NCJ Number
154205
Journal
Journal of Contemporary Criminal Justice Volume: 10 Issue: 4 Dated: (December 1994) Pages: complete issue
Editor(s)
P J Ryan
Date Published
1994
Length
95 pages
Annotation
This special journal issue focuses on the theme that organized crime continues to be an issue of global concern; articles address emerging trends in entrepreneurial crime, exporting the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act to Eastern Europe, the social organization of organized crime in Chicago, and metatheoretical issues in the study of organized crime.
Abstract
The first article explores changing trends in international organized crime, with special emphasis on changes in Eastern Europe. Among the findings are growth in comparatively short-term criminal alliances, diversity among commodities of crime cartels, and growth in transnational criminal alliances. The second article looks at the nature of RICO and its applicability in Eastern Europe; the scale and economic effects of organized crime in Eastern Europe; and religious, cultural, and political influences on organized crime. The third article argues that bureaucratic and patrimonial models of complex organizations do not adequately explain traditional organized crime in Chicago. Instead, the author suggests that an open systems perspective better explains the true nature of organized crime. The final article attempts to contribute to the development of theoretical integration in the study of organized crime by proposing a framework that encompasses individual, interaction, organization, and social change factors. The author shows how these factors can provide a holistic understanding of organized crime. References, endnotes, tables, and figures