STUDENT REPLIES
STUDENT REPLY #1 AKINADE ADEYEMI
Organized crime refers to criminal activity committed by an organized group of individuals at a local, regional, national, or international level. Some groups commonly associated with organized crime include the mafia, terrorist groups, and mobsters. Drug trafficking, human trafficking, money laundering, and counterfeiting are among some of the most prevalent illegal activities committed under the banner of organized crime. The theory is not the opposite of empirical research. On the contrary, theories and theoretical perspectives shape the ways in which we can describe and analyze empirical realities. Theories are ‘spotlights’, and all observation is theory-driven (e.g., Popper 1959; 1972).
Some popular social theories tend to focus on social or structural factors of society, such as learned mannerisms or the influence of poverty on the behavior of various groups. Others are focused on how a person’s values are affected by socialization. Each approach has its own strengths and weaknesses. Understanding the criminal mind is essential for those who want to work in fields such as criminal justice or criminal psychology. To understand various sociological theories about crime, it helps to start by learning the four main theories about social deviance. Those theories can help provide a useful and necessary context for approaching other kinds of sociological theories and will allow you to develop a deeper understanding of crime and the criminal mind. However, on the ground of social theory context, people join gangs because of the lack of social connection with personal and societal institutions. Lack of social connectedness originates from rapid population movements, political, economic, and social changes, social unrest, and industrialization (Siegel, 2010). Other factors include community fragmentation, racism, political instability, and the failure of social agents such as schools and churches in addressing the needs of individuals in changing environments. The theory suggests that joining a gang is a normal response to unusual social situations that change how people think and act (Lilly, Cullen, & Ball, 2014). Meanwhile, the alien conspiracy theory of organized crime has a peculiar American history. Once accepted there, a version of it was exported to Europe with the acronym “LCN” and accepted by many agencies and authorities without an apparent understanding of its purpose and of the circumstances under which it originated. Though some observers have debunked it, the theory survives, largely unquestioned, as a conceptual framework for explaining organized crime. Although research activities have shown that the theory does not apply to data collected, the theory, reinforced by repetition, still dominates sections of governmental and public opinion. This paper describes and assesses the origins of the alien conspiracy theory and its continuing value as a point of reference. A more viable alternative is proposed, based on a spectrum approach to enterprise.
Many different law enforcement organizations employ Organized Crime Theory to identify, detect, and prevent organized crime. There isn’t just one form of organized crime, but many. Organized Crime Theory is based on the existence of many criminal groups in society. There are three basic categories used to categorize criminal organizations. These are nonprofit, for-profit, and capital crime organizations. The non-profit group works with non-profit criminal groups that mainly deal with terrorism and abduction. For-profit deals with crimes that have a monetary incentive, such as drug trafficking and extortion. Finally, capital crime groups deal with murders committed to fulfilling a purpose. Mafia and gangs are examples of these groupings. Each of these three primary groupings has factors that may contribute to development, and the quantity of growth observed depends on these factors. These issues might be interconnected, making them difficult to manage at times. For-profit and non-profit organizations are examples of how these forces interact. For criminal groups to be profitable, they must utilize violence to accomplish their aims. This is how they convince people to cooperate, but it also enhances the likelihood of law enforcement discovering one of these organizations. For-profit organizations may struggle with this since they want to stay undiscovered, which may force them to employ violence, causing them to be identified. In addition, expansion patterns are constrained since many of these firms have limited growth options. Several constraints may halt development. For example, location is a constraint, but so are demographics. The real places where criminal organizations have access to expansion possibilities are substantially less than the locations where they do not. Because it is built on unlawful commercial operations, organized crime theory explains this restricted expansion. These enterprises are hard to come by. For example, drug trafficking sites are restricted due to drug access constraints. Governments impose these limits to manage the number
of medications accessible at any one moment.
References:
Abadi sky, H. (2012). Organized crime. Cengage Learning.
Albanese, J. (2014). Organized crime in our times. Routledge.
Cressey DR (1969) Theft of The Nation: The Structure and Operations of Organized Crime in America. Harper & Row.
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/9781118517390.wbetc166#:~:text=Six%20theories%20are%20most%20commonly,mobility%20theory%2C%20and%20enterprise%20theory.
https://www.britannica.com/topic/organized-crime
Kleeman’s, E.R. Theoretical perspectives on organized crime. In: L. Paoli (ed.). Oxford Handbook on Organized Crime. Oxford: Oxford University Press (forthcoming; draft, for educational purposes only). Theoretical perspectives on organized crime Edward Kleeman’s
STUDENT REPLY
STUDENT REPLY #2 Martina Dorsett
I chose the Social Disorganization Theory. Social Disorganization neighborhoods tend to produce criminal traditions, which means gangs are more likely to be concentrated in poor and socially disorganized communities. Being as though the neighborhoods have criminal traditions, the youth are growing up seeing crime every day, and they start to look up to the criminals, so they follow in their footsteps.
The theory proves what I already suspected. It sufficiently accounts for my state’s growth patterns and trends of criminal organizations. in my previous discussion post, I talked about criminals that have been carjacking and stealing packages from my community. They were identified, and they all came from a Social Disorganization neighborhood. It was four teenagers ranging from the ages of 12-16. I live about 30 mins from the Social Disorganization neighborhood, and reports say that most street crime and gang activity in New Jersey have shifted to the teenage world. Minors, some as young as 12 years old, have committed more vastly gang-related crimes than 18- to 24-year-olds in recent years, according to the State Commission (Gross,2019). Which validates the theory “a neighborhood characterized by social disorganization provides fertile soil for crime and delinquency in two ways: through a lack of behavioral control mechanisms and the cultural transmission of delinquent values” (Howell, J. C., & Griffiths, E. 2018).
References
Howell, J. C., & Griffiths, E. (2018). Gangs in America’s communities (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE.
NJ.com, P. G. (2019, September 30). Street gangs in New Jersey are younger, deadlier and ‘weaponizing’ social media. Retrieved from https://www.nj.com/news/2018/09/nj_gangs_are_evolving_experts_say_theyre_recruitin.html
PROFESSOR REPLY
So rational choice provides a unique example for this -how do you explain the learning and cultural aspect of organized crime with rational choice?
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REACTIONS OF STUDENTS
AKINADE ADEYEMI, STUDENT REPLY #1
Criminal behavior committed by an organized group of individuals on a local, regional, national, or worldwide scale is referred to as organized crime. The mafia, terrorist organizations, and mobsters are all usually connected with organized crime. Some of the most common illicit operations done under the banner of organized crime are drug trafficking, human trafficking, money laundering, and counterfeiting. Theoretical research is not diametrically opposed to empirical investigation. Theories and theoretical views, on the other hand, determine how we might describe and interpret empirical facts. Theories are’spotlights,’ and all observation is based on theories (e.g., Popper 1959; 1972).
Some popular social theories tend to emphasize on societal sociological or structural variables, such as learned manners or social class.
