UNIT II: CONCEPT OF

ORGANIZED CRIME
ORGANIZED CRIME

•Is a category of transnational, national, or local groupings

of highly centralized enterprises run by criminals who
intend to engage in illegal activity, most commonly for
profit.

•Is a non-ideological enterprise involving a number of

persons in close social interaction, organized in
hierarchical basis.
 Although there is no generally accepted definition of organized
crime, the Federal Organized Crime Control Act of 1970 fails to define
organized crime, the number of attributes have been identified by
law eforcement agences and research a indicatve phenomenon.

Attributes of organized crime groups

1. It is hierrchical
2. It is monopolstic
3. It perpetuates itself
4. It has no political goals
5. Its constitutes a unique culture
6. It has limited and exclusive membership
7. It is govern by explicit rules and regultions
8. It exhibits a willingness to use violence and bribery
ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE

The Boss overseas all organizational endeavors and has the final
word on decisions involving all aspects of family buiness.

The Consigliere in close association of the boss who enjoys a

considerable amount of influence and status in the family, serving
the boss as trusted advisor.
Under Boss works at the plasure of the boss and acts on his behalf
when the boss is incapacitated.

The Capos are sort of mid-level manager. One of the primary rule of
capos is to serve as the buffer between the lowest level members and
the upper level members of the family. The capo is the trusted go
between through which all communications flow from the boss to the
lowest-level members.

Soldiers are the lowest member of the family also known as “wise
guy”“made guys”or “button men”who report directly to the capo and
often operate atleast one specific enterprses.

Organized Syndicate Group - A profit motivated, and highly-capable

group of persons or an enterprise, organized to undertake widespread,
regular, or long-term, large scale, high profile and diversified criminal
actiities.
Criminal Gang - A group of two or more persons who have
identifying sign/symbols and whose members individually,
collectively engage in or have a pattern of criminal activity.

TRADITIONAL NOTIONS ABOUT ORGANIZED CRIME

1.A series of interconnected mutually beneficial to further criminal

activities so that money and power can be maximize.
2. Consist of enforced hierarchical structure, in which effort are
directed forward conspiratorial activties of an ongoing nature
3. Involve in a number of profit making operation, from basic illegal
“business” activties such as gambling, prostitution, adult
entertainment, to more complex activiies such as money launderng
and computer crimes.
4. Various level of the threat of violence to actual violence are
employed in order to ensure objectives are obtained.
5. Organzed crime is not to be confused to terrorist activitist for
which the goal of action is primarily political in nature.
6. Serious effort is directed towards organizational maintainance,
cash flow, personnel discipline and ongoing “business” operation.
7. It seeks to be immune from the reaches of legitimate lawful
authority.
8. Various activities generally include: gambling, loan sharking,
drugs, prostitution, various forms of adult oriented entertainment,
extortion, bribery, embezzlement, fraud etc..
HOW THE ORGANIZED CRIME GROUP WORKS

A. An Enforcer - one who makes arrangement for killing and injuring

members and non-members.
B. A Corrupter - one who bribes, buy, intimidate, threatens, negotiate and
sweet talks into a relationship with the police, public officials, or any else
who might help the members security and maintain immunity from arrest,
prosecution, and punishment.
C. A Curruptee - a public official, usually not a member of the organizational
family, who can wield, influence on behalf of the organizations interest.

Source of Illegal Profit

•Gain from goods and services that are of great demand of the society but
are prohibited by law
•The range of activities in which the organized crime groups are said to be
involve is vast indeed.
CHARACTERISTICS OF ORGANIZED CRIMES

1. It is a conspiracy activity involving the condition of members .

2. Economic gains is a primary goal.
3. Economic gain is achieve through illegal means.
4. Employs predatory tactics such as intimidation, violence and corruption.
5. Effective control over members, associates, and victims.
6. Organized crime does not include political dedicated to political change.

GENERIC TYPES OF ORGANIZED CRIME

1. Political Graft - manned by political criminals who use force or violence
by a means to obtain profitor gain or achieving political aim.
2. The Mercenary/Predatory O.C. - crimes committed by groups for direct
personal profit but they prey upon unwilling victims.
3. In-Group Oriented O.C. - manned by semi-organized individuals whose major
goal are psychological gratofication such as adolescent gangs.
4.Syndicated Crime - illicit activity through use of force, threat and intimidation.

