NCJ Number
79085
Date Published
1981
Length
238 pages
Annotation
This book examines organized crime within the context of its history and the political-economic forces which created it, presenting essays and case studies on organized crime and criminals in the United States and Europe.
Abstract
The text looks at the political and economic aspects of opium and heroin trafficking. The authors state that capitalism has been the moving force behind the development of the market in drugs -- both legal and illegal -- and they discuss the historical roots of the cocaine industry in New York City (1910-18). The role of business in the emergence and sustenance of labor union racketeering is examined with particular attention given to the roots of corruption among garment industry unions in New York. Background information about the Teamsters and the United Mine Workers is also presented. The authors suggest that American criminal law has never been applied uniformly across class lines and then formulate a hypothesis about the relation between law and social factors. They use a study of vice and corruption in Seattle, Wash., to illustrate their analysis. In addition, the history of and theory behind organized crime in Europe are examined. The text notes that contemporary organized crime is a method of integrating segments of the urban poor into the political economy of capitalism. To illustrate how the seeds of illegal business in capitalistic societies are sown in 'legal' business enterprises, the text discusses some of the legal businesses in Sweden that engage in activities that are illegal in other countries and that have facets that are illegal in Sweden as well. Attempts at controlling organized crime through law reform in New York City during the 1930's demonstrate the ability of lawmakers to move against organized crime figures in view of such criminals' influence in the political sphere. An analysis of the Organized Crime Control Act of 1970 links organized crime legislation and political repression, showing how the Government's reasons for such legislation can also be used to justify an array of questionable laws. The final section sums up arguments for a mode of analysis that views organized crime within historically specific forms of political and economic organization. Chapter notes and an index are supplied.