The Utility Of Social Network Analysis Research Methdology Applied To Criminal Organizations: A Case Study In The Penitentiary Environment

This article highlights the relevance and necessity of applying the principles of Social Network Analysis (SNA) research methodology for the study of individuals and connections that occupy positions of power within a criminal network, one of the main analytical features applied to the organizational structure of criminal networks. In fact, this approach aims to identify individuals (as nodes) and connections situated in positions of power (also considered forms of social capital manifestation), characterized dually by both their low visibility within the network and their increased influence over the processes and phenomena occurring throughout the entire network (e.g. the organizational structure, the communication structure, and resource circulation flow). In this context, in a case study applied within the penitentiary environment on a network comprising 14 inmates who have committed violent acts together (as a group) and their 15 mutual caregivers, centrality measures are applied to identify those individuals and direct relationships (formed by pairs of two network members) that: a) occupy positions of power, indicated by popularity/visibility (reflected through the determination of the "Social hub" and "Social hub's connections" statuses values of the network members); b) exhibit another type of influence, namely the ability of individuals and relationships to influence the indirect connection of other network members (reflected through the determination of the "Betweenness" and "Link betweenness" statuses values of the network's connections). This subject is rarely adopted in the specialized literature that can be found in Romania and the motivation for using analysis technique of Social Network Analysis (SNA) lies in the increased utility and relevance of its analytical tools for studying the characteristic features structures of the organizational structure of criminal networks, including those formed by inmates. Thus, decision-makers can be advised to make decisions that lead to the disruption or even which will result in the dismantling of criminal networks within penitentiaries and, consequently, to the prevention and combating of the undesirable effects they may generate at a social level.