Types of Organized Crime and their Impact on Society - Essay Example

The three types of Organized Crime

Gang Criminality

It involves criminals armed for violence, assault, and they could go up to the extent of killing. Criminality acts such as robbery, car theft, kidnapping, and extortion get carried out by these perpetrators. They could be even in possession of dangerous armories such as pistols and bullet-proof vests. Members of these gangs could get disciplined; however, there are extremely dangerous because they do not hesitate to kill. They unite at prearranged locations then execute their dealings. Police records describe them as hardened and habitual individuals; therefore, it is likely that their acts may spread over large areas geographically. Criminals in this category always anticipate violence. Studies also suggest that these criminals at times also tend to be ex-convicts or people involved in criminal acts. Wars can also stir up between these gangs when there is a rivalry or misunderstanding.

Racketeering

Individuals who go through with this type of crime extort money through deceiving people, selling fake goods, illegal drugs and more. They go to the extent of using forceful intimidation when extracting money from both illegal and legitimate businesses. The difference between racketeers and gangs is that they are not after completely robbing off their victims; they could allow illegal businesses such as prostitution, gambling, and drug trafficking to continue operating so that they can consistently extort them fixed money perhaps monthly. These individuals could also involve people who extort money from employers who have had them carry out criminal activity for them before. It is possible also to find them asking for fees to in turn offer protection, especially to people in business and business owners. They have great intimidation because, in such an instance, a business man may agree to their facts even if unwillingly due to also fear from them, and thus, remain subjected to a fee by them. Racketeers live through the blood and hard work of others because they get all their profits from terrorizing, forceful acts, and intimidation. While carrying out their acts, assaults happen, and property gets destroyed. Examples of businesses these criminals approach in the act of protecting them to demand fees include restaurants, malls, and more. Researchers say that the members of these racketeering gangs can get categorized into two types; the think tanks and the muscle men. The muscle men get utilized mostly during the physically active engagements such as plundering, fighting, and even killing while the think tanks come up with their new plans of what to do to reach favorable outcomes. Studies conclude that though the think tanks may seem weak, they at times also engage in physical activity to demand respect, and have their authority recognized; they do it to preserve their reputation.

Syndicate Crime

Syndicates enforce their dealings through gangs often regarded as mafias. They organize criminal procedures such as trading illegal goods like drugs through illegal businesses such as gambling and prostitution. The have their prearranged destinations where they meet to discuss issues. The nature of this crime differs from the rest by the fact that syndicates limit violence and in fact are considered as prominent citizens in the society because of their rich statuses and their associations with highly regarded persons. They run their businesses mostly within centers of communication, transportation, and distribution of commodities. These individuals have their designated locations where they team up to discuss ongoing activities and mutual interests. The syndicates who carry out the actual activities may have two bosses. The supreme one, and the one that acts as an intermediary between the ones that conduct criminal activity and the bigger bosses.

How these crimes impact society

The adversely affected areas in society include healthcare, security systems and financial security. The community remains vulnerable to the inhuman acts committed by criminals. The public remains subjected to extreme fear when things get out of hand, and they lose hope in the law even while at their homes. Organized crimes deprive the society essential constituted citizen rights such as the right to peace and order. The violence and intimidations innocents get subjected to increase corruption in the society which degrades the quality of life. The presence of influential criminal groups running unethical deals such as drugs and collecting vast sums of money also hinder the community’s development since the profits involved are overwhelmingly significant to the economy. For example, in 2009, the value of illicit trade had amounted to 1.3 trillion US dollars. Increased crime causes law enforcement also to incur additional costs when executing safety measures and battling criminals. It is unfortunate that innocents in the society also get caught up during law enforcement battles with criminal groups and end up as victims. Other related problems such as an increase in the number of people committing suicides and homicides also emanate from illegal activities such as drug abuse. For example, over the years, Brazil has been experiencing a national challenge because it is recording over 30000 homicides annually with the largest fraction of that population getting revealed as drug abusers.

Studies indicate that young men transitioning from adolescence to adulthood are more prone to committing a crime and record the highest numbers of violent acts. The problem is that specialists are still unable to determine the specific factors contributing to these outcomes. However, the issue is more likely to stem from the lack of role models the lower generation can look up to in life. Lastly, hopelessness in the current regimes and the need to survive also instigates crime among the youth.

Rational Choice Theory

Rational choice theory is the best in explaining the behavior and motivations of crimes because the reasoning in it sounds more applicable to the criminal activity the community experiences, plus it explains crime in a broader perspective than other crime theories. Another compelling theory to understanding crime is the deterrence theory which only talks of the weighing of punishment subject to an evil doer upon committing a particular act. The only similarity between deterrence and rational choice theory is that they both consider human beings conclude to doing crime when they are aware they will likely also suffer the consequences. Rational choice theory finds noncriminal behavior no different from criminal behavior because, in both, individuals intentionally go through with what they choose – to do or not to do a crime. The theory suggests that people commit crime because they find those acts more self-rewarding and less costly when varying even energy applied. The theory claims that there is will in both criminal and non-criminal acts. Rational choice theory kills the idea and misconception many belief which suggest that people who do crimes do so because they are destined to it.

The theory justifies that criminals do a calculation of the profits they are likely to acquire from committing certain acts and compare it with the sanctions they are bound to suffer. That nature of varying laws derives from what sociologist call Hedonistic Calculus. The word hedonistic is from the word hedonism which means the act of seeking pleasure by avoiding pain. Since the word calculus introduces mathematical concepts, Hedonistic Calculus then gets defined as doing the math of seeking pleasure and avoiding pain. That leads to also the conclusion that individuals freely choose their behavior, whether to conform or refrain to crime, based on the rational calculations they make. Refraining comes from understanding the substitutable pain from a punishment that follows after committing crime acts. Emotions get evolved in this theory because it gets expected that rational conduct is present within perpetrators, a sneak thrill from doing crime might stir in individuals implicated with criminal behavior, and emotional costs from committing crimes get varied. The main advantage of this theory is that it presents a framework from which all kinds of crime can get understood and since it gives a better understanding of offences, criminologists can use it to suggest new crime prevention measures. Rational choice theory considers that the swiftness, certainty, and severity of punishments are the primary human behavior controlling factor because it gives law meaning and respect from individuals.

Countermeasures supported by criminological theories

The rational choice theory got discovered to aid in providing ways of prevention of situational crime. That prevention focuses on limiting the capacity of opportunities which lure individuals to result in crime such as manipulating the immediate environment with systematic strategies by making it more challenging, risky, unrewarding, and inexcusable for offenders to justify their actions. The prevention measure mostly dwells on modifying the social and physical environment. Some of the significant changes installed within the physical environment include bettering the streetscapes and the designs of buildings by improving lighting, installing alarms, labeling property, and monitoring traffic through digital cameras. Locals have made attempts to increase surveillance in their midst by establishing watch committees, and employing private watch guards to keep watch of residential homes and private businesses. More measures have also gotten installed by creating non-crime related programs which seek citizen participation such as sports in recreational centers, counseling sessions, and employment opportunities to fight poverty levels. Since crime could also constitute forceful activities such as breaking and entering, to increase security individuals install better window and door locks in their premises to restrain unauthorized access.