TY - JOUR
T1 - The Nature and Structure of MS-13 in Los Angeles County
AU - Nuño, Lidia E.
AU - Maguire, Edward R.
N1 - Funding Information:
We are grateful to the National Institute of Justice for funding this project (NIJ Award #: 2013-R2-CX-0048) and to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department for facilitating this research. We are also thankful to Cheryl Maxson and Scott Decker for their detailed feedback on earlier drafts of this article.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 Georgia State University.
PY - 2021
Y1 - 2021
N2 - Recent descriptions of Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) by senior U.S. government officials suggest that the gang is highly organized, has significant transnational capacity, and is heavily involved in violence. Arguably, these depictions have created moral panic among the public and have fed xenophobic attitudes toward Latin American immigrants. However, little is known from empirical research about the nature and structure of MS-13 in the United States. In this article, we draw on data from interviews with incarcerated MS-13 members in Los Angeles County, the birthplace of MS-13. We examine three key aspects of MS-13: its organizational characteristics, its transnational capacity, and its involvement in criminal behavior, including violence. Our findings provide a useful descriptive summary of MS-13 in Los Angeles County, where the gang originated. Our findings also suggest that while there are good reasons to take MS-13 seriously as a threat to public safety, much of the public discourse on the gang is based on inaccurate assumptions.
AB - Recent descriptions of Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) by senior U.S. government officials suggest that the gang is highly organized, has significant transnational capacity, and is heavily involved in violence. Arguably, these depictions have created moral panic among the public and have fed xenophobic attitudes toward Latin American immigrants. However, little is known from empirical research about the nature and structure of MS-13 in the United States. In this article, we draw on data from interviews with incarcerated MS-13 members in Los Angeles County, the birthplace of MS-13. We examine three key aspects of MS-13: its organizational characteristics, its transnational capacity, and its involvement in criminal behavior, including violence. Our findings provide a useful descriptive summary of MS-13 in Los Angeles County, where the gang originated. Our findings also suggest that while there are good reasons to take MS-13 seriously as a threat to public safety, much of the public discourse on the gang is based on inaccurate assumptions.
KW - crime and violence
KW - Hispanic gangs
KW - Latin American gangs
KW - Los Angeles County
KW - MS13
KW - transnational capacity and organizational characteristics
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U2 - 10.1177/07340168211029990
DO - 10.1177/07340168211029990
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85109385332
SN - 0734-0168
JO - Criminal Justice Review
JF - Criminal Justice Review
ER -