Models of Organized Crime Executive Summary

Perspectives on Social Organized Crime

Sharon Parks

CJA/384

November 29, 2012

University of Phoenix

John Mack Dow

Social Institution within Organized Crime

Social institution is a group or organization that has a particular function, objective, or mission, and accomplishes the successful completion of this aspiration, function, or assignment by influencing and convincing others within a community to take part, and support their objective. Social institution applies to organized crime in various ways, as members of criminal organizations focus on a community’s social structure as well who has social control within the community and who are the major players. Moreover, criminal organizations form tight-knit associations with legitimate businesses whose owners appear willing to participate in the criminal organizations success (University of Phoenix, 2010).

According to Osmosis (2003), in the book titled Everything: Historical interpretations on Prohibition and organized crime, the alien theory states, individuals involved with organized crime in Sicily and Italy had fashioned criminal organizations known as Costra Nostra or the Sicilian Mafia. These individuals migrated to North America in an endeavor to flee exposure and consternation by law enforcement in their own country, and to benefit from the abundant opportunities that existed in North America, both legally and illegally. After arriving in North America, these groups of individuals urbanized, structured, and operated numerous criminal organizations, committed minor as well as serious criminal offenses; and were alleged by countless professionals and American citizens, to have been the major cause for the establishment of a criminal culture in North America.

The social control theory implies that a person, who is actively involved with a community and has strong family associations, will be less likely to engage in criminal activity than those who do not have those ties or bonds. Whenever an...