Organized crime has been around for many years. Since the first definition was written organized crime has grown into multiple different meanings. According to the text, Introduction to Criminology, organized crime refers to “organizations that use violence, provide illegal services, and have immunity of operation.” (Hagan) Organized crime is also used throughout the world within gangs and secret organizations. There are multiple types and definitions of organized crime. The basic four types are; Political-Social, Mercenary (Predatory), In-Group-Oriented, and Syndicate Organized Crime. When it comes to actually finding the meaning of organized crime, it can be difficult depending on which definition one is referring to. There are many details involved when defining major topics in criminology, so if they are not broken down individually and taken seriously, then it continues to be near impossible to reduce crime throughout the country. Throughout this paper I will be discussing why each type of organized crime is important, why it is necessary to have so many definitions, along with examples of crimes that have been committed and the types of people who are usually involved.
Organized crime has been known to have over 150 definitions (Lampe). Therefore, depending on which type of organized crime one is referring to, it makes it difficult to find common grounds. Though this does make it hard to define organized crime exactly, it is also necessary to know of all the definitions so there is a better understanding of the actual concept. Each type of organized crime also refers to different categories. Usually these categories are based on the types of people that have committed these crimes, along with the actual crime that has been committed. Out of the four basic categories of organized crime, which were listed above, the one that is most commonly used and what writers usually refer to when discussing organized crime, is
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