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Copyright of Canadian Journal of Sociology is the property of Canadian Journal of Sociology and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

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. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Canadian Journal of Sociology is the property of Canadian Journal of Sociology and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)