Analysis of criminal social networks with typed and directed edges

Abstract

The relationships within criminal groups are of qualitatively different kinds, and are typically not symmetric because of issues of power and influence. Social network analysis techniques have not been able to model this richness of relationships well. We develop a new technique for spectral embedding of directed graphs, and combine it with a recently developed technique for spectral embedding of graphs with typed edges. We use the combination to model two 'Ndrangheta organized crime groups, and show that structure that is otherwise not visible can be extracted.