NCJ Number
134239
Journal
International Journal of Comparative and Applied Criminal Justice Volume: 15 Issue: 1 and 2 Dated: (Spring/Fall 1991) Pages: 99-107
Date Published
1991
Length
9 pages
Annotation
This article profiles the threat of transnational enterprise crime under the advent of a European commonmarket and the dissolution of Eastern European frontiers and identifies obstacles that must be addressed if nations are to cooperate in addressing this threat.
Abstract
America has defined and identified enterprise crime and adopted legislation to counter it. Enterprise crime involves an organization whose structure and goals are oriented toward the maximization of illicit profitmaking over time. What makes enterprise crime far more threatening than generic or ordinary crime is the power, organization, and resources that the enterprise is able to amass and use. It aims at monopolistic control of an illicit or licit economy by eliminating competition. Absent any effective regulation or control by government, enterprise crime can have a significant impact on the societies in which the racketeering is conducted. As enterprise crime is facilitated by the fall of political boundaries and the weakening of national border controls; nations must cooperate in eliminating barriers that impede the fight against enterprise crime. Nations must cooperate further in the framing of similar laws that define enterprise crime and the legal tools to be used to counter it. International intelligence systems must be formed and strengthened, and the integration of investigation and prosecution must be achieved. If enterprise crime is to be prevented and contained, nations must overcome the cultural, social, and legal barriers that obstruct the adoption and implementation of effective countermeasures. 13 references