What Causes Organized Crime?

What is Organized Crime? What factors make it possible? Read on and discover the answers! Organized crime is a way of committing crimes. These criminal acts require a degree of planning and coordinated participation.

There are criminal organizations such as the Camorra, the Cosa Nostra and the ‘Ndrangeta. These are Italian-American mafia groups. In addition, you also have the Japanese Yakuza, Colombian and Mexican cartels and the Russian and Eastern European mafia.

These are the core characteristics of these criminal organizations:

• They are formed by a group of individuals.
• They unite to achieve certain goals.
• Within the group, they have a range of responsibilities.
• They work in a coordinated manner and follow certain rules.
• These groups are constantly in action.

• They were established with the intention of obtaining financial benefits, especially through illegal means.

What is the cause of organized crime?

Organized crime needs a methodology to act. In addition, actions are needed that require large-scale deployment. There must also be trust between the group members. If one of those factors fails, it may become more difficult to achieve the goal. The gang members could also end up in jail.

On the other hand, there are three factors that explain why someone eventually becomes an active member of organized crime: motivation, opportunity and tasks.

In order to start a criminal organization or to become involved in such an organization, there must first be a reason and motivation to do it. In addition, certain required conditions and possibilities must be present. If there is no criminal organization in the vicinity, it will not be possible to become a member.

Finally, there must also be benefits or tasks as soon as someone is in the organization. If there is no certainty or if the risk of exclusion increases, motivation decreases.

Macro-Social Factors

Several theories try to explain how organized crime works. Theories about the macro-social factors talk about the hypothesis of the weak states and the hypothesis of a failing economy.

The name already suggests it. These hypotheses state that weak countries with failing economies would be responsible for organized crime.

However, such theories do not make sense. Organized crime also exists in successful and democratic countries.

There are other macro factors that help explain the origins of organized crime in a particular region. For example, social changes. Migration can also make it possible. Technological breakthroughs can also lead to the design of new drugs.

Moreover, a criminal environment always leads to more crime. After all, there is always someone who wants to take revenge on someone else. There is always someone who sees an opportunity to take advantage of the abuse of others.

On the other hand, geographical factors are equally important. Let’s take the situation of Mexico as an example. This country is surrounded by countries that produce cocaine. There is also a potential market for this pressure: the United States.

Micro-Social Factors

Micro-social factors can also play a role. A country may be the best place for organized crime, but in the end it is the group itself that has to shape it. Factors such as the inability to gain status or make a profit will thus be important in combating organized crime.

Groups and minorities that feel excluded may also begin to form criminal organizations. This is the result of a lack of control such as laws or security services.

Criminal subcultures are also extremely relevant. A child who grows up in a criminal environment is at high risk of becoming a criminal as an adult. So learning certain skills will be fundamental. All this is encouraged by social relations with members of criminal organizations, especially where there is shared trust.

Personality

Finally, personal factors also play a role. Most members of criminal organizations are men. However, women are also part of these groups. The roles within criminal organizations are currently divided between men and women.

Someone may have been a criminal before. Or he or she shares a common identity either ethnically, culturally, nationally or regionally with a criminal organization. These things will determine the membership.

Finally, we can say that there are several ways to access organized crime. Moreover, there are also different types of groups that practice organized crime.

Regardless of how a criminal joins an organization, organized crime requires specialization or a special skill.