Transnational Organized Crime During The Prohibition Era

Organized Crime is an underground operation that profits from the sale of illegal products or services based on the public's demand. Organized crime came about as a way for incoming immigrants to the United States to make a profit throughout the 19th century. When they were discriminated against and turned away from employment because of their ethnicity, they banded together to make a profit so that they could one day live the “American Dream.” However, organized crime really takes over and starts to become a problem in the 1920s with the introduction of the 18th Amendment on January 16, 1920 which outlawed the production, distribution, and consumption of alcoholic beverages.

Organized crime has been present in the history of the United States and can be traced back to the streets of the early 1800’s. Organized crime occurs when a group of people congregate together and plan to commit a series of crimes to make money, usually illegally. Organized crime groups have evolved over time from small rackets to grand organizations like the Italian Mafia. Crime particularly began to become prominent in urban areas during the prohibition. Organized crime is still just as visible today as it was back in the early 1800’s.

Throughout time organized crime has had a prolific impact on the United States and the world as a whole. Specifically in the 1930’s when prohibition was in effect and even after it was repealed. Their was one group that stood out in the midst of all the organized crime of the 1930’s. That group is called the Mafia. The Italian based criminal syndicate was one of the most powerful and influential groups when it came to organized crime in the 1930’s. Their numbers were vast and their powerful reputation concerned the national government at the time. Though it is smaller in numbers today, the Mafia had its time of success and power for organized crime in the 1930’s.

Organized crime today differs a lot from the past. For example, during the 1920’s organized crime was primarily a domestic concern and today it is a transnational concern. Before, organized crime was all about having power and looking up for their location and rarely never go beyond there. Today they are just everywhere, per say one group can be in multiple locations at the same time. Today is all about money and controlling licit and illicit enterprises. This new form of organized crime started during the 1970’s and forward, this changed was due to the new era of globalized world, soft borders, and the revolution of technology. All of this opened the doors to a creative and powerful transnational organized crime. How this all started anyways?

Prison gangs within the penal system are problematic and a multifaceted issue for several reasons. One reason gangs are so problematic in the penal system is due to the threat they impose on others, including other types of gang-bangers, non-gang affiliated inmates, correctional staff, prison administration, and the overall security of the facility itself. According to research, “A composite measure of gang misconduct represents the threat that particular gangs pose to prison order” (Gaes, Wallace, Gilman, Saffron, & Suppa, 2002). In fact, “There is little doubt that prison gangs are the source of considerable misconduct and present serious challenges to the management of prisons, which is why numerous strategies have been employed to control and suppress gang activity” (Pyrooz & Mitchell, 2015).

My paper will cover the topic of how to how control organized crime and not just in the United States of America but also abroad. This is a country and others are wrought with opportunities, but many would seek to use those opportunities improperly to illegal ends. The consequences of these criminals and their actions can be detrimental to the overall well-being of the general populace by introducing negative elements into the greater whole of society. For that reason, and many others, numerous agencies were created to police these crimes and the people who perpetrate them. Varying jurisdictions from local to federal are normally involved in the investigation and apprehension of these individuals. But before one can discuss the topic of

Adrian Cobb Cobb 1 Coach Croley AP Language/Composition 6 March 2015 Period: 5 Organized Crime and its Influences Organized crime became extremely popular in the 1920s with the prohibition of alcohol; it prompted would-be gangsters to begin illegally making it and smuggling it. The Volstead Act enforced the ban on importing, sale, and production of alcohol which opened up money possibilities for gangsters. It became not only a source of money for the mob bosses, etc. but for politicians and other authority figures through bribes, blackmails, and so on. Society changed for the better and worse – better after years that this occurred and it was combat, but worse for the people of the society that had nothing to do with the mob’s dealings, etc.

The 1920’s is a period known for being filled with all types of big changes in American culture and economy. A huge change was prohibition and organized crime. Prohibition is what started out as a law to end transportation and sales of alcohol, but then led to some of the largest crimes in America that took place nation-wide. The main factors of these crimes were the American Mafia and prohibition, the Volstead Act and the Amendment, as well as the effect this had on Americans.

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

Conversely, the Federal Bureau of Investigation has classified organized crime “as a continuing criminal conspiracy with an organized structure that is successful because of its use of fear, corruption, and violence” (Mallory & Mallory, 2012).

Organized crime has been around since the 1880’s. It was not until the 1920’s that organized crime began to develop into a bigger problem. Following the victory of Allied Forces during World War I, more and more immigrants began to immigrate into the United States. Some of these immigrants would become the leaders of crime organizations. The “Noble Experiment” would also help organized crime to gain momentum. Criminals were able to provide the people with something they wanted, and with alcohol being illegal, they were able to make smuggling into a big business. The rise of organized crime began, due to the recent waves of immigrants from Europe, and also that the United States tried to limit the consumption of alcohol.

The Mexican Mafia, or “La Eme”, as they refer to themselves, is one of the most powerful and influential organized crime gangs in the United States. The organization has risen through the decades of mass gang wars and violence to become the power it is today. Their control is limitless and they have ventured far beyond the expectations of what was thought that gangs were capable of. They have infiltrated governments and manipulated politics. They have taken over neighborhoods and attempted to ethnically cleanse them. Innocent people have become caught up in the affairs of La Eme throughout its history and many have faced violence and death at their hands. This paper is a continual of the case analysis of the Mexican Mafia and will attempt to provide explanations for some of the crimes committed by this organization. Researching gangs and organized crime is important because of their large influence and control over many aspects of daily life. The significance of attempting to provide causations of their crimes can better provide the criminal justice system a clearer understanding of problems that lead to gang members committing crimes on behalf of the organization. A clearer understanding of problems can help the system to provide solutions to combat situations that inhibit crimes.

In this research paper I will discuss one transnational crime, and compare the contrast of two nations for their definition of the crime rate, and tools used to measure the crime. I will give each country’s legal tradition and their major influences on crime definition, rate, and measurement. In this assignment I will analyze the extent to which crime statistics collected in different nations can adequately be compared.

involves a criminal group that takes part in illegal activities in more than one state. Some

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