ABSTRACT
Organized criminal gangs develop methods of communication, which determine how they are supposed to speak to each other and how they must use them to keep their operations secret to outsiders. The in-group language that members of criminal gangs use constitutes a type of slang called a cant – a form of language that allows the gangsters to communicate fluidly with each other so that others will not be able to understand them and so that they can assert an in-group savvy. More generally, cants are called cryptolects or anti-languages. This chapter will deal with criminal communication, from cryptolects to criminal uses of cryptography. There is considerable overlap between such communication systems and the sense of symbolism that allows gangs to identify themselves.
