their valuable comments on earlier versions of the manuscript.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore—Transcrime, Milan, Italy

    Giulia Berlusconi

Authors
  1. Giulia Berlusconi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Giulia Berlusconi .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. School of Criminology and Criminal Justice, Griffith University, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia

    Benoit LeClerc

  2. Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore-Transcrime, Milano, Italy

    Ernesto U. Savona

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2017 Springer International Publishing Switzerland

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Berlusconi, G. (2017). Social Network Analysis and Crime Prevention. In: LeClerc, B., Savona, E. (eds) Crime Prevention in the 21st Century. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-27793-6_10

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-27793-6_10

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-27791-2

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-27793-6

  • eBook Packages: Law and CriminologyLaw and Criminology (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation