Civil Bans on Outlaw Motorcycle Gangs and Their Effect on Members’ Criminal Careers in Netherlands

Outlaw motorcycle gangs (OMCGs) are a cause of growing concern, not least because their members are found to be disproportionately engaged in serious and organized crime. As of 2020, upon request of the Public Prosecutor’s Office, the Dutch civil court issued civil bans against the most notorious Dutch OMCGs. The current study estimates the effects of those civil bans on the registered crime rate of the banned OMCGs’ membership. We use generalized estimating equations regression analysis with two comparison groups: the membership of nine Dutch OMCGs that were not subjected to a civil ban, and a random sample of Dutch male motorcycle owners not affiliated to any OMCG and use matching weights to control for selection effects. Results show no direct or gradual effect of the civil bans on the registered crime rate of members of the banned clubs. This finding holds when comparisons focus on specific crime types. Potential reasons for the absence of an effect are discussed, as are its implications for future policy.