Limbaugh (2010), “Social institution is a group or organization that has a particular purpose, goal, or task, and accomplishes the successful completion of this goal, purpose, or task by influencing and persuading individuals in a community to participate, and assist with achieving this objective. Social institution applies to organized crime in numerous ways.
” This paper will explain how organized crime functions as a social organization and the empirical and speculative theories related to it.Organized crime functions as a community with a combination of various social systems. Production, distribution, consumption, socialization, social control, social participation, and mutual support combined make it possible for organized crime to function. Failure in the consumption, production, and distribution make it possible for organized crime to exist. Organized crime capitalizes on the needs of consumers and makes a profit on filling the void. Organized criminals will function legitimate businesses to conceal illegal activities.
Often, the legitimate businesses are ran by members of the community bribed or forced into cooperation. The businesses operated are usually car dealerships, bars, night clubs, beer companies, and even banks. While during the business hours of operations, the business is ran with legitimate appearance but during closing hours or behind, organized criminals will operate illegal business. The illegal business includes, disposal and distribution of stolen goods, money laundering and other forms of illegal business.
Along with concealment, organized criminals benefit from legitimate businesses by having a source of legitimate income, avoiding harassment from competitors, having a provision of money laundering resource, and earning extra capital for joint investment ventures. The rational choice theory is one of the theories mostly associated with organized crime. An example of the rational choice theory is if a man has lost his job and he was the only income circulating within his home so he decided to rob a bank.But also in unison with the theory, there is a “pleasure pain” principle implemented where the punishment must outweigh the pleasure received by committing the crime.
Personality disordered are also associated with organized criminal activity. Dependent personality can lead a person to perform criminal activity. One form of dependent personality is when an individual has submissive or dependent traits. The other form is when the individual is when the individual is unable to control anger or hostility and act out in frustration.
How dependent personality disorder can apply to organized crime is if criminals have been attached to others attached to criminal behavior, the individuals can become influenced or dependent of the same behavior. Another type of personality disorder is psychopath or sociopath behavior. Richard Klukinsky was a hit man for a type of organized crime, the mob, and is believed to have been a sociopath. Sociopaths do not use a part of the brain associated with empathy or remorse. However, Richard intrigued criminologist because of his dedication and deep commitment to his wife and children.
Sociopaths are very charming and appear to be in control when in reality it is the opposite. Sociopaths are emotionally disarrayed and disconnected. Smith’s enterprise theory is associated with organized crime. The theory states legitimate marketplaces leaves unsatisfied customers and opens up potential business for criminals. This is how organized criminals open up a position in the black market to meet the demands of consumers unable to access products legitimately.
For example, a body-builder is unhappy with natural over the counter products offered b local stores.The body builder prefers steroids. The organized criminal will then provide the bodybuilder with the steroids illegally. In conclusion, Organized crime functions as a community with a combination of social units and systems.
Production, distribution, consumption, socialization, social control, social participation, and mutual support combined make it possible for organized crime to function. Organized criminals will function legitimate businesses to conceal illegal activities. Personality disordered are also associated with organized criminal activity.Dependent personality can lead a person to perform criminal activity. Smith’s enterprise theory states legitimate marketplaces leaves unsatisfied customers and opens up potential business for criminals.
This is how organized criminals open up a position in the black market to meet the demands of consumers unable to access products legitimately. Organized crime will always be functioning so long as there are individual’s demanding the illegal productivity organized criminals are supplying.
