NCJ Number
207371
Journal
Forum on Crime and Society Volume: 3 Issue: 1 & 2 Dated: December 2003 Pages: 3-34
Date Published
December 2003
Length
32 pages
Annotation
Based on qualitative and quantitative information on a large sample of countries and territories, this study identifies the institutional patterns of corruption in a country that make it vulnerable to extensive organized crime activities, followed by evidence-based policy recommendations.
Abstract
As used in this study, "corruption" is defined as "the abuse of public power for private gain." An organized criminal group is defined as "a structured group, committing serious crimes for profit." This study developed an index of corruption for statistical analyses. Data from the International Crime Victim Survey were used to determine the frequency with which citizens experience requests for bribes in dealings with public agencies. A composite index was constructed to measure high-level corruption. In order to calculate the organized crime index used in the study, the extent of organized crime in a country was assessed by means of indicators of the various defining elements contained both in operational investigations conducted by law enforcement agencies and in the United Nations Organized Crime Convention and its protocols. This paper reports on how organized crime is facilitated or impeded by a country's socioeconomic conditions, political conditions, the features of the criminal justice system, private- and public-sector governance, and the independence and integrity of the judiciary. Results are presented from multivariate analyses of key correlates of both organized crime and corruption. Policy recommendations focus on the organized crime-corruption nexus, criminal justice reforms, specialized anti-mafia units, judicial accountability, enhancement of judicial independence, and socioeconomic and financial policies. 4 tables and 21 references