La Cosa Nostra And Organized Crime
Abstract
The purpose of this thesis is to explore programs used by the United States Government in its attempt to rid the country of organized crime. An in-depth look into the history of La Cosa Nostra and their operations will be followed by examinations of governmental programs such as the Internal Revenue Service, Grants of Immunity, Witness Protection Program, Informants & Undercover Agents, and finally the RICO Act. Conclusions regarding the overall effectiveness of the programs will be made.
Introduction
Criminal activity permeates many aspects of American society. Crime is at a very high level in the United States, from small petty crime such as shop lifting to organized bank frauds exceeding millions of dollars. According …show more content…
These families have been operating in the United States since the time of prohibition in the 1920's (Abadinsky 1981). In comparison to any other organized crime group, La Cosa Nostra possesses the greatest amount of concern and attention from the United States Criminal Justice System. Even though the La Cosa Nostra has been severely crippled by law enforcement and challenged in a number of its criminal markets by other organized groups, it remains the largest branch of organized crime. Supposedly as many as 1,100 made members and 10,000 associates of La Cosa Nostra are presently working in the United States (Kenney & Finckenauer 1995). With those numbers the La Cosa Nostra has greater capacity to gain monopoly control over markets, to use or threaten violence to maintain that control, and to corrupt law enforcement and the political system than any of its competitors. No other criminal organization in the United States has controlled labor unions, organized employer cartels, operated as a rationalizing force in major industries, and functioned as a bridge between the underworld and upper-world. It is important to understand some of the history behind the La Cosa Nostra, as it is that which helps to reinforce its codes and rules. The rules and structure have remained the same, and La Cosa Nostra has constantly been at work, with little interference from law enforcement. Even though there have been some crippling experiences for La Cosa Nostra, their enterprise continues to flourish. This successful continuous of crime is positive reinforcement for present members to obtain past methods and rules of the earlier
The purpose of this thesis is to explore programs used by the United States Government in its attempt to rid the country of organized crime. An in-depth look into the history of La Cosa Nostra and their operations will be followed by examinations of governmental programs such as the Internal Revenue Service, Grants of Immunity, Witness Protection Program, Informants & Undercover Agents, and finally the RICO Act. Conclusions regarding the overall effectiveness of the programs will be made.
Introduction
Criminal activity permeates many aspects of American society. Crime is at a very high level in the United States, from small petty crime such as shop lifting to organized bank frauds exceeding millions of dollars. According …show more content…
These families have been operating in the United States since the time of prohibition in the 1920's (Abadinsky 1981). In comparison to any other organized crime group, La Cosa Nostra possesses the greatest amount of concern and attention from the United States Criminal Justice System. Even though the La Cosa Nostra has been severely crippled by law enforcement and challenged in a number of its criminal markets by other organized groups, it remains the largest branch of organized crime. Supposedly as many as 1,100 made members and 10,000 associates of La Cosa Nostra are presently working in the United States (Kenney & Finckenauer 1995). With those numbers the La Cosa Nostra has greater capacity to gain monopoly control over markets, to use or threaten violence to maintain that control, and to corrupt law enforcement and the political system than any of its competitors. No other criminal organization in the United States has controlled labor unions, organized employer cartels, operated as a rationalizing force in major industries, and functioned as a bridge between the underworld and upper-world. It is important to understand some of the history behind the La Cosa Nostra, as it is that which helps to reinforce its codes and rules. The rules and structure have remained the same, and La Cosa Nostra has constantly been at work, with little interference from law enforcement. Even though there have been some crippling experiences for La Cosa Nostra, their enterprise continues to flourish. This successful continuous of crime is positive reinforcement for present members to obtain past methods and rules of the earlier