Crime and crime reduction: The importance of group processes

As social beings, people are bound by their membership of groups. So it comes as no real surprise that they also commit crime in groups. However, there are many questions regarding group crime that we still cannot answer with any real certainty. For instance, does group membership mean that people who would not normally commit crimes become more likely to do so because of the influence of their group? If so, does this mean that membership of a criminally active group causes people to become criminal or does the group act as a support system that fosters people’s pre-existing criminal inclinations? And, how is it that group membership exerts such a strong hold on people that some risk imprisonment or even death, rather than relinquish that membership?

This book sheds light on these and other questions to deepen our understanding of group processes in criminal activity and in the treatment of offenders’ thoughts and behavior. We begin by providing social psychological explanations of how groups influence individuals. We then move on to consider specific forms of group crime such as terrorism, street and prison gangs, organized criminal networks and group sexual offending. In our final two chapters we discuss first, the role that groups take in the treatment of offenders to reduce offending and second, why it is that existing group membership needs to be considered if we are to be successful in treating offenders and reducing crime.