NCJ Number
174736
Editor(s)
P Williams
Date Published
1997
Length
274 pages
Annotation
Opinions differ on the extent of organized crime in Russia, and this book details those contrasting assessments.
Abstract
Some individuals consider organized crime in Russia to be a dangerous successor to the threat posed to western societies by the Former Soviet Union. Adherents of this view provide a worst case estimate of the Russian organized crime threat. Other individuals believe that the threat from organized crime in Russia is exaggerated and that organized crime has certain positive functions in Russian society and the economy. Contributors to the book note Russian criminal organizations have become a major factor in Russia's evolution toward democracy and a free market, although the exact impact of these organizations is poorly understood. Criminal organizations have infiltrated the banking system; have taken control of many businesses; and have engaged in a wide variety of criminal activities ranging from traditional enterprises such as extortion, prostitution, and drug trafficking to new ventures such as nuclear material smuggling. The origin and development of criminal organizations in Russia are analyzed, Russian criminal activities in Russia and the United States are investigated, and consequences of organized crime are examined. Tables and figures