Organized Crime Lecture Slides PDF

Towards a more resilient nation  Transnational Organised Crime HLS100 The term organized crime is not used consistently. When people speak of organized crime they have different things in mind. And even when they think of the same phenomena, they may have different ideas about what it is...

Towards a more resilient nation  Transnational Organised Crime HLS100 The term organized crime is not used consistently. When people speak of organized crime they have different things in mind. And even when they think of the same phenomena, they may have different ideas about what it is that makes organized crime distinct: Is it the organization of crime, the organization of criminals, or the exercise of power by criminals?  Organisation of Topic Crime Much of what is commonly associated with the term organized crime has to do with the provision of illegal goods and services. Certain goods and services are prohibited (e.g., child pornography), so strictly regulated (e.g., drugs), or so highly taxed (e.g., cigarettes) that suppliers and consumers seek ways to circumvent the law. All of these illegal markets change over time. Some laws that criminalize certain products or behaviors are repealed while new products and behaviors are outlawed. Famously, the production and sale of alcohol, including beer and wine, was illegal in the United States during the Prohibition Era, from 1920 until 1933. The urban poor, who once placed bets on daily numbers with an illegal lottery in their neighborhood, now buy tickets from state-run lotteries.  Topic The successes and failures of law enforcement shape illegal markets in their own way. For example, the successful interception of marijuana smuggled from Colombia to the United States in the 1970s promoted a shift to the smuggling of a far less bulky illegal substance: cocaine. Organized crime is not only associated with the supply of illegal goods and services but also with predatory crimes, such as theft, robbery, and fraud. In fact, when the term organized crime first came in use in the mid- 1800s in colonial India, it referred primarily to gangs of highway robbers. Likewise, the first consistent use of the term organized crime in the United States around the year 1920 was linked to theft and robbery much more than to illegal gambling or, for that matter, the illegal sale of alcohol. Organized in this context means that crimes are committed on a continuous basis  The Organisation of Criminals Topic The term organized crime brings up up images of gangsters like Al Capone, who are public figures, who hold respect because of the wealth and power they have accumulated from crime. Often the problem for law enforcement is not to find out who the organized criminals are but to link them to specific, indictable offenses. The myriad social relations of criminals and to understand how these relations influence and shape criminal behavior. What may be most readily associated with the organization of criminals are criminal groups that are centered on the commission of particular crimes. A classic example is that of the “working groups” of pickpockets. A working group of, for example, pickpockets, comprises perhaps two to four members who collaborate according to their individual abilities. Another now classic example of working groups of criminals is that of the Colombian drug trafficking organizations that dominated the global cocaine trade in the 1980s and early 1990s. A handful of organizations, each with about 100 to 200 full-time  The exercise of power by criminals Topic Criminal fraternities like the Sicilian Mafia or the North American Cosa Nostra can be found in a role other than that of just inwardly looking clannish, secretive combinations of criminals. One meaning of the term organized crime is that crime in a specific area is under the control of a particular group of criminals, such as a branch of the Sicilian Mafia or of the North American Cosa Nostra. In a situation like this, criminals are not free to commit any crime. They need permission from the ruling criminal group. Certain crimes may not be tolerated because they go against the moral convictions of those in power or because these crimes may attract unwanted attention by the police—for example, street robberies or dealing hard drugs like heroin. As a result, neighborhoods under the control of a criminal group, ironically, can have relatively low crime rates.  Topic Of course, there are many organized crimes that target law-abiding citizens, and corruption and intimidation are ways in which organized criminals can influence government officials, from the cop on the beat, to prosecutors, judges, and mayors. Yet, arguably the most far-reaching criminal advance into the upperworld is of a different nature, when criminal groups take the place of legitimate government. In the United States there has been a long tradition of politicians recruiting criminal gangs to stuff ballot boxes and to intimidate the voters of opposing candidates and a similarly long tradition of businesses employing criminals to counter efforts of unionizing workers.  Conceptual Confusion Topic The problem that everyone faces who is drawn to this subject is the diversity of views of what organized crime constitutes. This diversity has led to a great deal of talking at cross-purposes. Organized Crime and the Social Construction of Reality It is important to understand why it is so difficult to come to terms with this subject and why there is still such a great deal of confusion. This has not so much to do with the sinister and clandestine ways of gangsters and mafiosi. Instead it has to do with a general problem of how people perceive and make sense of the world they live in. * First of all, people cannot possibly grasp reality in all of its complexity. Their perception is inevitably selective, which means they focus on certain aspects while neglecting others. * Secondly, what they see they tend to frame and rearrange into categories that are in line with their preexisting views, attitudes, and values.  