QUIZ-1 Organized Crime - Essay Example

Organized Crime Organized crime There is no accepted definition of organized crime; However Donald Cressey developed a definition of organized crime that is used by the FBI for many decades now. According to Donald Cressy, Organized crime entails a group of persons operating for a certain period of time and working with consent to carry out offences that are meant to benefit them either directly or indirectly. Organized crimes portray attributes such monopolistic in nature, hierarchical and are governed by strict rules and regulations.

Organized crimes are motivated by the fact that the members share the same social doctrines and similar ideological concerns. Political beliefs do not act as a motivator to organized crime as opposed terrorism which is more of political. (McLean, J. D. 2007)In any organized crime there is always a fixer whose role is to develop contacts with the justice system and politicians and the appropriate time emerges corruption is carried out. Merton used pathological materialism to describe an American preoccupation with economic success.

This later translates into focus on the goal of success rather the means by which success is achieved. The unscrupulous Robber Barons that exemplify the spirit Merton refers to as innovation. They do not care about legitimacy and in the end they emerge successful.The term culture refers to the source of patterning in human conduct. Culture plays a key role in understanding the behavior of offenders involved in organized crime Anomie is a condition that was made popular by a French sociologist Emile Durkheim in the early twentieth century.

Anomie refers to a condition whereby the society does minimal effort to educate people and give them moral guidance. According to Edwin Sutherland behavior is learnt, whether it is lawful or criminal all behavior is learned. (McLean, J. D. 2007)ReferenceTop of FormMcLean, J. D. (2007). Transnational organized crime: A commentary on the UN Convention and its protocols. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Bottom of Form