Controlling Organized Crime

Controlling Organized Crime Paper

Tracy L. Chambers

CJA/384

February 05, 2012

Instructor Leroy Hendrix, MS

Abstract

Many concerns encircle organized crime. The concern of differing viewpoints on defining organized crime; the concerns with the ‘who’ and ‘why’ involved in organized crime; the criminal activity performed by such enterprises and how the phenomenon of organized crime can be controlled. Despite the fact there is much collusion from society in the support of the illicit goods and services provided by organized crime, society still looks upon law enforcement to control these enterprises. Organized crime may never be stopped in its entirety, but it must be controlled because of the lasting effect it has on American society.

Controlling Organized Crime Paper

Problems Presented and Relationships Established

One problem presented is the absence of agreement on the term ‘organized crime’, which contributes much confusion and difficulty in identifying such crime groups. Some law enforcement agencies have defined organized crime as possessing four major components, which include a group of more than three individuals; the criminal activity is continual and indefinite; a desire for profit and power is the motivator, and the group commits serious criminal offenses (Lyman & Potter, 2007). However, the Federal Bureau of Investigation has defined organized crime “as a continuing criminal conspiracy with an organized structure that is successful because of its use of fear, corruption, and violence” (Mallory, 2007, p. 5).

The attributes defined above provide a basis for deciding if a specific group of criminals represent organized crime. This is crucial because organized crime needs to be handled differently from those of conventional criminals. A more in-depth understanding could be obtained from the many empirical and speculative theories that assist in the explanation of organized crime, except there is not one theory that can be applicable to the...