Social Organized Crime Perspective - Essay Example

They also operate through a hierarchical-based relationship. The paper explores some of the speculative and empirical theories that explain organized crime and their criminal behavior in terms of a social institution. Alien Conspiracy Theory According to this theory, outside influences are responsible for the organized crime to prevail in US society. Ethnicity is in the basis of alien conspiracy theory of the organized crime. Haller (1990) argues that organized crimes largely succeed forming lucrative partnerships based on common needs and rational business decisions.

Alien conspiracy theory states that Sicilian immigrants are largely responsible in giving a shape to the US organized crime. Though many disagree with this and put forward their argument that even before the significant Italian immigration during late nineteenth century and thereafter, crime organizations did function in most of the US city. Italian mafias only exploited the situation to their advantage and augmented the crime horizons (Shanty, 2008). Culture Deviance Theory Usually lower-class people violate the law due to their unique culture that is in conflict with the culture of the upper class and all criminal laws are formulated keeping upper class in focus.

The lower-class life-style usually rejects government authority. It is easy for them to fall in trap of thieves, drug dealers, and law-breakers. Culture deviance theory suggests that when conventional lawful ways are blocked, it is obvious for youth belonging to the lower-class to get attracted and become a part of an organized crime group (Lyman &Potter 2007). Rational Choice Theory Classical school of criminology developed rational choice theory. According to this theory, people have free will and can take their decisions rationally.

Ditto applies to the organized criminals who guided by their free will willingly choose crime activities. This theory proposes that every criminal fully knows about the risk and rewards associated to their wrongdoings. As they are aware about the financial benefits so they also know about the level of punishment that will be meted to them in the event they are trapped or captured. Conversely, those who do not commit crime decide so because they do not find it worth the benefits. The criminals rationally think about their likely success or failure rates for doing a particular crime and accordingly they plunge into the act (Lyman &Potter 2007).

Socialization Process in Illegitimate Businesses Five major community functions such as socialization, production-distribution-consumption; mutual support; social participation and social control have been identified to understand organized crime as a social institution (Lyman &Potter 2007). The existence of organized crime depends on production-distribution-consumption dynamics of the community. The existence of organized crimes emerges from the failure of legitimate market to serve huge consumer population.

In that sense, there is a great similarity between legitimate and illegitimate businesses. Organized crime has a good interfacing with the community as they provide assistance to the community and at the same time take advantage of opportunities that are available. Organized crime devises roles for themselves in production-distribution-consumption function of the society. The gaps in community functions make a way for organized crime to exist and flourish. That is how the legal and illegal business activities functions side by side.

Thus, organized crime becomes an instrument in socializing its