Organized Crime

Klaus von Lampe - John Jay College of Criminal Justice, City University of New York

August 2015 | 488 pages | SAGE Publications, Inc

2016 Outstanding Publication Award (The International Association for the Study of Organized Crime)

Organized Crime: Analyzing Illegal Activities, Criminal Structures, and Extra-legal Governance provides a systematic overview of the processes and structures commonly labeled “organized crime,” drawing on the pertinent empirical and theoretical literature primarily from North America, Europe, and Australia. The main emphasis is placed on a comprehensive classificatory scheme that highlights underlying patterns and dynamics, rather than particular historical manifestations of organized crime. Esteemed author Klaus von Lampe strategically breaks the book down into three key dimensions: (1) illegal activities, (2) patterns of interpersonal relations that are directly or indirectly supporting these illegal activities, and (3) overarching illegal power structures that regulate and control these illegal activities and also extend their influence into the legal spheres of society. Within this framework, numerous case studies and topical issues from a variety of countries illustrate meaningful application of the conceptual and theoretical discussion.

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Preface

Acknowledgments

About the Author

Part I: Organized Crime as a Construct and as an Object of Study

Chapter 1: Introduction - The Study of Organized Crime

Phenomena Associated With Organized Crime

Conceptual Confusion

What Is the Object of Study in the Study of Organized Crime?

Chapter 2: The Concept of Organized Crime

The Conceptual History of Organized Crime

The Reception of the American Concept of Organized Crime in Other Countries

Lessons to Be Learned From the Conceptual History of Organized Crime

Overview of Definitions of Organized Crime

Outline of a Conceptual Framework for the Study of Organized Crime

The Concept of Organized Crime: Summary and Conclusion

Chapter 3: Organized Crime Research

The Study of Organized Crime as an Academic Subdiscipline

The History of the Study of Organized Crime

The Main Lines of Contemporary Research

Challenges to the Study of Organized Crime

Research on Organized Crime: Summary and Conclusion

PART II: Empirical Manifestations of Organized Crime

Introduction to Part II

Chapter 4: Organized Criminal Activities

Why Study Organized Criminal Activities Separate From Criminal Organizations?

Outline of This Chapter

Case Study: Cocaine Trafficking

Case Study: The Trafficking in Stolen Motor Vehicles

Conceptualizations of Organized Criminal Activities

The Main Types of Organized Criminal Activities

Illegal Markets

The Conceptualization of Particular Organized Criminal Activities

Organized Criminal Activities: Summary and Conclusion

Chapter 5: Criminal Structures – An Overview

Introduction

Case Study: Pedophile Networks

Existing Classifications of Criminal Organizations

The Three Basic Types of Criminal Structures

The Basic Forms of Criminal Structures: Markets, Networks, and Hierarchies

The Conceptualization of Criminal Networks

The Emergence and Persistence of Criminal Network Ties

Criminal Structures: Summary and Conclusion

Chapter 6: Illegal Entrepreneurial Structures

Introduction

Case Study: The Lavin Enterprise

The Illegal Firm

Conceptualizing Illegal Entrepreneurial Structures

Explaining the Structure of Illegal Firms

Illegal Entrepreneurial Structures: Summary and Conclusion

Chapter 7: Associational Structures

Introduction

Case Studies of Associations of Criminals

Variations Across Illegal Associational Structures

The Core Functions of Associational Structures

Delineating Associational Structures from Entrepreneurial Structures and from Quasi-Governmental Structures

Associational Structures: Summary and Conclusion

Chapter 8: Illegal-Market Monopolies and Quasi-Governmental Structures

Introduction

Case Study: The American Cosa Nostra

Illegal-Market Monopolies and Quasi-Governmental Structures

Monopolies in Illegal Markets

Quasi-Governmental Structures

Delineating Illegal-Market Monopolies and Quasi-Governmental Structures

Illegal-Market Monopolies and Monopolies of Violence: Summary and Conclusion

Part III: Organized Crime and Society

Chapter 9: The Social Embeddedness of Organized Crime

Introduction

The Social Embeddedness of Organized Crime: Illegal Goods and Services

The Social Embeddedness of Organized Criminals

The Social Embeddedness of Organized Crime: Summary and Conclusion

Chapter 10: Organized Crime and Legitimate Business

Introduction

Conceptualizations of Organized Crime and Legitimate Business Along the Dimensions of Activities, Structures, and Governance

