Between Town and Countryside: Organized Crime in the Dutch Republic (From Civilization of Crime: Violence in Town and Country Since the Middle Ages, P 138-152, 1996, Eric A. Johnson and Eric H. Monkkonen, eds. - See NCJ-169788)

• NCJ Number: 169794
• Author(s): F Egmond
• Date Published: 1996
• Length: 15 pages
• Sale Source: University of Illinois Press
• Publication Type: Survey
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This analysis of early gangs and organized crime networks in urban and rural areas of the Netherlands concludes that by at least the 17th century the urban areas had a well-organized crime network that was far more advanced than mere groups of bandits.

Abstract

The research compared organized crime networks in the highly urbanized Dutch province of Holland with criminals in the more rural province of Brabant. It noted that the Dutch Republic had an exceptional number of major towns located near one another and connected by roads and waterways, as well as a countryside that was densely populated and dominated by towns from a very early period. The analysis revealed that the urban crime network in the province Holland had connections among urban areas, an organizational pattern of overlapping networks, and a tendency toward specialization. Criminal groups were also highly organized in the more rural province of Brabant. These rural groups were much more prone to violence than were their urban counterparts. Findings indicate that organized crime in preindustrial Europe was more varied than suggested by the dual model of rural bands and urban underworlds. Findings also support the opinion that violence was more commonly associated with the countryside than with the city in premodern society. Reference notes