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‘Our biographies are the same’: Juvenile Work in Mexican Drug Trafficking Organizations from the Perspective of a Collective Trajectory

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  • Piotr A Chomczyński
  • Roger Guy

Abstract

Recent violence among drug trafficking organizations (DTOs) in Mexico has resulted in an ongoing demand for new recruits. Juveniles engage in a wide range of activities from lookouts in drug trafficking operations to high-risk activities, such as kidnapping and homicide. Based on ongoing ethnographic work in Mexico and referrals from correctional officials, we conducted in-depth biographical interviews with convicted and active cartel members (N = 79). Our data revealed that similar biographical experiences in communities characterized by a high degree of collectivism laid the groundwork for their entry and continued participation in criminal activity. Through inductive methods, we introduce a theoretical concept that we term a collective trajectory to help explain our subjects’ pathway and criminal careers in DTOs.

Suggested Citation

  • Piotr A Chomczyński & Roger Guy, 2021. "‘Our biographies are the same’: Juvenile Work in Mexican Drug Trafficking Organizations from the Perspective of a Collective Trajectory," The British Journal of Criminology, Centre for Crime and Justice Studies, vol. 61(4), pages 946-964.
    • Handle: RePEc:oup:crimin:v:61:y:2021:i:4:p:946-964.
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    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10.1093/bjc/azaa092
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    Cited by:

    1. Krzysztof Pękala & Andrzej Kacprzak & Piotr Chomczyński & Jakub Ratajczak & Michał Marczak & Remigiusz Kozłowski & Dariusz Timler & Anna Pękala-Wojciechowska & Paweł Rasmus, 2021. "Age-Graded Transitions and Turning Points in Polish Offenders’ Criminal Careers from the Standpoint of Life Course Theory," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(11), pages 1-11, June.

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