Proactively controlling Organized Crime

Organized crime has been integrated in society since the beginning of civilization. Groups of people purely motivated by money have broken the law in order to obtain autonomy, power and profit. Today's society is faced with organized crime on a daily basis. Criminal organizations have significant influence on the global economy as well as government, law enforcement, and communities. Even though controlling organized crime takes significant manpower and resources, Controlling organized crime requires a more proactive approach because Organized crime outpaces law enforcement and government control and Organized crime is a major contributor to the degradation of our society. Forms of Organized Crime In order to develop a better understanding of organized crime, it is important to review their different forms. The UN research delineated five ideal types of criminal organization, ranging from the most traditional forms of organized crime to newer, modern organized networks. (Lyman) The following are the five types of organized crime: Standard hierarchy, regional hierarchy, clustered hierarchy, core group, and criminal network. An organized group led by a single individual with the most power is considered a Standard hierarchy organization. Standard groups are highly organized with clearly defined roles and responsibilities. Characteristics include: identified chain of command, system for internal discipline, a known name, and a strong identity (social or ethnic). An example of a Standard group is a well organized Mafia family.

Regional hierarchies are similar to standard hierarchies. The difference between the two is regional organizations have autonomy and a level of independence, which granted by the head of the organization. Each regional group have a single leader with a chain of command in place. The geographic scope is regional in nature. An example of a regional group is a local Outlaw motorcycle gang with national membership. An organized group made up of smaller organized crime groups that coordinate their activies and businesses are considered to have a Clustered Hieararchy. Groups are able to coordinate their efforts by having a n established arrangement in place. Clustered groups cooperate with larger groups, have influence within a governemt through corruption, deep penetration into the legitimate economy, and is well developed in its modes of opration and control. Major drug cartels are examples of clustered groups. Core groups are on of the most important forms of organized crime due to their ability to adapt to operating illegal enterprise on a global scale. A core group lacks structure, but is enlist the services of larger criminal networks. By operating in smaller groups, power is shared by all participants and core groups are able to avoid law enforcement more efficiently. Core groups are among the most successful enterprises because they are able to use political corruption and ties with other criminal organizations to maintain autonomy, with almost no use of violence. Core groups are made up of professionals with expertise, almost no criminal recorders, and heavy connections.