Differentiating Between Outlaw Motorcycle Gangs (OMCGs): Estimating the Effect of Membership of the Most Crime-Prone OMCGs on Crime Using Matching Weights

Outlaw motorcycle gangs (OMCGs) are increasingly viewed as societal menace. Prior research corroborates concerns about OMCGs by showing that many outlaw bikers have a criminal record for various—at times serious–types of offenses (Blokland et al., 2019; Klement, 2016; Rostami & Mondani, 2019; Van Deuren et al., 2021). From a theoretical point of view, OMCGs appear to occupy somewhat of a middle-ground between street gangs and organized crime groups (Von Lampe & Blokland, 2020). Like street gangs, OMCGs are durable, street orientated associations, whose members engage in criminal activity, such as violence and damaging offenses (Klein & Maxson, 2006). Unlike street gang members, however, OMCG members tend to be adults (Blokland et al., 2019; Klement, 2016). Some OMCGs have also been found to engage in serious and organized crimes, such as the manufacturing and trafficking of drugs, extortion, and racketeering (Barker, 2015; Quinn & Koch, 2003; Von Lampe & Blokland, 2020), making them resemble organized crime groups rather than juvenile street gangs in this respect (Lauchs et al., 2015)...