In society, the foundation of criminal activity is the beginning of organized crime.
The idea of organized crime is defined as “a criminal enterprise that is composed of a group of individuals with an identified hierarchy that engages in significant criminal activity” (FBI, 2014). The structure of organized crime consists of two major elements. These elements include bureaucratic and patron-client organizations.These models support the structure of organized crime by the link between the bureaucratic and patron-client organizations, determining the similarities and differences between the two models of organized crime, and the significance of the models in organized crime.
The first element that is significant to the structure of organized crime is the distinction between the bureaucratic and patron-client organizations.The patron-client organization is composed of “criminal patrons who send and receive messages, creates a network of connections with political leaders and government officials, and access to a network of clientele for the purpose of benefiting the groups clients politically and economically” (Limbaugh, 2010). The patron-client network is usually a structured organization that is operated by a hierarchy system, which is ran by a leader and his or her associates. The pipeline for information is sent through the top to bottom concept, which allows lower ranked individuals to exchange information to the higher-ranked individuals.
The bureaucratic organization is significant because it is a formal structure that consists of a set of guidelines that do not allow lower-ranking members to make important decisions without the approval of a higher-ranked member. The second element that is significant to the structure of organized crime is the relationship between the two models. The similarities of the two models are that both models permit messages to be given by lower-ranked members without the approval of the leader if it proves to be beneficial to the organization.The differences within the structures is that in the “bureaucratic organization members blame financial issues and failures on administration, whereas in a patron-client organization all members are held accountable” (Limbaugh, 2010).
The third element that is significant in the structure of organized crime is the significance of the models in organized crime. The significance is that it can show what specific areas are susceptible to the development of criminal enterprises than other areas.“They also provide answers to questions, offer an explanation to why individuals engage in illegal activity, how criminal organizations develop, and why most criminal organizations are successful” (Limbaugh, 2010). In conclusion, the development of organized crime is important to the evolution of criminal enterprises because it establishes the structure of the organization.
The structures are established by determining the link between the bureaucratic organization and patron-client organizations, establishing the relationship between the two models, and establishing the significance of the two models in organized crime.
