NCJ Number
189815
Journal
Justitiele verkenningen Volume: 27 Issue: 2 Dated: 2001 Pages: 25-42
Date Published
2001
Length
18 pages
Annotation
This analysis of efforts to address organized crime in the member countries of the European Union notes that each country has created central organizations to address international information flows, although Europeanization has not resulted in basic reforms in elements of criminal justice systems that specifically target organized crime.
Abstract
The concept of organized crime has dominated the crime-control agenda of the European Union member countries since the early 1990’s. Considerable differences between the countries remain concerning their definition of organized crime, their law enforcement infrastructure, and their strategic policy agendas despite the development of a join approach within the framework of Title VI TWU: Police and Judicial Cooperation in Criminal Matters. Meanwhile, the countries are exposed to Europeanization following the adoption of joint legal instruments and action programs. Nevertheless, a research project on the European Union reveals that notwithstanding the tendency to harmonize and converge, criminal justice system components that specifically address organized crime have not experienced basic reforms as a consequence of Europeanization. However, each country has created central units within the police and prosecution services to channel and coordinate international information flows. Nevertheless, the enlargement of scale and centralization have not ruled out decentralization patterns. Table, footnotes, and 1 reference (Publisher summary modified)