How ‘Outlaws’ React: a Case Study on the Reactions to the Dutch Approach to Outlaw Motorcycle Gangs

Abstract The impact of organized crime measures remains largely unknown. Moreover, for practical and ethical reasons, the perspectives of the individuals who are subjected to organized crime policies are often not included in research. Based on semi-structured interviews with 24 current members of the Dutch Hells Angels Motorcycle Club (HAMC), this study fills this knowledge gap by examining how HAMC members reacted to the multi-agency approach to outlaw motorcycle gangs (OMCGs) in the Netherlands. The results of this study illustrate that the reactions of HAMC members can be divided into four... Mehr ...

Verfasser: van Ruitenburg, Teun
van Deuren, Sjoukje
Roks, Robby
Dokumenttyp: Artikel
Erscheinungsdatum: 2024
Reihe/Periodikum: European Journal on Criminal Policy and Research ; ISSN 0928-1371 1572-9869
Verlag/Hrsg.: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Sprache: Englisch
Permalink: https://search.fid-benelux.de/Record/base-27457065
Datenquelle: BASE; Originalkatalog
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Link(s) : http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10610-023-09566-6

Abstract The impact of organized crime measures remains largely unknown. Moreover, for practical and ethical reasons, the perspectives of the individuals who are subjected to organized crime policies are often not included in research. Based on semi-structured interviews with 24 current members of the Dutch Hells Angels Motorcycle Club (HAMC), this study fills this knowledge gap by examining how HAMC members reacted to the multi-agency approach to outlaw motorcycle gangs (OMCGs) in the Netherlands. The results of this study illustrate that the reactions of HAMC members can be divided into four categories: (1) conforming, (2) adapting, (3) resisting, and (4) continuing. The analysis furthermore shows that a variety of different reactions to the OMCG approach coexist within the same club, charter, and even within the same individual member. These findings indicate that crime policies can spark different, sometimes contradicting reactions, within a group that from the outside appears to be a uniform and top-down coordinated organization. Future evaluation studies should take the multifaceted nature of reactions to crime policies into consideration.