Assignment:
Criminal organizations are expected to grow well into the foreseeable future, particularly if harsh community, social, and economic conditions persist. For example, a lack of viable employment can often be the catalyst to join a criminal organization that offers more attractive, long-term options to make money through illegal activities. Technology is another contributing factor to the growth of criminal organizations. Criminal organizations may use social networking sites to recruit new members and the Internet for identity theft, fraud, and dark web transactions. Furthermore, criminal organizations are making more money than ever in illegal drug trade by trafficking synthetic and prescription drugs that can be produced cheaply anywhere in the world and sold throughout the United States.
In the Assignment, you examined theories of criminal organizations. Now you discuss the degree to which a specific theory accounts for growth patterns and trends of the criminal organization(s) in your city, state, or region.
addresses the following: Briefly describe the theory to which you were assigned.
To what degree does the theory sufficiently account for growth patterns and trends of criminal organizations in your city, state, or region?
Howell, J. C., & Griffiths, E. (2018). Gangs in America's communities (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE.
- "General Macro-Level Theories and Modern-Day Applications" (pp. 81-110)
- "Micro-Level Theories: Developmental Life-Course Pathways and Other Micro-Level Explanations for Gang Involvement" (pp. 111-158)
- "National Gang Problem Trends: 1996-2012" (pp. 183-218)
Harbeck, K. M. (2017). Crime theory: Organized crime. In Salem Press encyclopedia. Ipswich, MA: Salem Press.
Roelofse, C. (2015). Encroachment: A theoretical explanation of organized crime, business and governance. Internal Security, 7(1), 123-141.
United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. (2018e, May). Module 6: Causes and facilitating factors of organized crime.