Essay on Organized Crime Wthin The Unit - 1461 Words

Organized Crime Within the United States Organized crime is a widespread topic of concern among many Americans due to its popularity in the media and entertainment industry. The public is aware of its existence, yet is not fully aware of why and how this complex â€Å"underworld† exists. In order to fully understand this area of criminology, one must take into account the characteristics of organized crime, the variables that allow organized crime to thrive, its large-scale effects on society, and the measures that have been taken to extinguish organized crime. The roots of organized crime can be traced back to periods of vast amounts of immigration within the United States. Many of the immigrants sought wealth and prosperity upon their†¦show more content†¦According to Ianni, there are six types of causal relationships within the networks of organized crime. The first relationship stems from childhood bonds in which the individuals were of the same race and socioeconomic background. The second segue into organized crime comes from the recruitment of talented young boys. There is also a high amount of involvement in organized crime that stems from past prison acquaintances. Although infrequent, the fourth type of causal relationship is with wives and lovers that have been known to take part in organized crime. Next are kinship ties, which are also capable of fostering criminal relationships. The last and most common type of causal relationship is between partners who are in complementary business positions. Ianni contends that the strengths of each of these causal relationships is due to the fact that each is â€Å"marked by a sense of mutual trust in the personal characters of those within the relationship† (Ianni 1998). Although no two groups of organized criminals are exactly alike, many share a common framework and acknowledge one another as suppliers of a demanded â€Å"Mafioso† protection (Nelken 1995). Overall, there are two widely used analogies when analyzing organized crime: the quasi-government analogy and the firm analogy. The quasi-government analogy stems from the fact that â€Å"the core business of criminal