Controlling Organized Crime
Kianna Petty
Controlling Organized Crime Paper
CJA/384
Professor Edward Rafailovitc
April 27, 2015
Introduction
Some people would say that organized crime has ruined the United States and allowed petty hoods to gain worldwide recognition. Others would disagree and say organized crime is no different than any major corporation in today 's global economy. Some people would say organized crime is the best thing to happen to neighborhoods that law enforcement will not come into. No matter what side of the fence a person falls on, some part of what they believe will be correct, and part will not. During the course of this paper, the author will look at organized crime, identify the problems presented and the various relationships established by organized crime, and describe the legal limitations associated with combating organized crime, including a critique of major federal laws and strategies that support this effort. Finally, the author will suggest a realistic solution to control organized crime by discussing and evaluating the effectiveness of organized crime prosecutions.
Problems with Organized Crime
The problem with organized crime is that it often infringes on people 's fundamental rights and destroys an economic structure, and political and civil development, on a global scale.
Transnational organized crime rears its ugly head in many different forms, ranging from the trafficking of drugs and people to illegal arms. This is often accomplished by using unsuspecting individuals to transport goods and clean dirty money through legitimate businesses. The large sums of dirty money often impact communities because it is used to buy political power through funding campaigns of political supporters and bribing officials to push illegal agendas of organized crime. Every year, countless individuals lose their lives at the hands of criminals involved in organized crime, succumbing to drug-related health problems or injuries inflicted by firearms, or losing their
Controlling Organized Crime Paper
CJA/384
Professor Edward Rafailovitc
April 27, 2015
Introduction
Some people would say that organized crime has ruined the United States and allowed petty hoods to gain worldwide recognition. Others would disagree and say organized crime is no different than any major corporation in today 's global economy. Some people would say organized crime is the best thing to happen to neighborhoods that law enforcement will not come into. No matter what side of the fence a person falls on, some part of what they believe will be correct, and part will not. During the course of this paper, the author will look at organized crime, identify the problems presented and the various relationships established by organized crime, and describe the legal limitations associated with combating organized crime, including a critique of major federal laws and strategies that support this effort. Finally, the author will suggest a realistic solution to control organized crime by discussing and evaluating the effectiveness of organized crime prosecutions.
Problems with Organized Crime
The problem with organized crime is that it often infringes on people 's fundamental rights and destroys an economic structure, and political and civil development, on a global scale.
Transnational organized crime rears its ugly head in many different forms, ranging from the trafficking of drugs and people to illegal arms. This is often accomplished by using unsuspecting individuals to transport goods and clean dirty money through legitimate businesses. The large sums of dirty money often impact communities because it is used to buy political power through funding campaigns of political supporters and bribing officials to push illegal agendas of organized crime. Every year, countless individuals lose their lives at the hands of criminals involved in organized crime, succumbing to drug-related health problems or injuries inflicted by firearms, or losing their
References: Levitt, Steven & Stephen Dubner. (2005) Freakonomics. HarperCollins. New York Organized Crime in the U.S. (2010). Organized Crime and Federal Legislation: 1965-1967. http://www.organized-crime.de/OCLAWS.htm Stephens, M. (1996). Global Organized Crime. http://www.fas.org/irp/eprint/snyder/globalcrime.htm