Crime Vs Transnational Organized Crime

Many could argue that organized crime takes place in our society because of the circumstances in which our society has chosen to exist. It could have been started because of rules, regulations, and laws that we have placed upon ourselves that not every person agrees with. It could be a problem because several of the people within our society choose to live differently because they feel they can. Whatever the logic behind the choice organized crime does exist in our society and has for quite some time. In this paper will take a look at the perspective of social organized crime. We will discuss and explain the term social institution and how it applies to organized crime. We will discuss empirical

Organized crime is found in the United States of America today and the law enforcement agencies are trying to find a way to curb its existence. Even though there are illegal businesses associated with organized crime, they are mixed in with legal businesses to portray a legal front. It also can be called a social institution because it is led by a boss and follows a chain of command much like a pyramid. Empirical and speculative theories have been developed through the years in order for the law enforcement agencies to better understand organized crime and how to deal with it. This paper will examine a social institution as it applies to

The characteristics defined above provide a basis for deciding if a specific group of criminals represent organized crime. This type of information is essential because organized crime has be handled in a different way from those of traditional offenders. Researchers can do a more comprehensive understanding could be acquired from the many empirical and speculative theories that contribute in the clarification of organized crime; this writer would it to be known that there is not one theory that can be applicable to the various groups of organized crime or its participants (Mallory & Mallory, 2012).

Organized crime is often committed by highly controlled criminal groups that participate in illegal activities for financial benefits. Indeed, organized crimes terrorize multiple facets of the American nation, which include the US’ economy as well as national security. The FBI assigns the costs of organized crime globally at one trillion dollars per year.

The organized crime groups that I am most familiar with include terrorist groups, gangs, and mafias. As a result of living in a city in Florida, I have heard more about gangs compared to when I used to live in a rural town in Vermont. I’ve always heard about gang violence and the crime they commit, such as theft and murder (“Tampa Bay gangs,” n.d.). I also know that gangs can be represented by different colors, markings, and often members will have tattoos of the gang logo (“Tampa Bay gangs,” n.d.). Al Qaeda and ISIS are the two terrorist groups I have heard the most about because of how often the groups are committed crimes that are making national headlines. From the 9/11 terrorist attacks to the recent attach on Paris, terrorist groups are constantly committing crime and violence against society (Mallory, 2012). Lastly, I am not too familiar with the names of various mafias, I have only heard about the different types of crime they commit.

The FBI defines organized crime as any group having some manner of a formalized structure and whose primary objective is to obtain money through illegal and immoral activities (fbi.gov). At one point in time only the mafia and other various crime organizations were thought to participate organized crime, but now there is a new crime organization on the rise.

Organised crime dates back to as early as the street gangs of the 1800s, with organised crime being the inclusion of a whole city, or state, in illegal and unlawful activity. In America, the activity of taking part in organised crime is known as racketeering, with secret organisations and members using word of mouth to send messages. The Forty Thieves, one of these street gangs, was formed through hundreds of immigrants coming together for their own financial gain and protection. These gangs saw organised crime as the only form of protection against corrupt police officers and other gangs. Generally gangs formed in the 1800s were grouped together as people who were poor and living in slums, or through their ethnic background. The Italian-Americans formed the most notable organised crime group of the Mafia, where Italian immigrants worked together to fight oppression, and to rise above poverty by selling stolen goods, extortion, prostitution, and other acts which were quick at gaining money.

The topic of this paper is gangsters in organized crime can either work alone or work with other gangsters. When people commit crimes with other criminals, their personal ties to each other become strong when there is especially trust or there could be no trust, however, those ties can become strong at some point.

The chapter on Organized Crime by Frank Scarpitti sparked my interest because of the complexity of the phenomena in the United States and how it combines so many different social dynamics. In the chapter, Scarpitti examines the history of organized crime, the role it plays in society, explanations of organized crime and finally combating organized crime in the US. He explains organized crime as profit motivated, providing the public with illegal goods and services, it involves intensive planning and conspiracy among groups and contains violence and coercion, moreover, relies on political corruption to function.

[Prior to taking this course I had a perspective of “organized crime” groups that did not view them in any other context other than a criminal enterprise for ethnic groups. However, after several weeks of reading and research there is much more to the organizations. There are many groups that make up our society, and are considered social institutions. Organized crime groups are just one more of those social institutions. In this paper we will review the term social institution as it applies to organized crime, and reveal the theories and models which help explain organized crime and criminal behavior.

These crime groups are identified as powerful, highly profitable, and well connected (FBI.gov). Organized crime involves corruption, violence, multiple illegitimate enterprises, structure, and involvement with a legitimate enterprise. These crime groups benefit and acquire success from the supply of illegal goods or services for which people are willing to pay. “The purposes of most organized crimes are to make money but also gain power, pride, and protection” (FBI.gov). The structure built within these groups is very common to that of others and of political structures. The groups would have a boss who is much like a CEO of any company. The boss has advisors who work with him or her on assigning tasks. Finally, at the bottom, there are the foot soldiers or the crew who carries out the physical work such as killing people or selling drugs (FBI.gov). Offenders of organized crimes are very loyal and committed to their groups and their traditions. They may have taken an oath or have sworn to secrecy of the events and businesses of the

An organized crime group is defined as three or more persons with the intention of committing one or more serious crimes for financial gain (Pietschmann & Walker, 2011). This group has to exist for a certain period of time and be structured, which means not randomly formed for a direct offense (Pietschmann & Walker, 2011). If the crime is committed in more than one State, and has substantial effects, then it is considered an organized crime (Petschmann & Walker, 2011). Some of the main transnational organized crime includes trafficking of illicit drugs such as cocaine and heroin (Pietschmann & Walker, 2011). Drug trafficking forms the largest income for transnationally operating crime groups worldwide (Petschmann & Walker, 2011). The cocaine and heroin market play a key role in the transnational drug trafficking trade of today (Petschmann & Walker, 2011).

Thus, the organized criminal activity becomes transnational if it is connected to illegal operations on moving material and non-material means through frontiers, which bring an essential economic gain. The transnational organized crime uses the favorable market conditions of other states, significant distinctions in systems of criminal justice of the different countries, and penetration into their legal economy with the help of corruption and violence (Zorin, 2009). In researching on this issue, the conclusion that has arrived is as long as we live, we will always have organized crime. However, if we do not participate in these acts it ill not prosper.

Organized crime can have a huge effect not only on individuals, but also on a whole economy due to the black market and its illegal operations. Organized crime also tries to penetrate into legal businesses to strengthen the overall organization. Organizations members and the organizations itself, increases its legal money by investing in power and influence which thus givens them comfortability and a sense of feeling secure (Verhage and Ponsaers, 2009, p.407). Since, individual make up a crime family or organization, one cannot just look at money laundering on a group level, but must also look at those that make up the group and help earn a profit for the organization, they are a part and play more an important role than the organization as

Transnational crime is a growing problem. Transnational crime is defined as “self-perpetuating associations of individuals who operate transnational for the purpose of obtaining power, influence, monetary and/or commercial gains, wholly or in part by illegal means, while protecting their activities through a pattern of corruption and/ or violence, or while protecting their illegal activities through a transnational structure and the exploitation of transnational commerce or communication mechanisms.” (National Security Council, n.d.) . Transnational crimes are known under other names such as cross-national crime, global crime, international crime, and