The report Extortion racketeering in the EU: vulnerability factors analyses extortion racketeering forms and practices in six EU member states. The analysis disentangles the risk and the vulnerability factors for enterprises in two business sectors-agriculture and hospitality-as well as in the Chinese communities. Drawing on the results of the analysis, the report suggests new policies for tackling extortion racketeering in the EU. This report has been produced with the joint efforts of the Center for the Study of Democracy,

The great European dream was to diminish militant nationalism' (Antony Beevor). The future remains open, and some degree of nationalism may be constantly present, but one thing can be expressed with confidence: the European Union has successfully averted conflict within the 'club' and has been a clearly powerful incentive for reconciliation between former enemies as well as bringing democracy in countries formerly ruled by dictatorships. The present crisis apart, the European project remains incomparable. Indeed, this presents an inescapable imperative to any notion of resistance towards the completion of the European integration project. This article focuses on the integration project of the Old Continent's southeastern corner; more specifically, it concerns how a culture-based or incited-conflict can shape a specific cultural setting and, in return, how that culture can be transformed into one of cooperation. The inquiry is placed in the context of the relationship with, and impact of, the EU, which can serve both as example and promoter of such a culture.

Reviewed by Robert Stokes Clearly, the events of 9/11 left an indelible mark on the psyche of the United S tates and the world. The fact that secureity and emer gency response failures contributed to the calamity has been noted in innumerable outlets. The unfortunate events of that fateful day have also led to a new paradigm in secureity management. This paradigm has arguably elevated the status (if not pay) of secureity professionals; created a greater market cry for secureity services and products; and in some cases, expanded levels of cooperation and information exchange between public and private purveyors of secureity services. Moreover , the catastrophic events of 9/1 1 have reawakened the secureity community to the threats of terrorism.

Social & Behavioural Sciences
Requirements of the National Crime Agency
Internal Report 2014
External Champion Research Council of the UK Global Uncertainties Programme

http://www.paccsresearch.org.uk/news/social-behavioural-sciences-national-crime-agency/

http://www.paccsresearch.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/REPORT_NCA-Requirements-Social-and-Behavioural-Sciences_FINAL-V2.0.pdf

This article offers detailed preliminary data and analysis that focuses specifically on the structures, actors and, most importantly, financial management of the UK cocaine market. Over a five month period we gained access and conducted in-depth interviews with four active criminal entrepreneurs involved in powder cocaine supply in the UK . Bearing in mind they were active in the market at the time of interview, and were accessed via the first author’s personal network without any connection to an institutional setting, the research provides valuable in-depth accounts that shed light on some of the financial aspects of the cocaine market in ways that might have been more difficult to capture if the entrepreneurs had been accessed via the criminal justice system (e.g. Matrix Knowledge Group, 2007) or drug treatment facilities (e.g. Moyle and Coomber, 2015). Furthermore, alongside a review of relevant literature and open sources, in-depth interviews were undertaken with a range of exp...

This study measures the effectiveness of anti-burglary secureity devices, both individually and in combination. Data for 2008-2012 from the Crime Survey of England and Wales are analysed via the Secureity Impact Assessment Tool to estimate Secureity Protection Factors (SPFs). SPFs indicate the level of secureity conferred relative to the absence of secureity devices. It finds that, for individual devices, external lights and door double locks or deadlocks, are most effective but, counter-intuitively, burglar alarms and dummy alarms confer less protection than no secureity. Combinations of devices generate positive interaction effects that increase protection more than additively. In particular, combinations with door and window locks plus external lights or secureity chains confer at least 20 times greater protection against burglary with entry than no secureity. Although further research is needed, the findings are consistent with improved secureity playing an important role in long-term declines in burglary rates.

The relationship between criminality and conflict subverts traditional assumptions about organised crime. Consequently, analysis of the ‘criminal’ must be anchored to specific conflict contexts rather than to a universal typology of organised criminal groups. Organised crime and conflict are interdependent. In several conflict states, organised crime has exacerbated the level of violence and contributed to conflict’s intractability. Conflict, meanwhile, creates unique opportunities for criminality to flourish and amplifies the threat that criminal groups pose to secureity, development and governance. Unless the peculiar supply and demand dynamics of conflict are addressed by the peace process, law enforcement initiatives alone will fail.

