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Criminal Organization Perspective

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Criminal Organizations
The perception of organized crime in today’s society derives from the media, television shows, and movies. Television programs and movies such as The Sopranos, Goodfellas, and The Godfather created a perception that organized crime are solely comprised of the Italian Mafia. Historic crime figures such as Al Capone, Lucky Luciano, and John Gotti enhance society’s perception that all organized crime ascertains to the Italian Mafia. Being half Sicilian, I too had the perception that organized crime was created by Italians, in Sicily, and eventually migrated to major cities throughout the United States. However, that is simply not the case. Organized crime has been around long before the Italian Mafia brought it to fame. Different cultures around the world have their own criminal organizations with set standards. Other criminal organizations include the Irish Republic Army (IRA), motorcycle gangs such as Hells Angels, Triads from China, etc.
My perception of organized crime was based off what I saw on television and movies. My understanding of organized crime consisted of Omerta (loyalty and secrecy), illegal activity to gain a profit, and intimidation/violence. In addition, it was my understanding that in order to be a formal aspect of a criminal organization; one’s heritage has to be verified. For example, in order to be a full member of the Italian Mafia, one has to be one hundred percent Italian to the point the mafia can trace your family all the way back to the “old country”. The text defines organized crime as being “composed of numerous ethics and transnational groups operating together or part and in conjunction with legitimate business and political entities” (Lyman & Potter, 2007, p.3). According to NCIS, organized crime consists of a crime group that contains at least three people; the criminal activity the group engages in is ongoing and indefinite in duration, the group is motivated by a desire for profit or power, and the group commits serious criminal offenses. Although every criminal organization has their own set of standards and rules, there are three attributes that is across the board for all criminal organizations. The first attribute is secrecy. There is no criminal organization that wants to be a primary focus of law enforcement or be recognized for their criminal activity. Everything is done in secrecy in order to keep the organization under the radar. The second attribute that is an absolute requirement for a member is to have no affiliations nor will divulge any information to law enforcement regardless of the punishment. The third attribute for criminal organization is loyalty. When entering into a criminal organization, one swears their undying loyalty to the criminal organization. At this point, the criminal organization is considered family. The member swears to the “family” that the criminal organization comes before his life and even the life of his real family. These three attributes are the foundation for any criminal organization.
Common characteristics that are associated with organized criminal behavior consist of violence, organizational hierarchy, and corruption. Like any organization there is a hierarchy or chain of command. On top of the food change is the boss. The boss is in charge of the criminal organization and makes decisions on behalf of the organization. Following the boss is the concierge and underboss. These three are considered upper management. Below is middle management who consists of the soldiers or “made men”. Made men are responsible for finding new avenues of illegal schemes in order to earn for the upper management. Soldiers typically recruit criminals to help in the criminal activity. Violence and intimidation are tools that are used by criminals to carry out the crime. For example, extortion is a common crime that criminal organizations will partake in. Criminal organizations will offer “protection” for businesses in exchange for a percentage of income made by the business. If the business does not cooperate then members of the criminal organization can and will use intimidation, force, and violence to get what they want. Similarly, criminal organizations have been known to use their tactics on political figures. Criminal organizations have the ability to be a part of or have a hand in any criminal activity. They are no longer simply subjected to just violent acts. Criminal organizations, with the use of today’s technology, can have a global impact on crime.

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