Organized Crime: The State's Never-Ending Torment - Research Paper Example

 Organized Crime: The State's Never-Ending Torment Introduction Organized crime entails illegal activities carried out by well-known criminals whose ambitions are to gain monetary value from carrying out such activities that are never taxed by the Government due to their classified nature. Countries lose much money yearly from such associations that are run by infamous people who instill fear and discipline in the individuals who work for them (Savona & Vettori 2009). These organizations also force small companies to merge with them with the deception that they have to pay a certain amount for the protection of their businesses. It is quite disheartening that these gangs are able to operate from grass root levels with so much ease due to the ability they have of manipulating the police department. Organized crime has been able to operate in various levels, the transnational level being the main concern. Transnational organized crime consists of engaging in the illegal activities in more than one jurisdiction. This has become a worrying trend because there is no appointed court that has been created to deal with such cases. These organizations tend to thrive in societies which have weak or absent civil authorities due to easy access of available resources. They impact the State on three different levels namely politically, socially and economically. Politically, it has deteriorated the justice systems by using corruption to support their bad vices and increase their power and social status. Economically, they also use corruption to finance their illegal activities and get impunity from various police officers. This in turn, makes the State lose billions of dollars every year which in the long-run impairs development that might have been supported by the lost revenue. Socially, these organizations, have been able to dominate the social affairs of various communities and account for the profitable businesses in the community. The State is bent on eliminating these organizations even if it takes a while. Operations of organized crime organizations They are various models that analyze organized crimes and how they operate. They include different indifference, multimodal approach, causal and organizational models (Anuszkiewicz 1994). Individual difference entails the entrepreneurial model whereby an individual conforms to a criminal organization for entirely financial profit. It states that an individual enters into this partnership well aware of the risks involved and the impending predicament. The multi-modal approach has a different perspective on organized crime. It presents the ideology that an ethnicity and cultural factors contribute to the belief that trust is paramount among people with a common origin. With that, criminal gangs are able to work more efficiently with the notion that they are destined to perform such activities. Causal model focuses on the demand for illegal goods that lead to an increase in supply of these goods thereby creating rich and powerful gangs. Due to the emergence of such associations, the society loses its' morals and allows the thriving of corruption and other bad habits that contribute to the deterioration of the justice systems. This model comprises of four main essentials namely illegal activities, the government, the society and mainly organized crime. Lastly, there is the organizational design which covers three different aspects namely youth and street gangs, bureaucratic/corporate operations and lastly patron-client networks. Youth and street gangs entail the formation of an association consisting of peers with the same ambitions and presence of a strict leadership that pushes them into performing illegal activities. They are known to take control of different regions while practicing the dictatorship by implanting their ideologies on the innocent people (Cohen 2002). They are usually very organized and portray an admirable level of loyalty to their leaders probably because of the fear of being murdered if they do otherwise. Bureaucratic or corporate operations are characterized by an intricate network system that leads to a substantial award of duties in the business. They are governed by strict rules and regulations with the purpose of strengthening their association. Their main goal is to ensure that the business runs for many years while avoiding punishment from the law. Patron-client networks operate on a hierarchy basis with the idea of indulging family members to the latter. It mainly runs according to family traditions and values due to its framework. Decisions are made by following protocol in the market structure with a very rigid division of labor. Their activities are based on traditional values while at the same time recruiting family members with the goal of finding individuals who will succeed the businesses in the future. Organized crime organizations are known for providing a wide range of services. These services include money laundering, prostitution, people smuggling, organ trafficking, passport fraud, assassination, drug trafficking and many more (Anuszkiewicz1994). All these activities pose a threat to the growth and development of the nation due to the infiltration of public systems by these ruthless criminals. Governments account for a huge loss of revenue every year due to the illegal activities carried out by these mobsters who seem to get away with it most of the time. It is even becoming harder to control them because of some level of impunity they are awarded to by some corrupt justice systems. State’s position on organized crime I believe that traditional organized crime has been a challenge to the state in various undisputed ways. Crime is existent because it is being fuelled by diverse factors that are all inter-related. Culture is what guides us in differentiating between what is right and wrong and what is expected of us in the society. Crime, on the other hand, is a misdemeanor that is committed by people who choose to follow the wrong path. Saney (1986) argues that the society is somewhat responsible for the crimes happening around the world. It is because culture paints a picture that wealth and success are the most important factors in an individual's life. The culture presents high expectations that impose pressure on an individual and if they are not able to reach them, they are considered as failures. When a person is viewed as a failure it leads to feelings of resentment and discontent that promotes involvement in crime. The justice systems seem to be deviating from the serious crimes and opt to act impartially with regards to erasing organized crime. Because of the reserved nature of a crime, statistics acquired are usually inaccurate (Hagan 1983). However, there are two major methods of collecting crime data namely statistical surveys and policing reports. Crimes are classified according to the basis of their nature and, therefore, dealt with differently. Policing reports are usually more favorable than surveys because the victims willingly go to the police stations to report the crimes. However, there is still a big number of crimes that go unreported because of fear of victimization or sometimes even shame. Statistical surveys usually