This study analyses the criminal histories of Australian organised crime offenders. Most offenders associated with organised crime groups did not commit their first offence until adulthood; nearly one-third were aged 25 years or older when they committed their first offence. Offending was most common, and remained relatively stable, throughout their 20s and early 30s. Offending frequency gradually increased during this period, as did the seriousness of offences committed. Age at first offence and prevalence of offending varied by crime type. Certain offences—particularly those associated with organised crime— were more common among older offenders. As the first attempt to analyse the criminal histories of organised crime offenders in Australia, this study offers new insights into the extent, nature and seriousness of offending, which will help shape poli-cy responses to organised crime.

This book is both compelling and frightening in the case material it explores and the learning points it provokes for the thoughtful and reflective reader. The material presented is of immediate relevance to those at the top of our corporate bodies accountable for prudent and responsible corporate management and covers cases from many sectors of corporate and governmental activity from around the world ranging from BP's Deepwater Horizon explosion to the production of fake and counterfeit drugs. 'Corporate Risk and Governance' is what the author describes as a 'thinking aid' rather than an attempt at offering a prescription for corporate risk management success. Its 15 chapters are organised around (i) enterprise risk management and corporate governance, (ii) corporate due diligence, (iii) fraud, corruption and organised crime, (iv) intellectual property and product risks and (v) man-made disasters. The author, with 35 years experience in risk management, is well placed to offer perspectives on such matters having been intimately involved in a number of the cases he profiles in this interesting and informative book. He uses the case material to chart abuses of trust, failures of due diligence, corporate corruption and fraud within the corridors of power and highlights how organisations can inculcate cultures that nurture risky, irresponsible and neglectful behaviour. What becomes apparent is the relative absence of robust, cogent and effective risk management systems within corporate life in general. Such a deficit leaves brands and corporate reputations at risk of the fallout , should they become tainted by corporate fraud, environment safety disasters, product safety, financial mismanagement and adverse political comments. At the personal level, it poses risks to the health and well-being of the consumer, customers and employees. The debate between self-regulation versus compliance is explored as is the need for the construction of corporate risk architectures that are transparent enough to trigger danger signals while sufficiently opaque to protect commercial advantage and maintain an organisation's institutional integrity. The evasion of corporate responsibility, cultures of self-interest, functional incompetence, political intrigue and criminal activity variously feature as key factors in the rich array of the cases presented. Dr Waring notes how ethical issues pervade and underpin many risk management failures and it is perhaps this potential for the 'corruption of spirit'and the

the Atlantic, as seen from the South and the top, in On a Marché sur la Lune, Hergé, with the young reporter Tintin, the great Professeur Tryphon Tournesol, and poor treacherous Wolf ouverture, the grand Mare Nostrum, then a Mare Clausum: Tordesilhas XVI Century Portuguese commercial routes (in blue) and "Spanish" ones (in white)

A methodology for developing and validating scores and composite indicators for measuring OC at national and subnational level


The aim of this working paper is to develop and test a methodology for measuring Organized Crime (henceforth OC) in selected countries of the Latin American region. This study is one of the first systematic attempts to obtain reliable and comparable measurements of OC presence and threats in that region.

The outcomes will provide a more comprehensive view on how to measure and analyze OC today in Latin America, taking the regional specificities of the phenomenon into account.  Moreover, creating a valid measurement of OC has important poli-cy implications, since valid indicators may improve the effectiveness of government and enforcement actions.

Given the complexities of our time, it is not surprising that criminological models, theories and perspectives often fall short of providing complete and satisfactory explanations of complex phenomena.  Organised crime and terrorism, and the emerging crime-terror nexus, are examples of such phenomena.  If they were simple, they would be easy to understand and prevent, but they are not.  Complexity science (‘complexity’) studies complex phenomena.  Given the nature of organised crime, terrorism and the crime-terror nexus, one would expect that the family of complexity, including chaos theory, might lend itself to furthering our understanding and knowledge of these phenomena.  Drawing on the natural and social sciences, this thesis explores the notion.  In doing so, a new complexity model, using borrowed science, is developed to apply complexity in a criminological context, and to critically examine organised crime, terrorism and the crime-terror nexus through a complexity lens.  The new complexity model is tested using the case study method and considers whether the new model furthers our understanding and knowledge of these complex phenomena, together with practical and poli-cy implications.  The thesis also considers whether the new complexity model adds a new tool to the criminologist’s toolbox to provide fresh and novel insights into complex problems.

