Organized crime
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'''Organized crime''' refers to [[transnational organized crime|transnational]], national, or local groups of centralized enterprises that engage in illegal activities, most commonly for profit. While organized crime is generally considered a form of illegal business, some criminal organizations, such as [[terrorist organizations|terrorist group]]s, [[rebel group]]s, and [[Separatism|separatist]]s, are politically motivated. Many criminal organizations rely on fear or terror to achieve their goals and maintain control within their ranks. These groups may adopt tactics similar to those used by [[authoritarianism|authoritarian]] regimes to maintain power. Some forms of organized crime exist simply to meet demand for illegal goods or to facilitate trade in products and services banned by the state, such as illegal drugs or firearms. In other cases, criminal organizations force people to do business with them, as when gangs extort [[protection racket|protection money]] from shopkeepers.{{interlanguage link|John Macionis (sociologist)|lt=Macionis, John|ru|Масионис, Джон (социолог)}}, Gerber, Linda (2010). ''Sociology'' 7th Canadian Ed. Toronto, Ontario: Pearson Canada Inc. p. 206. [[Street gangs]] may be classified as ''organized'' crime groups under broader definitions, or may develop sufficient discipline to be considered organized crime under stricter definitions. |
'''Organized crime''' refers to [[transnational organized crime|transnational]], national, or local groups of centralized enterprises that engage in illegal activities, most commonly for profit. While organized crime is generally considered a form of illegal business, some criminal organizations, such as [[terrorist organizations|terrorist group]]s, [[rebel group]]s, and [[Separatism|separatist]]s, are politically motivated. Many criminal organizations rely on fear or terror to achieve their goals and maintain control within their ranks. These groups may adopt tactics similar to those used by [[authoritarianism|authoritarian]] regimes to maintain power. Some forms of organized crime exist simply to meet demand for illegal goods or to facilitate trade in products and services banned by the state, such as illegal drugs or firearms. In other cases, criminal organizations force people to do business with them, as when gangs extort [[protection racket|protection money]] from shopkeepers.{{interlanguage link|John Macionis (sociologist)|lt=Macionis, John|ru|Масионис, Джон (социолог)}}, Gerber, Linda (2010). ''Sociology'' 7th Canadian Ed. Toronto, Ontario: Pearson Canada Inc. p. 206. [[Street gangs]] may be classified as ''organized'' crime groups under broader definitions, or may develop sufficient discipline to be considered organized crime under stricter definitions. |
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A criminal organization can also be referred to as an [[Chicago Outfit|outfit]], a [[gangster]]/[[gang]], [[Crime|thug]], [[crime family]], [[mafia]], [[mobster]]/mob,{{cite book |title=Random House Unabridged Dictionary |date=2019 |publisher=Random House |quote=a criminal gang, especially one involved in drug trafficking, extortion, etc.}}{{cite web |url=http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/mob?q=mob |
A criminal organization can also be referred to as an [[Chicago Outfit|outfit]], a [[gangster]]/[[gang]], [[Crime|thug]], [[crime family]], [[mafia]], [[mobster]]/mob,{{cite book |title=Random House Unabridged Dictionary |date=2019 |publisher=Random House |quote=a criminal gang, especially one involved in drug trafficking, extortion, etc.}}{{cite web |url=http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/mob?q=mob |title= Definition of Mob in the Oxford Dictionary online, see meaning 2 |website=Oxforddictionaries.com |quote=The Mafia or a similar criminal organization}}{{New archival link needed|date=April 2026}} (crime) ring,{{cite book |title=Random House Unabridged Dictionary |date=2019 |publisher=Random House |quote=a group of persons cooperating for unethical, illicit, or illegal purposes, as to control stock-market prices, manipulate politicians, or elude the law}} or syndicate;{{cite book |title=Random House Unabridged Dictionary |date=2019 |publisher=Random House |quote=a group, combination, or association of gangsters controlling organized crime or one type of crime, especially in one region of the country}} the network, subculture, and community of criminals involved in organized crime may be referred to as the underworld or gangland. Sociologists sometimes specifically distinguish a "mafia" as a type of organized crime group that specializes in the supply of extra-legal protection and quasi-law enforcement. Academic studies of the original "Mafia", the [[Sicilian Mafia]], as well as its [[American Mafia|American counterpart]],[[Diego Gambetta|Gambetta, D.]] (1996). ''The Sicilian Mafia: the business of private protection''. Harvard University Press. {{ISBN|9780674807426}} generated an economic study of organized crime groups and exerted great influence on studies of the [[Russian mafia|Russian bratva]],Varese, F. (2001). ''The Russian Mafia: private protection in a new market economy''. Oxford University Press. the Indonesian [[Preman (Indonesian gangster)|preman]],{{Cite web |last=Afrianto |first=Dedy |date=2020-09-20 |title=Preman: Dari Pialang Kuasa hingga Tertib Sosial |url=https://www.kompas.id/baca/riset/2020/09/21/preman-dari-pialang-kuasa-hingga-tertib-sosial |access-date=2025-03-20 |website=kompas.id |language=id}} the Chinese [[triad (organized crime)|triads]],Wang, Peng (2017). ''The Chinese Mafia: Organized Crime, Corruption, and Extra-Legal Protection''. Oxford: Oxford University Press. {{ISBN|9780198758402}} the Hong Kong triads,Chu, Y. K. (2002). ''The Triads as Business''. Routledge. {{ISBN|9780415757249}} the Indian [[thuggee]], and the Japanese [[yakuza]].Hill, P. B. (2003). ''The Japanese Mafia: Yakuza, Law, and the State''. Oxford University Press |