Topic In order to be able to speak of organized crime, certain aspects of the social universe first have to be separated out from a dense web of individuals, actions, and structures and brought into a unifying context on the conceptual level. Organized crime, in this sense, is a construct, an attempt to make sense of a complex social reality. Is a Definition of Organized Crime Needed to Study Organized Crime? Scholars have dealt with the existing conceptual confusion in different ways. Perhaps the most common and also most obvious approach is the attempt to increase clarity by defining organized crime. Attempts to Arrive at an Authoritative Definition of Organized Crime What all attempts to delineate the meaning of the term organized crime have in common is that the line they draw between organized crime and non-organized crime in the end is arbitrary.  Topic The argument, in essence, is that in order to be able to study organized crime one first has to be clear about what to study. At first glance this seems to be a logical and, in fact, irrefutable proposition. However, things are more complicated when dealing with a subject that is first and foremost a construct rather than a coherent empirical phenomenon. Organized crime is not a scientific discovery. The notion of organized crime was first promoted by civic leaders, politicians, and journalists and only later adopted by social scientists. From this line of reasoning follows that research on organized crime cannot have a definition of organized crime, the notion of a clear and coherent object of study, as its starting point. On the contrary, the very purpose of the study of organized crime is to determine to what extent such a coherent phenomenon indeed exists.  Topic So, if for the time being there is no useful definition of organized crime, what then exactly is the object of study in the study of organized crime? The short answer is, there is not one object of study but many different objects of study, comprising, for a lack of discriminating criteria, everything that in some way or other has been associated with organized crime. In other words, the study of organized crime is the study of whatever is labeled organized crime, in line with the only definition of organized crime that is based on a clear-cut common denominator and is comprehensive at the same time: Organized crime is what people so  Definition and structure of organized crime Topic Based on Howard Abadinsky In order to understand how the varied and large-scale tasks of criminal organizations can be accomplished, we need to examine the structures that contemporary organized crime can manifest. In this chapter, we will examine the problem of defining organized crime and then consider two contrasting organizational models. The bureaucratic / corporate model and the patron-client network represent two ends of a continuum; criminal groups, if they are to be defined as organized, can be located somewhere along this continuum. Although there is no generally accepted definition of organized crime—indeed, the federal Organized Crime Control Act of 1970 fails to define organized crime — a number of attributes have been identified by law enforcement agencies and researchers as indicative of the phenomenon. Offering these attributes has a practical dimension: the attributes provide a basis for determining if a particular group of criminals constitutes organized crime and, therefore, needs to be approached in a way different from the way one would approach terrorists or groups of conventional  Topic Organized crime: 1. Has no political goals 2. Is hierarchical 3. Has a limited or exclusive membership 4. Constitutes a unique subculture 5. Perpetuates itself 6. Exhibits a willingness to use illegal violence 7. Is monopolistic 8. Is governed by explicit rules and Regulations  Topic If we were to limit our definition of organized crime to two essential characteristics, they would be willingness to use illegal violence and devoid of political goals. Relationships between drug traffickers and terrorists are mutually beneficial. Like Colombian drug cartels, terrorist groups are frequently organized along compartmentalized lines. The differences between terrorist organizations and organized crime groups rest on means and ends. While both engage in organized criminal activity to support themselves, terrorists use their funds to further political ends, to overthrow governments and impose their worldview. Organized crime instead seeks to form a parallel government while coexisting with the existing one.  The Structure of Organized Crime Topic The eight attributes of organized crime that we have examined can fit two contrasting organizational models: the bureaucratic/corporate and the patron-client network. The Bureaucratic/Corporate Model The corporation, the police, and the military are examples of bureaucracies, that mode of organization essential for efficiently carrying out large-scale tasks. All bureaucracies are rational organizations sharing a number of attributes: A complicated hierarchy An extensive division of labor Positions assigned on the basis of skill Responsibilities carried out in an impersonal manner Extensive written rules and regulations Communication from the top of the hierarchy to persons on the bottom, usually in written form.  Topic For example, a “mom and pop grocery” need not have any of the attributes of a bureaucracy. The owners and workers are related, and the structure is informal and kinship based. If the business expands—the owners establish many groceries—a formal hierarchy becomes necessary, as do skilled persons and a division of labor: A criminal organization structured along corporate/bureaucratic lines has inherent weaknesses: Communication from top management to operational-level personnel can be intercepted. Generating and maintaining written records endangers the entire organization. Successful infiltration at the lower level can jeopardize the entire organization. Death or incarceration of command personnel leaves dangerous gaps in operations. Topic  Topic Patron-Client Networks Many aspects of bureaucracy are impractical for criminal organizations because they must be concerned with the very real possibility that communications are being monitored. Decentralization in a criminal organization can be advantageous for both business and security reasons.  Question / team work discussion: Topic We discussed two points of view on the need for defining organized crime. While Klaus Von Lampe presented in the first part of the lecture argues against such a definition the second author Howard Abadinsky is in favor of such definition. Provide your opinion whether we need such definition of organized crime or not? Topic