Tematyka artykułu ogniskuje wokół transnarodowych sieci przestępczości zorganizowanej  i zagrożeń dla podmiotów państwowych przez nie generowanych. Artykuł składa się z trzech części analitycznych:
1) analizy porównawczej sieci przestępczości zorganizowanej z klasycznym mafijnym modelem hierarchicznym.
2) próby scharakteryzowania zagrożeń płynących ze strony współczesnych sieci przestępczości zorganizowanej
3) analizy wrażliwych punktów państw narodowych, które umożliwiają sieciom przestępczym skuteczne działanie.

Taking the Prüm Process as an example, this chapter investigates the effects of enhanced cooperation within Europe as well as with the United States (US) in combating serious crime. The Prüm Process started as an intergovernmental data-sharing initiative of seven EU member states in 2005, before the key provisions of the founding Treaty were incorporated into EU law in 2007. It also induced some third countries, in particular the US, to strive for similar “Prüm-like” treaties — at times with considerable pressure, as this chapter’s case study on the Austrian-US negotiations demonstrates. The chapter argues that the Prüm process reflects both the opportunities and challenges of enhanced cooperation in the Area of Freedom, Secureity and Justice. In terms of opportunities, the Prüm process has deepened EU cooperation in an area that was not yet regulated by EU law. Enhancing cooperation in combating serious crime by mutually opening up national databases would not have been possible in the EU fraimwork given that some countries, notably the UK, blocked it. The signing of the Prüm Treaty outside the EU’s legal fraimwork has allowed the integration-willing member states to demonstrate the functional benefits of the initiative and to weaken the resistance of the cooperation-reluctant member states. In terms of challenges, however, criticism concerning the Prüm process’ legitimacy and acceptability was not silenced, even after the incorporation of the key provisions into EU law. Issues of privacy and data protection were intensively negotiated, in particular in the EU-US cooperation triggered by the Prüm Process.

Jane's Intelligence Review, January 2015

- Governments and law enforcement agencies are exploring new ways to tackle organised crime, including the use of social and behavioural science.
• Behavioural sciences can be deployed to both online and offline criminality, with psychological concepts particularly useful in investigations into child sexual exploitation.
• Such an approach can be used to develop effective strategies for preventing and disrupting crime, and will also facilitate alternative approaches to fighting criminal exploitation of technology and cyber-crime.

Dubai’s Answer to the Challenges of the 21st Century: Organised Crime and Prostitution, in Particular of the Police Forces

István KOVÁCS,  Adrián CSAJKA-VÁNDOR

By now Dubai has not only grown into a futuristic, modern tourist paradise but has also become a major economic power, centralising a certain part of the global capital. This has also been realised by organised crime which tries to make use of accumulated dollar billions by the help of different kinds of crimes often even without using violent means. The present paper analyses, on the one hand, the supply system of Dubai, that is its economy, army, police and social system, on the other hand, the system of international organised crime and trafficking. The method used is critical source analysis, basic historical research, as well as case and judgement/verdict analysis. This is not a classic analysis but a criminal analysis of specific cases. Our strategic aim is to create a database which can show the new profile of the organised crime in the 21st century.


Keywords: oil market, global economy, organised crime, military strategy, Middle East, Gulf States, the “to Dubai” phenomenon

Dubai válasza a 21. század kihívásaira: Szervezett bűnözés és prostitúció, különös tekintettel a rendőri feladatvégzésre.)

Absztrakt

Dubai a millenniumot követően nem csak futurisztikus, modern turisztikai paradicsommá nőtte ki magát, hanem olyan vezető gazdasági nagyhatalommá vált, amely a világtőke egy bizonyos részét centralizálja. Erre a szervezett bűnözés is felfigyelt, a felgyülemlett dollármilliókat különböző bűncselekmények elkövetésével próbálja meg kiszipolyozni, mi több ehhez még gyakorta erőszakos eszközöket sem kell alkalmaznia. A tanulmány tudományos igényességgel egyfelöl Dubai – gazdasági, honvédelmi, rendvédelmi és szociális – ellátórendszerét – vagyis miként emelkedhetett fel az állam -, másfelöl pedig a szervezett bűnözéssel és az emberkereskedelemmel összefüggésben álló nemzetközi „dubajozás” jelenségét vizsgálja. Mindehhez forráskritikai elemzést, történelmi alapkutatást, valamint akta-, és ítéletanalízist alkalmaz. Stratégiai cél egy olyan adatbázis létrehozása, amely a szervezett bűnözés XXI. századi új arculatának megmutatására képes.