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Other organizations—including states, [[Place of worship|places of worship]], [[militaries]], [[police forces]], and corporations—may sometimes use organized-crime methods to conduct their activities, but their powers derive from their status as formal social institutions. There is a tendency to distinguish "traditional" organized crime such as [[gambling]], [[loan shark]]ing, [[Illegal drug trade|drug-trafficking]], [[prostitution]], and [[fraud]] from certain other forms of crime that also usually involve organized or group criminal acts, such as [[white-collar crime]], [[financial crimes]], [[political crime]]s, [[war crimes]], [[state crime]]s, and [[treason]]. This distinction is not always apparent and academics continue to debate the matter.Tilly, Charles. 1985. "State Formation as Organized Crime". In Evans, Peter, Dietrich Rueschemeyer, and Theda Skocpol, eds.: ''Bringing the State Back In''. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. For example, in [[failed state]]s that can no longer perform basic functions such as education, security, or governance (usually due to fractious violence or to extreme poverty), organized crime, governance, and war sometimes complement each other. The term "[[oligarchy]]" has been used to describe democratic countries whose political, social, and economic institutions come under the control of a few families and [[business oligarch]]s that may be deemed or may devolve into organized crime groups in practice.Interview with Panos Kostakos: {{cite web |last1= Alic |first1= Jen |title="Is Oil Smuggling and Organized Crime the Cause of Greece's Economic Crisis?" |url=https://oilprice.com/Energy/Energy-General/Greece-Oil-Smuggling-Helps-Define-the-Parliamentary-Mafiocracy.html |website=OilPrice.com |language=en |date=2012}}{{failed verification|date=April 2020}} By their very nature, [[kleptocracies]], [[mafia state]]s, [[narco-state]]s or [[narcokleptocracy|narcokleptocracies]], and states with high levels of [[clientelism]] and [[political corruption]] are either heavily involved with organized crime or tend to foster organized crime within their own governments.[https://www.crimemuseum.org/crime-library/organized-crime/origins-of-organized-crime/#:~:text=Organized%20crime%20as%20we%20recognize,street%20gangs%20of%20the%201800s.Origins of Organized Crime] Retrieved 6 October 2023[https://prohibition.themobmuseum.org/the-history/the-rise-of-organized-crime/the-mob-during-prohibition/#:~:text=Prohibition%20practically%20created%20organized%20crime,hard%20liquor%20on%20the%20slyProhibition Profits Transformed the Mob] Retrieved 6 October 2023 |
Other organizations—including states, [[Place of worship|places of worship]], [[militaries]], [[police forces]], and corporations—may sometimes use organized-crime methods to conduct their activities, but their powers derive from their status as formal social institutions. There is a tendency to distinguish "traditional" organized crime such as [[gambling]], [[loan shark]]ing, [[Illegal drug trade|drug-trafficking]], [[prostitution]], and [[fraud]] from certain other forms of crime that also usually involve organized or group criminal acts, such as [[white-collar crime]], [[financial crimes]], [[political crime]]s, [[war crimes]], [[state crime]]s, and [[treason]]. This distinction is not always apparent and academics continue to debate the matter.Tilly, Charles. 1985. "State Formation as Organized Crime". In Evans, Peter, Dietrich Rueschemeyer, and Theda Skocpol, eds.: ''Bringing the State Back In''. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. For example, in [[failed state]]s that can no longer perform basic functions such as education, security, or governance (usually due to fractious violence or to extreme poverty), organized crime, governance, and war sometimes complement each other. The term "[[oligarchy]]" has been used to describe democratic countries whose political, social, and economic institutions come under the control of a few families and [[business oligarch]]s that may be deemed or may devolve into organized crime groups in practice.Interview with Panos Kostakos: {{cite web |last1= Alic |first1= Jen |title="Is Oil Smuggling and Organized Crime the Cause of Greece's Economic Crisis?" |url=https://oilprice.com/Energy/Energy-General/Greece-Oil-Smuggling-Helps-Define-the-Parliamentary-Mafiocracy.html |website=OilPrice.com |language=en |date=2012}}{{failed verification|date=April 2020}} By their very nature, [[kleptocracies]], [[mafia state]]s, [[narco-state]]s or [[narcokleptocracy|narcokleptocracies]], and states with high levels of [[clientelism]] and [[political corruption]] are either heavily involved with organized crime or tend to foster organized crime within their own governments.[https://www.crimemuseum.org/crime-library/organized-crime/origins-of-organized-crime/#:~:text=Organized%20crime%20as%20we%20recognize,street%20gangs%20of%20the%201800s.Origins of Organized Crime] Retrieved 6 October 2023[https://prohibition.themobmuseum.org/the-history/the-rise-of-organized-crime/the-mob-during-prohibition/#:~:text=Prohibition%20practically%20created%20organized%20crime,hard%20liquor%20on%20the%20slyProhibition Profits Transformed the Mob] Retrieved 6 October 2023 |
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