Attributes, Essay Example

While Abadinsky (2010) admits that it is difficult to find a formal definition for organized crime, he does purport that there are 8 attributes which when present in a group can considerably define that group as such. These attributes are being non-ideological and hierarchical, having limited if not exclusive membership, being perpetuitous, engaging in illegal activities, having specialization of tasks, being monopolistic, and having explicit rules in its operations and in the conduct of its members (Covey, 2010).

The first attribute simply implies that organized crime is not about forwarding ideological beliefs, thereby excluding other violent groups such as the Ku Klux Klan. Rather, organized crime is all about profits rather than principles (Simon, 2007). Money is central to an organized crime operation and good organized crime leaders consider the financial feasibility of any activity.

The second attribute is that these groups have a hierarchy, just like most organizations in the world. There are chains of command, territories, and positions that each member of the group acknowledges (Covey, 2010).

The third attribute is that organized crime does not accept just anyone into their ranks. As given in the examples of Covey (2010), all of the mafias around the world have their peculiarities for accepting or rejecting members. As discussed by Thio (2007), deviant groups consider themselves an elite brand of criminal. Thus, they maintain standards of the type that can be allowed to join them.

The fourth attribute is that organized crime is not just about the here and now, but has a vision of perpetuating their activities to the future. As illustrated by the history of organized crime groups during the prohibition-era, organized crime lords plan ahead with the purpose of establishing themselves as an enterprise in the community (Covey, 2010).

The fifth attribute is engaging in illegal activities. Of course, it cannot be considered an organized crime group if it did not perpetrate any crimes. Organized crime is of course, associated with crimes that seek to reap monetary rewards (Simon, 2007), rather than crimes that simply do harm to other people.

The sixth attribute is the practice of division of labor or specialization. As organized crime is an enterprise, its members have different tasks (Covey, 2010). The members that collect protection money specialize in intimidation, while those that make hits are trained assassins.

The seventh attribute is that organized crime seeks to monopolize operations. As illustrated in the street gang dynamics explained by Covey (2010), organized crime groups compete with other groups with the purpose of eventually taking over such group’s territories.

The last attribute is that organized crime has rules. Each culture criminal groups, from the Mafia to the Yakuza, has different regulations that all members must adhere to, as well as stipulated consequences for disobedience (Covey, 2010).

Importance

Among the 8 attributes of organized crime proposed by Abadinsky (2010), the two most critical attributes that determine the success of an organized crime group are its perpetual vision of its operations and its observance of rules and regulations. The former is essential to success, since it gives members of the group an idea of what the group seeks to continuously or eventually achieve. Without this vision, an organized crime group is unable to plan ahead and is therefore likely to be outclassed by other groups or overwhelmed by law enforcement development. The later is just as essential, because a group without rules is prone to crumble down from lack of discipline. In fact, Covey (2010) discussed that the longest lasting organized crime groups did not establish rules out of vanity, but rather new that such rules and their strict enforcement are necessary to keep criminals in line towards the organization’s goals.

References

Abadinsky, Howard. (2010). Organized Crime (9th ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.

Covey, Herbert. (2010). Street Gangs Throughout the World. IL: Charles C Thomas.

Simon, D. R. (2007). Elite Deviance. 9^th Ed. Sydney: Allyn & Bacon, Inc.

Thio, Alex. (2007). Readings in Deviant Behavior. 6^th Ed. Sydney: Allyn & Bacon, Inc.