Vice Crime and Organized Crime



Organized Crime and Consensual Crime Lecture Outline

Organized Crime and Consensual Crime points to consider during group discussion;

Organized Crime (Barkan. Ch. 12, 388-392)

1. When has Organized Crime been present in US history, and what drives people to be involved?

2. How is Organized Crime linked to the demand for illegal goods and services [Consensual Crime]?

3. What is the Alien Conspiracy Model (“Mafia Mystique”) and how well does it fit with reality?? How organized is Organized Crime & who is involved in it?

4. How well do BK gang in Chicago (Venkatesh, chs. 3 &4) & E. Baltimore street drug dealers (Mostkos, ch. 4) fit as organized crime, as per Barkan?

5. What are most promising Ways to lessen Organized Crime (Prosecute leaders vs. other measures)

Consensual Crime (all points are Barkan ch. 14, unless noted otherwise]

1. Why are consensual / vice crimes often called “victimless crimes”? Law enforcement do more harm than good?

2. How widespread is illegal drug use (legal and illegal) Is there a Drug Crisis? If so, where is it concentrated?

3. What are the Explanations for illegal drug use? Key social & economic factors? Examples of these in Baltimore (Moskos Ch. 4) and Chicago (Venkatesh Chs. 3& 4)?

4. What is evidence for and against the Drug-Crime Connection? Structural & Social Process factors cause both?

How does drug illegality lead to other crime & violence? Examples in Baltimore (Moskos) & Chicago (Venkatesh)? What is the structure of drug gangs -- various jobs, murder risk, etc.? (Moskos, & Ven.) How are BK’s organized and what activities do they carry out (criminal & non-criminal)? What does drug gang leader do (Venkatesh)?

5. Drug Legalization Pro’s & Con’s – What are the Con’s / reasons against?

Pro’s / reasons for -- A. Is illegality of drugs related to their lethality? Why are some illegal?

B. What are “unintended consequences” of alcohol prohibition, related to illegal drugs as well? Effects on law enforcement & prison system, on orgzd. crime? Baltimore examples of this (Moskos)?

C. Legalization lead to more drug use? Why of why not (“forbidden fruit”?)?

6. What are Harm Reduction & Drug Courts? Maryland’s program begun in Baltimore, & the Netherlands’ approach? How do Baltimore police tend to view these programs (treatment, etc.), & what is their view of drug issue (Moskos)?

7. What are key factors explaining Prostitution? What are legalization Pro’s and Con’s ?

8. How is Pornography defined? Does Pornography lead to rape?

9. Gambling – Frequency compared to other consensual crimes? What Pro’s and Con’s of legalization?

10. How Enforceable are Vice / Consensual Crime laws? What is best way to reduce drug crime & prostitution?

How do Baltimore (Moskos) & Chicago (Chicago) cases illustrate enforceability & types of best solutions?

Lecture (& overlap with group Discussion points report –in):

Consensual Crime – definition & key types (Barkan ch. 14)

Role of Market/Public Demand…

& link to Organized Crime (Barkan Ch. 12)

Drug Use statistics, by Race & Ethnicity & Class (Ed level) (for various drugs) ( data From Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration annual survey, 2007-2008)

You should know general patterns & trends (not specific numbers), esp. for 4 main R&E groups (whites, African Americans, Hispanics, and Asian Americans) overall, & and by education level, not necessarily for each drug…

Compare Drug use by R&E group with Where is Drug Enforcement most heavily focused? See Moskos (ch. 4) for good example in Baltimore.

Is there a drug crisis in US? Where is drug problem concentrated in US? (Barkan, Ch. 14)

Lethality of drugs related to their illegality [?] or lack of, & what does this tell us? (Barkan Ch. 14)

Organized Crime link to Supply & Demand

& Ties to immigrants of all types, lots of diversity (= opportunity, not just Italians),

and related to Economic deprivation (Barkan Ch. 12). Moskos Ch. 4 & Venkatesh Chs. 3&4 show lots of examples of this idea.

Drug-Crime link?

Role of drug illegality (as opposed to effects of drug themselves) in violence (see Barkan Ch. 14), and why so much violence associated with open-air drug dealing in poor neighborhoods (see Moskos ch. 4)

MD approach to sentence to treatment instead of jail for low level drug offenders. (Barkan, Ch. 14 ), VS. Balt. Police attitudes toward drug addiction and drugs generally (Moskos, ch. 4).

Harm Reduction approach (public health problem rather than just criminal problem) (Barkan, Ch. 14

Explanations for illegal drug use? Key social & economic factors? (Barkan, Ch. 14)

Baltimore & Chicago examples (Moskos Ch. 4, Venkatesh Ch.s 3&4)

Organized Crime Alien Conspiracy Model / aka “Mafia Mystique” and accuracy of this view? (Barkan ch. 12)

BK’s gang as organized crime (Venkatesh ch. 4), but Organized crime not so highly organized as a corporation, etc…. (Barkan Ch., 12)

Other points to be familiar with but not covered in class, or not a lot:

What is the structure of drug gangs -- various jobs, murder risk, etc.? (Moskos ch. 4, & Ven. Chs. 3&4 ) How are BK’s organized and what activities do they carry out (criminal & non-criminal)? What does drug gang leader do (Venkatesh, Ch. 4)?

In east, Gangs not so organized in drug distribution as organized crime, less organized compared to west coast and Chicago (Moskos ch. 4)

JT’s philanthropy in community aids his business dealings there (needs community acceptance) (Venkatesh ch. 4)

Pro’s of drug legalization -- esp. re: Organized crime and police corruption (Barkan Ch., 14)

Pro’s of Prostitution legalization (Barkan Ch., 14)

Gender Inequality and Prostitution law enforcement -- Double-standard, women prostitutes arrested most often, but male customers rarely arrested (Barkan Ch., 14)

Explanations for Prostitution (Barkan Ch. 14)

Pornography and Rape (related or not?) (Barkan, Ch. 14)

Gambling – Frequency compared to other consensual crimes? Pro’s and Con’s? (Barkan Ch. 14)

Ways to reduce Consensual Crime (Barkan Ch. 14, near conclusion)

Strategies to Control Organized Crime – Taking out leaders work? [Vs. other strategies] (Barkan Ch., 12)

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