NCJ Number
95265
Date Published
1983
Length
44 pages
Annotation
Group discussion as a research method produced a set of business, governance, and community indicators of the impacts of organized crime that were derived from the experiences of law enforcement experts in the field rather than from theoretical analyses.
Abstract
Using an approach similar to the Delphic Technique, this study brought eight experts together in an intensive, 2-day conference to identify and compare cities affected by organized crime with those free from its influence. Prior to the discussion, tentative indicators were developed to stimulate discussion regarding licit and illicit business attributes, governance issues, and community quality of life. Most business indicators examined dealt with specific legitimate enterprises, including pornography, vending machines, video games, the tape and record industry, food and related service industries, labor unions, and banking. Participants also commented that a business's decision to relocate or avoid certain areas could reflect the presence of organized crime. Discussions in the governance area focused on law enforcement activities and staffing, prosecution efforts, political processes, and management of city and State functions. A varied but often contradictory set of indicators was identified, and participants agreed that reliable data on budget cuts and personnel decisions, often good indicators, were lacking. The search for indicators in the areas of community and quality of life was complicated by organized crime's occasionally benefiting the community, the public willingly using its services, and the less tangible social costs of organized crime's presence. Participants wanted to verify their assumptions about organized crime and believed that wiretaps, informants, and the exchange of information among law enforcement agencies were valuable data sources. Implications of the study's findings and methodology for future research are explored. Tables and 105 footnotes are supplied.