Controlling Organized Crime

1558 Words7 Pages
olling Organized Cri Controlling Organized Crime Dominique Whitlock CJA/384 December 21, 2011 Anna Dow Controlling Organized Crime Organized Crime is considered to be any unlawful act committed by a group or organization with ambitions to achieve a common goal, which is usually some sort of profit. The face of organized crime has changed drastically, and despite the change, ideas about family and loyalty have remained a continual element within the culture of organized crime. By outlining specific principles and theories, this essay will analyze the history of organized crime, the attributes of such organizations, and the efforts it take to control it. Organized crime transpired around the twentieth century in many forms. “It was the mafias that emerged with the highest profile and helped spur numerous acts of Congress to help law enforcers deal with the threat” (Random History, 2008). During the first half of the twentieth century, law enforcement was obligated to often ignore the illicit activities of organized crime in fear of threat of retaliation, personal investment, or political pressure. Also during the twentieth century, flocks of Italian immigrants had started to fill voids at the lowest rung of the economic ladder, and arranged themselves into “families” in large cities (Random History, 2008). Attributes of organized crime may include limited and exclusive membership, hierarchical, lack of ideology or political goals, governing by explicit rules and regulations, and constituting a unique substructure (Lyman & Potter, 2007). Two main types of structured crime groups are the Bureaucratic organization and the Patron-Client organization. The Bureaucratic organization tends to run like a business or corporation that is ran by a chain of command. The Patron-Client model on the other hand, is structured by one individual who
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