Organizational Turning Points: The Transformation of the Almighty Latin King and Queen Nation in New York City

Abstract

Sociologists and criminologists have relied on the concept of “turning points” to map individual criminal careers over the life course. Similar to individuals, criminal organizations undergo drastic changes that influence their trajectory over time and space. Using the case of the Almighty Latin King and Queen Nation (ALKQN) in New York City, we introduce the concept of “organizational turning points” to explain the group’s evolution through various legitimate and illegitimate forms. Bringing together conceptual lenses from literature on organizational change, culture and cognition, and criminology, we demonstrate that street gangs can be complex and fluid organisms that change over time and space. Identifying and recognizing organizational turning points in criminal groups can have important implications for scholars and practitioners alike.