gather their information from willing respondents but still in the end; do not give credible statistics due to the little information gathered from the respondents. The State has also had to deal with victim logy the study of victimization that analyzes the relationships between the victims and the criminal justice system and the victims and other social groupings like the media and the society. Women seem to be the vulnerable gender and, therefore, the target of repeated crimes (Karmen, 2003). Victims of different crimes tend to view the world from a different perspective by believing that, they are always vulnerable and, therefore, become pessimists (Lerner& Montada 1998). With such an attitude, it is easy to lower one's self esteem which will automatically affect their day-to-day activities. By behaving that way, the state loses creativity and diversification of resources with a long-term effect on the growth of the economy. States around the world are being adversely affected by the increasing trend of violent crimes. Violent crime is whereby a delinquent imposes or threatens to use brutal force on the victim. Violent crime mainly includes robbery, assaults, extortion, kidnapping and attempted murder. This crime provides the state with a challenge of providing security it promised to its' people. Therefore, the citizens may lose faith in the state especially if there is a worrying increase in the number of violent crime cases. Corruption is another factor that has become a predominant in different states. The state loses many revenues from such dealings, therefore, becoming very sore issue. It is whereby an individual provides a third party especially an authoritative figure with a particular good or service with the purpose of getting a favor in return. Organized crime companies have a tendency to corrupt individuals from different justice systems into allowing them to maneuver and distribute their illegal goods and services with ease and comfort. By doing so, these companies are able to even fund developmental projects in their various communities to win the trust of the people in these communities. Traditional organized crime has lots to do with the economy of any particular state. Richard & Steven (2013) argue that an economic stress seems to trigger an increase in crimes due to the desperation and poverty. When there is an increase in unemployment it is logical to assume that, more people will be involved in crime to acquire basic needs for themselves and their families. On the other hand, analysts argue that a bad economy does not necessarily lead to an increase in crimes. Some measures have been taken to curb crime namely, adverse training of police officers and providing them with better working environments. The youth has also been empowered to join institutions of higher learning with the promise of better jobs. The relationship between crime and economics is complicated, but the answer is in knowing how to improve the economy to better the living standards of the citizens to discourage crime. State’s involvement in Crime Despite the outcry of organized crime, there has also been an evolution of a more complex crime known as state crime (Young 1999). State crime involves the state partaking in heinous crimes like genocide, corruption, and terrorism. These crimes are usually fuelled by political factors and tend to occur more often in developing countries. The state then portrays indifference towards its' own people thereby creating unrest and riots. A good example of such atrocity was witnessed in Rwanda in 1994 where the genocide ended the lives of approximately 1 million people in a period of 3 months. The state offers misguiding information to the public with the purpose of controlling any unwanted inquiries and portrays a good image to other countries to attract foreign investors. The state also has to deal with transnational organized crime which entails the prevalence of organized crime on international borders with the involvement of criminals from different countries (Kramer 1994). Their main activities include human trafficking, drugs smuggling, money laundering, and smuggling of weapons. It has been stated that such international criminal organizations pose a threat to all nations because of their powerful and intricate management operations. These crimes lower the democracy of a nation and discourage the growth of established societies (Hart 1972). It brings about lack of peace and instability among the countries affected. Criminal networks are expanding and at the same time diversifying their activities that pose a threat to economic development and growth. These criminal organizations often target countries with weak legal systems to be able to manipulate their justice system. Conclusion Depending on the revenue from organized crime syndicates is counterproductive for the State. In additions, the dangers posed by such activities outweigh the monetary gain. Moreover, the State cannot be able to control the circulation of the money gotten from these illegal activities let alone tax it. Even if these businesses make much money, the State is not able to control them, and, therefore, lose a lot of revenues every day. At the end of this all, these criminal organizations squander all their money on irrelevant acquisitions as impulsive buying, drugs and prostitutes. I highly recommend the use of stern measures by the State in managing the performance of illegal activities. First, increasing employment is a vital part in encouraging the youth to steer away from bad vices and improve their living standards. Secondly, imposing harsh sentences on people found engaging in illegal activities will instill fear in others and, therefore, discourage participation in such activities. By curbing corruption in our police departments or justice systems, is a step further in the fight against criminal groups. Finally, by creating awareness in different communities on how to live fulfilling lives away from crime would bring a long term effect on the State wholly. Reference List Anuszkiewicz, R 1994. "Met theoretical Issues in the Study of Organized Crime." Journal of Contemporary Criminal Justice, 10 (4). Cohen, S 2002. "Human Rights and Crimes of the State: The Culture of Denial" in Criminological Perspectives, 2nd Edition. London: Sage Publishers. Hagan (1983) "The Organized Crime Continuum: A Further Specification of a New Conceptual Model." Criminal Justice Review 8(52). Hart, H.L.A 1972. Law, Liberty and Morality. Stanford: Stanford University Press. Karmen, Andrew 2003.Crime Victims: An Introduction to Victimology, United Kingdom: Wadsworth Publishing. Kramer, R.C 1994)." State violence and violent crime." Peace Review, 6 (2), pp. 171-175. Lerner, Melvin J & Montada, Leo 1998. Responses to victimizations and belief in a just world. Critical issues in social justice. New York: Plenum Press. Saney, P 1986. Crime and Culture in America - A Comparative Perspective. Greenwood, Westport: Publishing Group. Savona & Vettori 2009. "Evaluating the Cost of Organized Crime from a Comparative Perspective." European Journal on Criminal Policy and Research 15 (4): 379–393. Young, J 1999. The exclusive society: social exclusion, crime, and difference in the late modernity. London: Sage Publishers. Read More