Organized Crime What Have I Learned So Far

Organized Crime

The earliest organized crime groups began in the immigrant communities, where it was seen that law enforcement was often lax or even hostile to new arrivals. There were those corrupt leaders who also saw that the ways to extract money from immigrants for "protection," which in turn could guarantee that their homes and businesses would be unharmed if they paid these so called leaders. This same group of men also was able to keep up operations that supported not only gambling but counterfeiting, and prostitution, and then in return they were able to reap the benefits from them by not having to pay any taxes." Frequently these organized crime groups were helped not only by corrupt local law enforcement but corrupt local politicians, who were then bribed to provide protection from law enforcement or firm contracts for mob-affiliated businesses. By the 1920's, organized crime groups were operating in virtually every significant American city along the eastern seaboard as well as in the Midwest, with major groups in New York and Chicago. You can also find other groups that are being operated in large metropolitan areas such as Philadelphia, Miami, Boston, Cleveland, New Orleans, St. Louis, and Kansas City, and must not forget they were even able to infiltrate into the small communities such as Little Rock, Arkansas, and Reading, Pennsylvania" as well.( Organized crime - American Business History, Civil Liberties. (n.d.).

Organized crime is best defined as "a non-ideological scheme involving a number of persons in close social interaction, organized on a hierarchical basis, with at least three levels/ranks, for the purpose of securing profit and power by engaging in illegal and judicial activities. Positions in the ladder and placement involving functional specialization may be assigned on the basis of kinship or friendship, or rationally assigned according to ability."(Organized Crime Defined. (n.d.). These positions are not dependent on the individuals occupying them at any time. The only way that permanency is assumed is by those members who do try to keep the organization integral and active in pursuit of its goals. It eschews competition and strives for a monopoly on a business or territorial level. There is a willingness to use force and/or bribery to achieve ends or to maintain discipline. "Membership is restricted, although nonmembers may be involved on a contingency basis. There are rules, clear, oral or written, which are enforced by sanctions that include murder." (Organized Crime Defined. (n.d.).

Although there is generally no accepted definition of organized crime, there are though a number of attributes that have been identified by law enforcement agencies and researchers that are indicative of the phenomenon. Offering these attributes has a practical dimension: these attributes help to provide a basis for the determination of a particular group of criminals does indeed constitutes organized crime and, therefore, they need to be approached in a way different from the way one would approach terrorists or groups of conventional criminals (Organized Crime Defined. (n.d.). .

Attributes of Organized Crime

1. No political goals means that the goals of an organized crime family are resources and power whose procurement is not limited by legal or ethical concerns.

2. Hierarchical is when an organized crime group has a vertical power system with at least three permanent ranks, not just a head and followers.

3. has a limited or individual membership is when an organized crime family significantly limits membership, must be of greatest genealogy (Italian)

4. Constitutes an extraordinary subculture means that sometimes as the "underworld," members of organized crime find themselves as distinct from mainstream society, which they often consult with indifference if not contempt and, therefore, not subject to its rules.

5. Perpetuates itself is when an organized crime family constitutes an ongoing criminal conspiracy designed to persist through time that is beyond the life of the current memberships.

6. Exhibits a willingness to use unlawful force in an organized crime group, violence are readily available and routinely accepted contributions.

7. Monopolistic is when an organized crime family eschews competition.

8. Is governed by specific rules and regulations - an organized crime group, like a legitimate organization, has a number of rules and regulations that members are expected to follow (Abadinsky 2009.)

Gaining Foothold Here in the United States

In order for organized crime to gain a foothold in the United States they had to have immigrants who indeed came over from other countries and with each different ethnic group, they all tried to get respect, wealth, and power in the different areas that they migrated to (Abadinsky 2009.) It is easy to see how the Irish, African Americans, and Asians that migrated saw fit to commit crimes and improve their own mafia like groups in order to gain respect in areas where they resided. It also appears that many of them (immigrants) came from a country where crime was repeated. Since that was a way of life they already knew, they also knew what they needed to have done in order to make ends meet, as well as to