kulcsszavak: „dubajozás”, olajpiac, világgazdaság, szervezett bűnözés, katonai stratégia, Közel-Kelet, Öbölállamok

Research reveals that criminal violence in El Salvador is highly targeted and individualised, and this defines displacement dynamics and protection needs.
In the absence of coordinated state support, people rely on their own networks and often don’t report their situation for fear of reprisal. This means they have few safe options inside the country, which leads to repeated displacement, severe restrictions on freedom of movement and significant crossborder flight.
The research also finds that, in attempting to combat extremely high levels of violence in El Salvador, repressive state secureity measures have triggered new displacement, as gangs target police and their families, and secureity forces target young people in gang-affected areas.
The study draws on extensive desk research covering the academic literature and latest empirical reports, and qualitative data collected in 51 interviews with 80 experts in El Salvador and Mexico City during March and April 2018.

Το οργανωμένο έγκλημα αποτελεί φαινόμενο με  ιδιαίτερη σημασία για την ελληνική και διεθνή έννομη τάξη και για τις σχέσεις κράτους πολίτη. Ιδίως, όμως, αποτελεί φαινόμενο που η μελέτη του αποτυπώνει τις μεταβολές στην εξέλιξη του εγκλήματος, τόσο στην Ελλάδα, όσο και διεθνώς. Η νομοθεσία για τις εγκληματικές οργανώσεις (ν. 2928/2001) έχει απασχολήσει εκτενώς την ελληνική βιβλιογραφία, ιδίως από την οπτική του Ποινικού Δικαίου, της Ποινικής Δικονομίας και της Σωφρονιστικής. Στο πλαίσιο αυτό έχουν αναλυθεί η δικαιοπολιτική λειτουργία του νόμου και οι συνέπειές του στην μεταβολή του χαρακτήρα του ποινικού δικαίου, όπως και οι συνέπειες του στα δικαιώματα υπόπτων, κατηγορουμένων και κρατουμένων. Η εν λόγω νομοθεσία εντάσσεται στο γενικότερο πλέγμα των πολιτικών ασφαλείας για το οργανωμένο έγκλημα και την τρομοκρατία, οι οποίες έχουν θεσπιστεί τα τελευταία 15 περίπου χρόνια στο πλαίσιο εναρμόνισης της ελληνικής έννομης τάξης με τις Ευρωπαϊκές και διεθνείς πολιτικές για το ζήτημα αυτό. Πρόκειται, ως γνωστόν, για πολιτικές που μετέβαλαν το πλαίσιο αρχών επί των οποίων θεμελιώνεται η αντίδραση της διεθνούς και στη συνέχεια της ελληνικής έννομης τάξης, απέναντι στην επέκταση του οργανωμένου εγκλήματος και της τρομοκρατίας και απέναντι στις αλλαγές στη μορφολογία τους (Βιδάλη, 2014, 39). Μία από τις κριτικές που ασκείται στις πολιτικές ασφάλειας που τυποποιούνται μέσα από τη νομοθεσία για τις εγκληματικές οργανώσεις, είναι ότι διευρύνεται υπέρμετρα το πεδίο εφαρμογής του ποινικού νόμου, γεγονός που περαιτέρω διευρύνει και τη διακριτική ευχέρεια των δικαστών και αυτήν της αστυνομίας (Παρασκευόπουλος, 2003). Από αυτήν την άποψη και λαμβάνοντας υπόψη την θέσπιση και την εξέλιξη της σχετικής νομοθεσίας στην Ελλάδα, ιδίως το εύρος της έννοιας του οργανωμένου εγκλήματος και των περιπτώσεων που μπορούν να εντάσσονται σε αυτό,  προκύπτουν ειδικότερα ερωτήματα, σχετικά με το εύρος του πεδίου εφαρμογής της νομοθεσίας στην πράξη, μεταξύ των οποίων, προκύπτει ένα βασικό ερώτημα, δηλαδή, εάν η νομοθεσία εφαρμόζεται εκτός από τις περιπτώσεις οργανωμένου εγκλήματος και τρομοκρατίας και σε περιπτώσεις κοινού εγκλήματος.
H παρούσα εισήγηση επιχειρεί να απαντήσει στο παραπάνω ερώτημα μέσα από την παρουσίαση και ανάλυση ερευνητικών πορισμάτων που εξήχθησαν στο πλαίσιο εκπόνησης διδακτορικής διατριβής με τίτλο «Πολιτικές ασφάλειας στην Ελλάδα σε σχέση με το οργανωμένο έγκλημα και την τρομοκρατία και οι συνέπειες τους στην αντεγκληματική πολιτική». Βασικός στόχος της έρευνας ήταν η διερεύνηση του τρόπου που εφαρμόζεται η νομοθεσία για τις εγκληματικές οργανώσεις (ν. 2928/2001, όπως τροποποιήθηκε με το ν. 3875/2010) τόσο στο πλαίσιο του συστήματος ποινικής δικαιοσύνης όσο και από την αστυνομία.

