Transnational Organized Crime.
Hoorcollege 1.
What you see is for a very important part about theory, the thoughts you have in your head. What are
the ideas and the knowledgies about organized crime.
It makes it more complex because it is also about norms, ideologies and emotios. We don’t know a lot
about them. You can have a lot of facts, but there are norms and emotions about somethings. In all the
discussions about organized crime it’s also about what you think is normal or what’s your ideology.
Do ends justify the means?
1. Electronic surveillance difficult to use in America, but easily used in the Netherlands.
2. Undercover operations hardly used in the Netherlands, but in America it’s often used.
3. Informants
4. Immunity
5. Witness protection programs
6. Forfeiture (seize money from criminals). What kind of proof do they need to take your car or
money.
7. RICO: the racketeer influenced and corrupt organizations act
If it’s organized crime we are unable to arrest these people unless we use the instruments above.
Defending the civilians against the state is very important, there have to be special circumstances when
you can use these instruments. Because of the history of Europe, with nazi-Germany, Stasi and Soviet-
Union, people need to be protected against the government. Does the catching of the criminal justify the
means.
Theoretical perspectives:
Alien conspiracy: the problem is not your own problem, it’s an imported problem by outsiders.
People entering the country. Example is the Italian-American maffia. They have imported the
problem. The Mafia didn’t exist in a lot of countries, but has been in Italy for decades. Italians
have moved from Europe to the US and they imported the problem of Mafia. There were Italian
mafia families in NY in racketeering. This is how it operates. It’s an alien conspiracy, outsiders
come to the US and take over society.
Bureaucracy model. The confessions of Joe Vallachi told something about how the Mafia
operated.
, It’s an hierarchical setting. It has been very popular in the scientific literature, but has also been
critized a lot. Some of these organizations had some sort of character, but others work
differently. For many criminal organizations this is not the way they operate, only for very well
organized, stable organizations it sometimes looks like this.
Illegal enterprise: it’s just smart people doing criminal things. Some people sell washing powder,
other people sell drugs. They’re entrepreneurs and try to make a profit.
Illegality.
- No contracts, official payments or receipts
- Assets may be seized at any time
- Risk of arrest and imprisonment
- No judge or mediation (in case of disagreement)
It’s more logical that small is beautiful. The bigger a organization is, the harder to avoid the things
above. A lot of temporary/short-lived organizations.
Consequences:
1. No incentive for development of large-scale criminal organizations. This is why you have so little
big organizations. If they are, they have a long history and often no serious threat of the
governement.
2. Alternative mechanisms (curbing distrust).
Alternative mechanisms:
Social relations:
Shadow of the past you know someone can be trusted. You know something about each other, so
you can trust them. Often work together with their own family, because it’s safe. The past casts a
shadow to the present.
Shadow of the future if you know you will meet somebody again in the future, it’s difficult to cheat on
somebody. You know you will meet again.
Reputation people are connected to other people. You have to think about your reputation, because
more people will know about this. Other people won’t trust you.
Economic profit: many people just cooperate because they get money.
(threats of) violence: if you have a problem with certain people, you have to think about serious
consequences. Makes people cooperate.
Protection theory
Social embeddedness, social capital and criminal networks
Logistics of organized crime/situational approach.
Criminal networks.
Hoorcollege 1.
What you see is for a very important part about theory, the thoughts you have in your head. What are
the ideas and the knowledgies about organized crime.
It makes it more complex because it is also about norms, ideologies and emotios. We don’t know a lot
about them. You can have a lot of facts, but there are norms and emotions about somethings. In all the
discussions about organized crime it’s also about what you think is normal or what’s your ideology.
Do ends justify the means?
1. Electronic surveillance difficult to use in America, but easily used in the Netherlands.
2. Undercover operations hardly used in the Netherlands, but in America it’s often used.
3. Informants
4. Immunity
5. Witness protection programs
6. Forfeiture (seize money from criminals). What kind of proof do they need to take your car or
money.
7. RICO: the racketeer influenced and corrupt organizations act
If it’s organized crime we are unable to arrest these people unless we use the instruments above.
Defending the civilians against the state is very important, there have to be special circumstances when
you can use these instruments. Because of the history of Europe, with nazi-Germany, Stasi and Soviet-
Union, people need to be protected against the government. Does the catching of the criminal justify the
means.
Theoretical perspectives:
Alien conspiracy: the problem is not your own problem, it’s an imported problem by outsiders.
People entering the country. Example is the Italian-American maffia. They have imported the
problem. The Mafia didn’t exist in a lot of countries, but has been in Italy for decades. Italians
have moved from Europe to the US and they imported the problem of Mafia. There were Italian
mafia families in NY in racketeering. This is how it operates. It’s an alien conspiracy, outsiders
come to the US and take over society.
Bureaucracy model. The confessions of Joe Vallachi told something about how the Mafia
operated.
, It’s an hierarchical setting. It has been very popular in the scientific literature, but has also been
critized a lot. Some of these organizations had some sort of character, but others work
differently. For many criminal organizations this is not the way they operate, only for very well
organized, stable organizations it sometimes looks like this.
Illegal enterprise: it’s just smart people doing criminal things. Some people sell washing powder,
other people sell drugs. They’re entrepreneurs and try to make a profit.
Illegality.
- No contracts, official payments or receipts
- Assets may be seized at any time
- Risk of arrest and imprisonment
- No judge or mediation (in case of disagreement)
It’s more logical that small is beautiful. The bigger a organization is, the harder to avoid the things
above. A lot of temporary/short-lived organizations.
Consequences:
1. No incentive for development of large-scale criminal organizations. This is why you have so little
big organizations. If they are, they have a long history and often no serious threat of the
governement.
2. Alternative mechanisms (curbing distrust).
Alternative mechanisms:
Social relations:
Shadow of the past you know someone can be trusted. You know something about each other, so
you can trust them. Often work together with their own family, because it’s safe. The past casts a
shadow to the present.
Shadow of the future if you know you will meet somebody again in the future, it’s difficult to cheat on
somebody. You know you will meet again.
Reputation people are connected to other people. You have to think about your reputation, because
more people will know about this. Other people won’t trust you.
Economic profit: many people just cooperate because they get money.
(threats of) violence: if you have a problem with certain people, you have to think about serious
consequences. Makes people cooperate.
Protection theory
Social embeddedness, social capital and criminal networks
Logistics of organized crime/situational approach.
Criminal networks.
