Chapter 24 - Enterprise Crime: Organized, Economic, and White-Collar Crime

Abstract

This chapter provides an overview of enterprise crime. It includes organized crime, white-collar crime, corruption and economic crime, organized drug trafficking, and other illicit activities of societal concern. The primary goals of individuals involved in enterprise criminality are: propagation of a group, financial or economic gain, and the advancement of power and influence. Enterprise criminals differ from traditional lawbreakers in several ways. They represent a greater threat to society, are much more difficult to investigate and bring to trial and conviction, and are usually self-perpetuating. The criminal groups are usually hierarchical in nature with an exclusive membership, and operate within their own code of behavior. Investigation of the criminal activity associated with enterprise crime involves greater coordination and cooperation than for the more traditional forms of crimes. Experience has shown that all components of the criminal justice system—police, prosecution, courts, and corrections—must be well-trained and prepared to be flexible, innovative, and committed to joint efforts. The chapter also describes some of the organized criminal groups operating in the United States, such as the Mafia (la Cosa Nostra); drug cartels; Jamaican Posses; Asian organized crime—ethnic Viet Ching (Vietnamese), Triads (Chinese), and Yakuza (Japanese); outlaw motorcycle gangs; and white-collar syndicates.