NCJ Number
8969
Date Published
1971
Length
354 pages
Annotation
AUTHOR PRESENTS EVIDENCE ARGUING AGAINST THE EXISTENCE OF A NATIONAL, CENTRALLY DIRECTED CRIMINAL SYNDICATE.
Abstract
IT IS ARGUED THAT CRIMINAL SYNDICATES, WHETHER THE PARTICIPANTS WERE OF FOREIGN OR NATIVE BIRTH, HAVE ALWAYS OPERATED WITHIN THE POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC SYSTEM BECAUSE OF THE DEMAND FOR THEIR ILLICIT PRODUCTS. THIS CONTENTION IS SUPPORTED BY HISTORICAL EVIDENCE THAT SYNDICATED CRIMINALS HAVE COME FROM VIRTUALLY EVERY KIND OF ETHNIC BACKGROUND. THE PREDOMINANCE OF ONE OR TWO NATIONALITY GROUPS IN SYNDICATED CRIME AT CERTAIN TIMES IN HISTORY IS EXPLAINED AS A FUNCTION OF THEIR LOWER CLASS STATUS. THE AUTHOR CLAIMS THAT CERTAIN MINORITY GROUP MEMBERS SAW ORGANIZED CRIME AS A RAPID WAY TO ACHIEVE HIGHER STATUS. SEVERAL CHAPTERS IN THE BOOK ARE DEVOTED TO REFUTING THE THEORY THAT SYNDICATED CRIME IN AMERICA DEVELOPED FROM THE INFUSION OF A CENTRALIZED, SICILIAN SECRET ORGANIZATION. THE AUTHOR CONCLUDES THAT SYNDICATE STRUCTURES ARE NOT CHARACTERIZED BY CONSISTENT BUREAUCRATIC FORMATS BUT BY SYSTEMS OF PATROL-CLIENT RELATIONSHIPS VARYING FROM SYNDICATE TO SYNDICATE. VARIOUS TYPES OF PATROL-CLIENT RELATIONSHIPS ARE DESCRIBED, AS WELL AS TYPICAL SYNDICATE MODUS OPERANDI. (SNI ABSTRACT)