Criminal Organizations in the US - Essay Example

?Running Head: ORGANIZED CRIME and Number: Topic: Organized Crime Submitted: Introduction Organized crime may be defined as deliberate and systematic criminal activities involving well structured criminal groups, which are motivated by profit or political gains (Abadinsky, 2002). These groups are characteristically violent in nature as most of them use coercion, intimidation and/or physical attacks on their victims so as to achieve their core objectives. Organized crime is not a new phenomenon unique to the contemporary society. A lot of organized criminal activities in the US history can be traced back to the early 1920’s after the government prohibited the sale and use of alcohol in the country. Despite the fact that there were criminal organizations existing before this prohibition, the country experienced an upward development of strong organizations, which took advantage of the prohibition to make millions of dollars through illegal importation and sale of liquor to the American citizens. For example, a Chicago gang, the Capones, led by a notorious gangster, Al Capone, is said to have been making more than $100 million on annual basis through bootlegging of liquor and other criminal activities such as prostitution (Abadinsky, 2002). After the ban was lifted in 1933, criminal organizations that depended on income from the sale of liquor had to look for other sources of income and this brought about a rise in activities such as drug trafficking, human trafficking, gun trafficking and extortion among others. This paper is a critical evaluation on some of the criminal organizations in the US. Criminal Organizations in the US The US is a country, which is rich in diversity especially due to the presence of high numbers of immigrants from all corners of the world. This diversity has propelled the country’s economic growth but it has also led to the emergence of numerous criminal organizations and street gangs as a result of culture importation coupled with poverty and insecurity in neighborhoods especially those belonging to the minority groups. Some of these organizations have grown in size such that they are not only operating within the US but also across international borders. Mara Salvatrucha, for example, is a transnational organized criminal gang, which is perceived as being one of the most notorious both internationally and within the US. It is estimated that the gang has more than 50000 active members, 10000 of whom are supposedly operating inside the US (Logan, 2009). The formation of this gang was motivated by the need to provide protection for its members but with time, it has deviated from its original goal by engaging in well organized criminal operations involving drug trafficking, extortion, gun trafficking, murder among others (Logan, 2009). Mara Salvatrucha, commonly abbreviated as MS-13, begun in Los Angeles after immigrants from El Salvador, who were escaping from civil conflicts in their country met hostile communities of Mexican and African American origins, who were not willing to accommodate them in their neighborhoods. The Mexicans and African Americans in Los Angeles had well established street gangs, which kept on attacking and harassing the Salvadorians to the point that it became too much for the immigrants to handle. They were used to armed conflicts due to the civil war in their country and therefore, they had the skills and the motivation to defend them selves from armed attacks (Logan, 2009). The US authorities have had a difficult task of identifying and arresting members of this gang but their actions are highly credited for the ever increasing numbers of Mara Salvatruchans (Monteith, 2010). It is believed that the authorities have made this possible through deportation of gang members, which has made it possible for them to recruit new members from their home countries only to return to the US through illegal means to meet with members of their families and other gang members operating within the country. Their arrest also enables them to extend their recruitment to the prisons thereby making it extremely difficult to neutralize the gang. Currently, the organization is said to be operating in places such as Canada, Mexico, Washington, Nebraska, Honduras, and Guatemala among other numerous jurisdictions (Franco, 2008). There are several violent incidences that have occurred in some of these jurisdictions, which can be used to illustrate the nature of this criminal organization. For example, in the year 2004, Honduras experienced one of the most gruesome attacks, whereby members of the gang intercepted a bus and killed 28 innocent civilian passengers by spraying them with bullets. The reason for this attack was political as the gang was trying to express discontent with the government’s intention to legalize death penalty. Most of the people who died in this attack were women and children (Monteith, 2010). Criminal organizations such as Mara Salvatrucha have strict codes, which compels members to remain loyal and focused on their objectives. For example, once a person is recruited into the gang, he or she becomes a life member meaning that he cannot desert the gang under any circumstances (Franco, 2008). The most common punishment for such a move is death. Ernesto Miranda, who was one of the founders of Mara Salvatrucha, was murdered in 2006 for failing to show the spirit of brotherhood. Apparently, members of the gang were supposed to attend a homecoming party prepared for one of the gang members, who had just been released