Organized Criminals and Legitimate Business

Racketeering: Criminal Control Over Business Sectors

Business Sectors Vulnerable to Criminal Influence

Organized Crime and Legitimate Business: Summary and Conclusion

Chapter 11: Organized Crime and Government

Introduction

Conceptualizations of Organized Crime and Government: Activities, Structures, and Governance

The Relationship Between Organized Crime and Government as Two Separate Entities

Organized Crime within Government

The Relationship Between Organized Crime and Government: Summary and Conclusion

Chapter 12: Transnational Organized Crime

Introduction

Transnational Criminal Activities

Cross-Border Mobility and Cross-Border Networking of Criminals

Transnational Criminal Structures

The Cyberization of Organized Crime and the Organization of Cybercrime

Transnational Organized Crime and Organized Cybercrime: Summary and Conclusion

Note

PART IV: The Big Picture and the Arsenal of Countermeasures

Introduction to Part IV

Chapter 13: The Big Picture of Organized Crime

Introduction

The Range of Phenomena That Fall Under the Umbrella Concept of Organized Crime

Modelling Organized Crime

Typologies of Organized Crime

Trajectories in the Development of Organized Crime

The Big Picture of Organized Crime: Summary and Conclusion

Chapter 14: Countermeasures Against Organized Crime

Introduction

Substantive Criminal Law as an Instrument Against Organized Crime

Investigative Tools and Institutional Innovations as Instruments Against Organized Crime

Non-Criminal Justice Approaches to Combating ‘Organized Crime’

Combating Organized Crime: Summary and Conclusion

Bibliography

Index

" It is without question, the most comprehensive and robust treatment of organized crime research, theories and perspectives that has been published to date."

Frederick T. Martens

Criminal Law and Criminal Justice Books

"This book makes an important contribution to the academic literature. It moves well beyond the usual examination of "mafia" groups that has dominated the organized crime literature for years."

Robert Lombardo

Trends in Organized Crime

"(...) the reading is engaging, due to the concise expression and the short length of the chapters that permit the best absorption of elaborate concepts (...) although the topic itself is complex and eludes exhaustive presentation, von Lampe uses his extensive knowledge to present the pivotal developments in the field of organised crime (...)"

Elena Sciandra

Global Crime

"This is a major contribution to the literature. I like it enormously, and although I do not use a single text I recommend to my transnational organized crime class that if they buy one book it should be 'Organized Crime: Analyzing illegal activities, criminal structures, and extra-legal governance."

Phil Williams

University of Pittsburgh

"Organized Crime: Analyzing illegal activities, criminal structures, and extra-legal governance is by far the most comprehensive and thoughtful treatment of the subject matter I've ever come across and I don't see this changing easily in the foreseeable future either."

Georgios Antonopoulos & Georgios Papanicolaou

Canadian Journal of Criminology and Criminal Justice

Key features

KEY FEATURES:

A coherent conceptual framework helps readers overcome the existing conceptual confusion that arises in studying organized crime.
Numerous graphs and tables clarify and summarize key concepts and classifications so readers gain an understanding of patterns irrespective of the geographical and historical context.
In-depth case studies bring the concept and theories to life by highlighting salient issues that demonstrate relevant application of the principles in organized crime.
Discussion questions at the end of each chapter encourage readers to reflect and develop essential critical thinking skills.
Research topics inspire students to conduct their own small research projects and deepen their understanding of the conceptual framework presented in the book.

Sample Materials & Chapters

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

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