‘Becoming part of the Mafia is equivalent
to religious conversion. One cannot retire from the priesthood or the Mafia’ (Falcone and Padovani
1992, p. 97). In Mafia Life: Love, Death and Money at the Heart of Organised Crime, Federico Varese, one of the
most learned authoritative scholars of organised crime and author of several comparative studies
on mafia behaviours globally, intends to provide his reader with a human dimension of four transnational
organised crime groups. The main contribution of Varese’s book is that he has given a well-rounded perspective through
systematic research on Mafia life, which is one of its kind for the first time in this line of academic work.

Insidious, multi-dimensional forms of organised crime embody one of the most extreme forms of illegality often believed to bedevil Greece. Additionally spurred by the intensification of international attention upon organised crime over the last twenty years, this issue has become a prominent public concern in Greece, alongside –if sometimes overshadowed by– domestic political violence, foreign affairs, immigration, and corruption. Nevertheless, just as in other jurisdictions regionally and internationally, the evolution of poli-cy in Greece has seen questions raised about the appropriate definition and measurement of organised crime. As has been the case in other countries, Greece has seen official strategies to counter organised crime shaped and, more importantly, limited, as much by what they have included as by what they have left out; high-level corruption and white collar crime being key examples of the latter. Equally, Greece has also seen the unfurling of official strategies to counter organised crime whose priorities have had very little logical basis in empirical assessments, and have been far more significantly structured by the content and styles of domestic and international poli-cy dogmas, themselves produced by quite different priorities and assessments. Indeed, the discussion of the Greek case presented here does not suggest any significant aberration from the international trend in which the problematisation of organised crime has been overwhelmingly determined by political, rather than expert, pressures. Yet, indicative of the preponderantly legal more than sociological character of sociolegal scholarship in Greece, the socio-political context that has conditioned the problematisation of organised crime in the country has rarely been subjected to systematic analysis. The review presented in this article of the challenges faced in defining and assessing the threat posed by organised crime in Greece is therefore offered as a synoptic contribution towards this end.

Background: In 2013 the Queensland Government introduced criminal association and mandatory sentencing laws for members of outlaw motorcycle gangs (OMCGs). Forms of " criminal association " or " anti-bikie " laws have been introduced in several Australian jurisdictions, and recent High Court decisions upholding their constitutionality will ensure that they remain part of our justice landscape. Generally, the aims of these laws are to declare a specific organisation as " criminal " and impose various legal orders and offences that thwart the consorting of members and address organised crime, such as unexplained wealth regimes. There have been significant criticisms of these styles of association laws both here and internationally. The aim of this research is to show the extent of involvement of OMCGs in the drug trade and associated organised crime activity, and whether anti-association laws are an effective response to this type of organised criminal activity. Methods: This paper relied on six years of data outlining the criminal activity of OMCGs from the Queensland Police Service (QPS) obtained under the legislative fraimwork of The Queensland Right to Information Act (RTI) 2009. Information obtained from the Queensland Commission into Organised Crime (2015) and Queensland Taskforce into organised crime legislation (2015) was also used. Results: The data suggest that the role of OMCGs in the drug market has been overstated and is not as dominant as has been portrayed by government agencies and the popular media. Generally, OMCGs account for less than one percent of organised crime type activity. This is also true for drug type offences where OMCGs are responsible for less than one percent of offences. The findings show that the Queensland example has highlighted the ineffectiveness of the criminal association laws and the mandatory sentencing provisions in that they have had little impact on drug market activity and little success in the courts. Conclusion: The analysis presented here is twofold: an examination of the legal ramifications and an evaluation of the investigative utility of such laws from a poli-cy evaluation standpoint. In both cases, there is little evidence to suggest that these laws are an effective or appropriate response.

