Discussing violence creates trust among gang members

Gang members trust one another more than their own family members if they have shared incriminating information about a violent act they are planning, according to a new Oxford University study. Researchers analysed phone conversations between gangs wiretapped by the police in the 1990s. They found that the more two members had over the phone, the higher the level of co-operation they had on future tasks. The findings are published in the journal Rationality and Society . The researchers set out to examine the mechanisms by which criminal gangs build up trust among their members. Gang members cannot resolve their differences through the police or the courts should someone renege on their part of the deal. Recruiting family members is one way of creating greater co-operation between law-breakers.