Organized crime currently poses a high threat around the globe. It can be regarded as an international problem with local reach. In addition, gangs exhibit presence in large parts of the world. Criminal activities involving illegal drugs are one common feature among these types of criminal groups. Having acknowledged the detrimental influence that organized crime, gangs and drugs have on both a societal and individual level, a better understanding of how these areas overlap is needed. A significant part of reaching a better understanding is to examine the theories utilized within the research. The aim of this scoping review is to inquire into the literature focusing on the overlap between organized crime, gangs and drugs. Two research questions are answered: 1) Which prominent themes are found in the overlap of organized crime, gangs and drugs? 2) Which theories or theoretical frameworks guide this research? A rigorous search strategy produced a large sample of studies. The software program ASReview Lab was used to make the screening process efficient. In the end, a total of 56 studies were included in this scoping review. Four themes were identified as recurring in the literature. Gang organization, collaboration between criminal groups, governance and gang evolution through drug business are all parts of the overlap between organized crime, gangs and drugs. Several theoretical frameworks were used in the included studies. Theories regarding gang evolution and gang organization were especially prominent. The identified themes opened up for a discussion regarding the challenges of definitions within the areas in focus, the glocal aspect of organized crime and the role of organization in the drug business. A couple of areas were identified as understudied and a future systematic review of the literature can be useful for the societal actors working against organized crime, gangs and drugs.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:UPSALLA1/oai:DiVA.org:mau-67755 |
| Date | January 2024 |
| Creators | Sernbo, Philip |
| Publisher | Malmö universitet, Institutionen för kriminologi (KR) |
| Source Sets | DiVA Archive at Upsalla University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Student thesis, info:eu-repo/semantics/bachelorThesis, text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Rights | info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
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