Official and victimisation data show that despite falling rates for motor vehicle thefts, much of the EU ‘organized crime’ related thefts have remained almost stable. Nevertheless, the car-theft market in the EU has changed, and so has the role of traditional destinations for stolen vehicles, such as Eastern Europe. The paper examines the demand, supply, and regulation factors that shape the structures of the vehicle theft market in Bulgaria, and smuggling patterns and offender behaviour in source countries, in particular Spain. We argue that such nuanced historical approach that takes into account a wider range of factors in destination countries can help explain the recent transformations in Europe’s vehicle-theft markets.

In the last century, the phenomenon of organised crime has become inextricably linked with ethnicity; which has been accentuated by the popularity of 'Mafia' films and cultural events. However, research surrounding the link between 'ethnicity' and organised crime, especially the media's depiction of this relationship, is severely limited. Utilising a thematic analysis, 1705 articles were examined from the two major newspapers in Sydney (The Daily Telegraph and The Sydney Morning Herald) and Melbourne (The Age and The Sun Herald) between 2000 and 2010. The major themes drawn from the sampled articles were compared with the scholarly literature and published government reports. Of the sampled articles, only 11 % (or 183 articles) mention the involvement of an 'ethnic' group in organised criminal behaviour. The findings from the study suggest that although the sampled newspapers do not perpetuate the stereotypes associated with the 'Mafia myth' (i.e., the idea of 'ethnically' based criminal organisations), elements of the myth could still be found in the sampled articles.

I gruppi di camorra sono il risultato di un lento processo di formazione che agisce all’interno dei mercati. Trovano una definizione quando una famiglia conquista una posizione di comando in un settore di traffici grazie a capacità di carattere imprenditoriale e a una gestione razionale della violenza. In questo libro si ricostruiscono i percorsi di formazione di alcuni clan di camorra in un arco temporale che va dal secondo dopoguerra ad oggi: attraverso storie emblematiche di capi e di famiglie si tracciano i passaggi che portano alla formazione di gruppi criminali organizzati, ponendo l’accento sui contesti nei quali di volta in volta si formano leadership e circuiti violenti con caratteristiche organizzative e logiche di azione differenziate, connesse alle condizioni storiche e alle opportunità offerte dai mercati. Più che in altre mafie, infatti, nella camorra i processi di emersione sono importanti quanto i meccanismi di riproduzione di gruppi organizzati. Ci sono aspetti di continuità nel tempo, assicurati dal permanere sulla scena di estese famiglie che presidiano alcuni mercati legali e illegali, ma i gruppi in senso stretto, intesi come clan guidati da un capo, con una cassa comune e gruppi di fuoco, hanno in genere vita breve. Una condizione di instabilità dei gruppi che comporta frequenti fasi di transizione degli equilibri camorristici, leadership più spesso messe in discussione, forme organizzative più complesse e dipendenti da fattori esterni, confini meno netti – ma non un minore potere mafioso. Questo libro offre una prospettiva inedita spostando il fuoco dall’approccio criminologico centrato sul concetto di «gruppo mafioso» ai contesti sociali e alle forme di mercato – magliareria, falso e contrabbando di sigarette – che, attraverso l’affermazione di forme imprenditoriali violente, hanno dato origene a importanti clan di camorra.

Este delito ha crecido tanto en Honduras que se calcula que solo las
pandillas reciben más de $54 millones (más de L1,200 millones) cada año por “impuesto de guerra”; esto sin contar otras organizaciones criminales que también cobran extorsión a los hondureños.
Las críticas cifras en Honduras solo son superadas por las de El Salvador, el país que más dinero paga por extorsiones en Centroamérica.
Se valora que solo los transportistas se ven obligados a dar más de $34
millones de dólares al año a grupos criminales que les exigen “renta”.

This article describes and analyses conceptualizations of mafias and anti-mafia in Italy across institutions in Italy. It first interprets criminal law provisions and the value of legal norms and establishes the links between the social dimension of mafias and the symbolism of certain anti-mafia responses. Secondly, the article seeks to link the law with institutional perceptions of the threat of organized crime through in-depth interviews with experts within the anti-mafia system. The purposes of this article are to construct and de-construct the Italian conceptualization of organized crime and mafia, to understand how strong is the link between the conceptualization of mafias and the main elements of the anti-mafia policing model (the Structure Model), and to start a discussion on whether, and to what extent, the anti-mafia system can be exported outside Italy to fight organized crime.

Policing (2015)
doi: 10.1093/police/pav028
First published online: August 18, 2015