NCJ Number
208504
Date Published
2004
Length
351 pages
Annotation
Intended as a textbook for college students, this book addresses the nature, history, and theories of organized crime, along with the criminal justice response to it.
Abstract
The opening chapter contains sections that examine the features of organized crime. Similarities and differences are noted between organized crime and white-collar crimes and between terrorism and organized crime. Typologies of organized crimes and organized criminals are presented, and the prevalence of organized crime is examined. Characteristics of organized crimes are considered in two chapters. One of the chapters focuses on conspiracy and the provision of illicit goods and services; and the other chapter considers offenses related to the infiltration of business, extortion, and racketeering. A chapter then examines the causes of organized crime, with attention to social and economic influences, hedonism and the odds of apprehension, capitalism and arbitrary laws, and the experience of committing crimes as a pleasurable way of life rather than a source of guilt. This is followed by a chapter that presents various models of organized crime, including hierarchical models; local, ethnic models; and organized crime as a business enterprise. Facts and myths about the Mafia are presented in another chapter, as it analyzes various sources of information on it, including a review of mob trials from the 1980's to the present. A chapter on changes in the nature of organized crime is followed by a chapter that describes the features and criminal activities of transnational organized crime. Four chapters that examine the criminal justice response to organized crime address investigative tools, prosecution strategies, the organization of a criminal defense, and the sentencing of convicted members of organized crime. Each chapter contains a summary and critical thinking exercises. Chapter references and name and subject indexes