from prison. Ernesto, who had decided to reform by studying law and mentoring young youths to avoid gang membership, failed to attend and this was seen as a betrayal thereby necessitating his murder. This aspect of criminal gangs makes it difficult for the authorities to retrieve information from either past or current members due to the fear of being identified as traitors. Brenda Paz, a young female, was murdered in 2003 for allegedly providing information to the police on the activities of the organization, which she was a member (Franco, 2008). These harsh punishments on errant members are used to serve as an example in order to instill fear and discipline in those who may be tempted to go against the expectations of the gang’s leadership. The Mexican Mafia is also among the most notorious criminal organizations operating within US. It is also known as the La eMe and its membership is mostly comprised of individuals of Hispanic origin. Unlike other criminal gangs, which operate in the streets, the leadership of Mexican Mafia is based prisons especially in California and Texas (Rafael, 2007). This means that this outfit is more of a prison gang although reports indicate that there is no centralized command since any member of the gang can issue orders to subordinates, most of whom are members of small Hispanic street gangs such as Sureno. It may be important to note that the Mexican Mafia controls numerous street gangs, which are threatened and coerced into obeying instructions. If members of a certain gang refuse to obey orders, then, they risk facing a lot of problems including death if they are arrested and taken to prison. Since gang members are prone to arrest and incarceration, they are compelled to obey so that once they get to prison, the mafia would protect them from harassment and violence from rival gangs both in prison and on the streets. In addition, these street gangs pay protection fees to the Mexican Mafia as a way of ensuring that they are not attacked by other gangs. If they fail to do so, the Mafia exposes the gangs’ vulnerability by sending letters indicating that they have withdrawn their protection (Skarbek, 2011). In order to become a member of this organization, there are various tests and rules, which one must follow. For example, the person being initiated must prove his worth by committing a serious crime such as murder, rape or robbery with violence. However, drawing blood is a mandatory requirement for a new member to be admitted to the organization (Rafael, 2007). In addition, he must take an oath of secrecy which prohibits members from acknowledging the existence of the organization if they are arrested and questioned by the police. Every member of Mexican Mafia has a guardian and if one is found to have broken the rules, the guardian has the responsibility of killing his subject although 3 more members must vote in favor of the death punishment (Rafael, 2007). A guardian, as relates to Mexican Mafia, is the person who introduces another member to the organization. This is especially due to the fact that a new member cannot be allowed to join the group without being introduced by an existing member so as to avoid infiltration by government spies. This organization, through its associates, controls a significant share in drug trafficking, racketeering, kidnapping and extortion. Drug traffickers are prone to incarceration and as a result, they are forced to pay ‘taxes’ to the organization so that they do not get into trouble once they are taken to prison. This has helped the organization to grow economically and become one of the most influential in the contemporary society. In fact, it is believed that this gang has the capacity to control crime on the streets to a level that even the police cannot manage (Skarbek, 2011). For example, street shootings as a result of gang violence can be restricted just by the mafia ordering the gangs to stop such activities. However, the Mafia would never do so in the interest of the general public but only to prevent the gangs from attracting unnecessary attention from the police. Conclusion Organized crime refers to systematic criminal activities committed by a group of people whose major intention is to achieve financial and/or political gains. It is a major societal problem in the US, which has proved difficult to solve. Criminal organizations such as the Mara Salvatrucha and the Mexican Mafia have been in operation for a long time but until now, it has become impossible to take them out of the streets. Arresting them and locking them up in prisons is not a solution based on the fact that some of them, for example the Mexican Mafia, operate from the prisons where they are able to extort money from criminals on the streets in exchange for protection thus promoting their growth. Others, such as Mara Salvatrucha, are transnational in nature and without the cooperation of security organs in the affected countries and states, these gangs will never be eliminated. References Abadinsky, H. (2002). Organized Crime. Wadsworth Publishing. Franco, C. (2008). The MS-13 and 18th Street Gangs: Emerging Transnational Gang Threats? Congressional Research Service. Logan, S. (2009). This Is for the Mara Salvatrucha: Inside the MS-13, America's Most Violent Gang. Hyperion. Monteith, M. (2010). Transnational Gangs: The MS-13 Gang and Others (Law, Crime and Law Enforcement). Nova Science Pub Inc. Rafael, T. (2007). The Mexican Mafia. Encounter Books. Skarbek, D. (2011). Governance and Prison Gangs. American Political Science Review, 105(4), 702-716. Read More