Quiz 1 – 5 maart 2019
Van der Beken & Paoli (2015) Organized crime: A contested concept.
In Paoli, L. (ed). The Oxford Handbook of Organized Crime. Oxford/
New York, pp. 13-31.
Smith:
– Who: A set of stable organizations illegal per se or whose members
systematically engage in crime;
– What: A set of serious criminal activities mostly carries out for monetary
gain
Hagan:
– Organized Crime (capitalized) = criminal organizations
– organized crime (lower case) = criminal activities that require a degree of
organization.
American Debate I: what who
– 1896 OC: gambling and prostitution
– 1920/1930 OC referring to racketeering (extortion, predatory activities,
provision of a variety of illegal goods and services, ranging from illegal
drugs and liquor to gambling and counterfeit documents).
– 1929-1931 focus on what instead of who (not based on criminals)
– 1940 Alien conspiracy: emphasizes on foreign criminals
o Italian mafia-centred view: identified organized crime with a
nationwide, centralized criminal organization dominating the most
profitable illegal markets, which allegedly derived from an analogous
parallel Sicilian organization and consisted of migrants of Italian
(specifically Sicilian) origin.
o Joe Valaci testifying merged OC and mafia.
– 1950/1960 broader terms to include less structured gang and illicit
enterprises (because mafia-centred concept was unsuitable for law
enforcement strategies)
o Myth of mafia organization being a threat to US political, economic
and legal system was recalled in need for budgets new legislation
unprecedented array of powers for wiretapping and eavesdropping
devices.
o Donald Cressey La Cosa Nostra constituted a hierarchical and
rationally designed organization, close to Max Weber’s ideal type of
legal-rational bureaucracy and capable of operation in contemporary
America
American Debate II: who + what – merger
Van der Beken & Paoli (2015) Organized crime: A contested concept.
In Paoli, L. (ed). The Oxford Handbook of Organized Crime. Oxford/
New York, pp. 13-31.
Smith:
– Who: A set of stable organizations illegal per se or whose members
systematically engage in crime;
– What: A set of serious criminal activities mostly carries out for monetary
gain
Hagan:
– Organized Crime (capitalized) = criminal organizations
– organized crime (lower case) = criminal activities that require a degree of
organization.
American Debate I: what who
– 1896 OC: gambling and prostitution
– 1920/1930 OC referring to racketeering (extortion, predatory activities,
provision of a variety of illegal goods and services, ranging from illegal
drugs and liquor to gambling and counterfeit documents).
– 1929-1931 focus on what instead of who (not based on criminals)
– 1940 Alien conspiracy: emphasizes on foreign criminals
o Italian mafia-centred view: identified organized crime with a
nationwide, centralized criminal organization dominating the most
profitable illegal markets, which allegedly derived from an analogous
parallel Sicilian organization and consisted of migrants of Italian
(specifically Sicilian) origin.
o Joe Valaci testifying merged OC and mafia.
– 1950/1960 broader terms to include less structured gang and illicit
enterprises (because mafia-centred concept was unsuitable for law
enforcement strategies)
o Myth of mafia organization being a threat to US political, economic
and legal system was recalled in need for budgets new legislation
unprecedented array of powers for wiretapping and eavesdropping
devices.
o Donald Cressey La Cosa Nostra constituted a hierarchical and
rationally designed organization, close to Max Weber’s ideal type of
legal-rational bureaucracy and capable of operation in contemporary
America
American Debate II: who + what – merger
