It's Not What You Know--It's Who You Know That Counts. Analysing Serious Crime Groups as Social Networks

Abstract

This paper draws attention to the failure by criminologists to adopt Social Network Analysis techniques and concepts in the investigation of criminal networks, particularly in the study of organized crime. It argues that such techniques offer significant potential advantages to criminologists seeking to analyse relational data, whilst nonetheless recognizing the methodological limitations implicit in certain aspects of such data obtained in serious crime studies. Three differing accounts, published more than 25 years ago, are examined and, it is suggested, collectively represent a conceptual model offering an explanation as to how extensive criminal networks operate successfully. This model, if employed together with social network analysis techniques, promises significant progress towards the understanding of serious crime networks in the United Kingdom.