What Is Organized Crime?

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.

The only way to take down organized crime will be if the government is aware of the roots of why the syndicates form, because what would a country be without being aware of all of its citizens? Though the American Dream may be something that doesn’t reverberate with today’s generations, it should be kept in every American’s hearts. “The future will be determined by the young”, said Eleanor Roosevelt, “and there is no more essential task today, it seems, to me, than to bring before them once more, in all its brightness, in all its splendor and beauty, the American

Organized crime can be narrowed down to five unique areas of criminal activity. The first being racketeering, an umbrella term, meant to describe when any group or groups conduct one or more of the other criminal activities. One of the most successful ways the federal government has been able to hinder the actions of hardcore criminals is through the formation of the RICO Act (Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations). The second area of major criminal activity is vice, or vice operations. This has to do with victim-less crimes such as drugs, gambling, and prostitution. Again, these crimes are highly problematic because it is the public that decides whether or not they prosper. It’s all too easy to build a case against someone breaking a law by importing huge quantities of controlled substances across a border, but it becomes much more difficult to stem the sale or need for such drugs once they have reached their intended destinations.

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

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 is an outcome of prohibition in the United States at the beginning of the 20th century. The government was trying to uphold the Volstead Act of 1920, but bootlegging rings continued to grow nationally as well as internationally. The Wickersham Commission of 1930 led to a crackdown on political corruption and began a repetitive prohibition period in which organized crime leaders had a new way to commit crimes and come up with a profit in the end. In the 1930's Lucku Luciano and Louis Leoke Buchalter created a crime group they called the Syndicate which was made up of criminals all across the country and punished anyone who violated their ways. Luciano ended up convicted, Buchalter was executed, and Murder INC was broken down,

In contemporary societies, crime is an undeniable fact of daily life. Modern penal systems are developed in order to bring justice towards those who transgress the inviolable laws and regulations imposed by the current legislative body. In the United States adversarial system, a common quandary associated with proper administration of justice is the question of who is liable for actions committed by members of a group or organization that has been found to be associated with organized crime. In the 1970’s, in the wake of a slew of crimes perpetrated by members of the Mafia, the Racketeering Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act was established and signed into law by the Nixon administration. Under this act, simply referred to as R.I.C.O., leaders and members of a crime syndicate could be held on trial for criminal penalties for actions that they ordered others to perform.

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.

When one thinks about organized crime, what come to mind? Why do people feel the need to form such criminal groups and networks? Is it due to lack of economic status? Or is it because of the will to receive what one cannot have? There are many reason that can be inserted into reasons why organized crime is formed. The main reason could be money and power. With the everyday innovations of technology, organized crime has been expanded and including as many people as they can in their networks. Some organized crime groups are brought together by ethnic background while other are brought together by the willingness to be included. There are many organized crime groups as of date that are operating from one side of the country all the way back across

Comprised of distinct elements that assist in establishing and defining organized crime in small street gangs or terrorist groups are national or transnational criminal organizations. Organized crime groups have an organized structure. These structures include hierarchical structures or other similar structures which establish a clear chain of command. Having a structure provides knowledge of every member’s role in the organization; who gives the orders and who needs to obey and carry out the commands. Further, exclusive membership is typically a requirement. This allows shared trust amongst members of the group. Move over, exclusive membership reduces the risk of infiltration by law enforcement officials and aids in maintaining some secrecy within the organizations and the strategies (Lyman & Potter, 2006). Organized crime operates its illegal trades primarily in the shadows in hopes of drawing little attention from law enforcement agencies who may look to disrupt their criminal activities. Maintaining secrecy is necessary for various operations that organized crime may participate in and may add to the longevity of the group before being targeted by law enforcement.

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

Defining organized crime has proven to be a general difficulty throughout history. The belief of this paper is that definition is crucial, however, at the same time one should identify that within the scope of organized crime, definition has been quite subjective and controversial. The reason why it is important is because the exact way in which organized crime is defined goes a significant distance in determining how legislation and laws are constructed, how research studies are completed, how examinations and prosecutions are coordinated, and lastly, how interactive and connected legal assistance