ESSENTIAL COMPOSITION OF ORGANIZED CRIME

1. PROFESSIONAL CRIMES - refers to occupation or their incumbents which
possesses various traits including useful knowledge that requires lengthy training,
service orientation and of ethics that permits occupations to attempt to obtain
autonomy and independence with high prestige and remuneration.

CHARACTERISTICS OF PROFESSIONAL CRIME

1. Crime is a sole means of livelihood.
2.Careful planning and reliance upon technical skills and methods.
3. Offenders are of migratory lifestyle
4. The group have shared a sense of belongingness, rules, codes of behavior and
mutual specialized language.
Forms of White Collar Crimes
1. Corporate Crime - violation of corporate statute either by a corporate intity or
by it's executives, employees or agents, acting on behalf of and for the benefit of
the corporation, partnership or other business intity.
2. Environmental Crimes - damage some protected or otherwise significant aspect
of the natural environment.
3. Occupational Crime - any act punishable by law which is committed through
opportunity created in the course of an occupation that is legal.

OCCUPATIONAL CRIME CLASSIFICATION

1. Organizational - crime committed for the benefit for the entire organization in
such instances only the organization/employer and not individual employees.
2. State Authority - crimes by official through the exercise of their state based
authority.
3. Professional - crimes by professional and their capacity as professional
4. Individual - by individual or employees
Occupational crime also refer to:
1. White Collar Crime
2. Avocational - does not think of himself a criminal
3. Corporate
4. Economic - deceit, misrepresentation, concealment
5. Organizational - seriously harm employee/general public
6. Upper-world crime - due to positions

CATEGORIES OF ORGANIZED CRIME BEHAVIOR

Five levels of Organization
1. Criminal Group - represent the criminal core of organized crime
2. The Protectors - include corrupt public officials,business people, judge,
attorney's, financial adviser and other who protect criminal group.
3. Specialized support - includes persons who provide contract devices
that facilitates organized crime activities.
4. User Support - provides the criminal group with their consumer market.
5. Social Support - involves person of organization who create a perception of
legitimacy for organized crime.

MODELS OF ORGANIZED CRIME

The Alien ConspiracyTheory - according to the alien conspiracy theory, the

organized crime (the mafia) gained prominence during the 1860s in Sicily and is
currently made up of 25 or so Italian-dominated crime families, calling themselves
La Cosa Nostra. This families are comprised of members known as “wise guy's” or
“made men” and are collectively 1,700 members strong. Families are thought to
control well-defined geographic areas and specific criminal enterprises.
Cressey's Cosa Nostra Model - Donald Cressey (1967) describes the model of
organized crime in which a rigid “bureaucratic” structure exist. The primary unit of
the Cosa Nostra is the family, which embodies male members of Italian ancestry.
The family is protected by a code of conduct for members which prohibits them
from revealing organiza-
tional secrets and from which violators of the rule can result to
violence against the offender. Cressey has suggested that a
hierarchy exist whitin the mafia. Include in the hierarchy are the
following persons : the boss, the consigliere, the underboss, the
caporegime and the soldiers.
Albini's “Patrol-Client”Model - represented by the works of Joe
Albini (1971) and Francis and Liz Lanni(1972), reconceptualizes the
Cosa Bostra as a web of asymmetric ties in local or ethnic networks.
Consist of a series of patron client relationship. Those with the most
power can provide the most service. Characterized by conflict.
Smith's “enterprise” Model - proposed by Dwight C. Smith (1980),
centers the economic activities and the primacy of market forces
over group structures. (Smith 1990), Smith's view of organized crime
is that it is merely a series of “enterprises”occuring along a spectrum
of legitimacy,“illicit enterprises” or illegal businesses should be
focused on organized crime studies and research.
Haller's Partnership Model - Mark Haller's concurs with the idea of organized crime
as being a set of hierarchically organized gangs. This can be expanded upon further
by equating the gangs to separate firms in collusion with each other. He view that
joining a crime syndicate as a being similar joining to college alumni association or
the Chamber of Commerce. It is a way for businessmen to network and make
contracts that might help them in their future business endeavors, legal or not.

SMALL SCALE, TRADITIONAL AND NON-TRADITIONAL ORGANIZED CRIME

Small Scale Organized Crime - not affiliated with “traditional organized crime”
families of historical variety, but remain as organized criminal group.
Traditional Organized Crime - related to historical process and linkages that reflect
early immigration to the U.S.
Non-Traditional Organized Crime - reflect newer shifts and movements whitin the
criminal element that do not fit the“traditional organized crime” framework