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Handbook of organized crime in the United States
Journal of Criminal Justice, Vol. 23, No. 2, pp. 203-205, 1995 Copyright @ 1995 Elsevier Science Ltd Printed in the USA. All rights reserved 0047-2352/95 $9.50 + .00
Pergamon
CURRENT PUBLICATIONS ABSTRACTS
Jennifer D. Paradis
Handbook of Organized Crime in the United States edited by Robert J. Kelly, Ko-Lin Chin, and Rufus Schatzberg Greenwood Press (88 Post Road West, Westport, Connecticut 06881), 1994, 560 pp., hardcover- $115.00. The editors present a broad discussion of organized crime for nonspecialists, as well as academics and criminal justice professionals. The book is divided into four parts titled "Background Issues," "Perspectives on Organized Crime: Theory and Research," "Organized Crime Groups and Operations," and "Control and Containment: Law Enforcement Strategies." Each part, written by different authors, addresses specific subjects. Reference libraries will find this book useful as an overview of organized crime in America. Part I, titled "Background Issues," defines organized crime and identifies the characteristics, such as violence, structure, and corruption, associated with most organized groups. This section also provides a more accurate perspective of organized crime by refuting the conventional belief that the Italian Americans are the most crucial component of its history. The elements of the social history of the United States that led to the rise of criminal cartels also are examined. The second part of this book looks at the research and theory of organized crime. Models are suggested for studying organized crime
groups. Researchers have developed three models of organized crime: hierarchical, local or ethnic, and crime as a business enterprise. Hierarchical crime groups have a governmentlike structure in which all decisions on illegal activities are made by the "boss." Ethnic or local groups differ from hierarchical groups in that the set structure does not exist. Rather, these groups are tied together by ethnicity or location. The enterprise model arose as a result of dissatisfaction with the hierarchical and local ethnic models. This model concentrates on how economic considerations are the foundation for the success of organized crime groups. Part III, titled "Organized Crime Groups and Operations," provides perspectives on American organized crime and offers examples of illicit enterprises in the 1990s. The essays in this section explore the different organized crime groups, including African American, Chinese, and Russian, and their operations. The histories and lifestyles of the crime lords in Philadelphia and Chicago, as well as those of other racial groups, are discussed. Information concerning the illicit social activities the groups are involved in, such as prostitution, gambling, and money laundering, is provided. The final section discusses organized crime control. Marilyn Peterson, in her essay titled "Intelligence and Analysis Within the Organized Crime Function," states that there is an increased need for more sophisticated investigative techniques if the fight against organized
203
204
Current PublicationsAbstracts
crime is to continue. In her work, Peterson examines the utility of intelligence (the collection, analysis, and dissemination of information) in the investigation of organized crime. Other works in this section deal with such subjects as the control of organized crime and drug abuse, the policing of emerging crime groups, the feasibility of using the prosecutor to control crime, the role of crime commissions, and the witness protection program.
Essays in the History of Canadian Law Volume 5, Crime and Criminal Justice edited by Jim Phillips, Tina Loo, and Susan Lewthwaite
University of Toronto Press (340 Nagel Drive, Buffalo, New York 14225) 1994, 606 pp., hardcover- $70.00, softcover- $45.00. Volume five of the Osgoode Society for Canadian Legal History's series of Essays in the History of Canadian Law examines law and authority over the past few centuries in various regions. This volume contains essays on Quebec, the Maritimes, British Columbia, and Ontario. These essays examine social issues, criminal justice institutions, and the authoritative bodies of these regions through focused case studies and the application of modern theories. The book is divided into four sections, and each section is comprised of essays that were written by various contributors. The series is important for those interested in the history of criminal justice in Canada. The works also provide valuable source material for those studying comparative criminal justice and the evolution of criminal justice systems. In the first section, the essays deal with the native peoples and criminal law. These essays deal with the encounter between different cultures and the struggle and subsequent acclimation that resulted. The first essay examines the differences between the laws of the natives and those of the French in New France. The second essay examines the conflicts between the native peoples and the English who lived west of the Rocky Mountains. The third es-
say explores the impact the differences between the native and European cultures had on the European immigrants, and how they dealt with these differences. These essays deal with the attempted exercise of power over another group through the use of law. The essays in the second section discuss the operation of criminal justice institutions, how the attitudes toward women and women's roles affected decisions made by these institutions, and the obstacles women encountered both inside and outside criminal institutions. These essays examine the role of laws and community controls on men's treatment of their families, the victimization of women, rape prosecutions and the impact of a defendant's social status on the outcome, and the use of criminal law to control women's reproductive choices. The economic and social connections in legal institutions are the subject of the essays in the third section of this book. The essays examine "state authority" and the effect it has on the judicial system. The authors discuss the connection between poverty and crime, the difficulty law enforcement agencies faced when met with hostility from the community, the political divisions in Upper Canada and how that affected the operation of the municipal jail, and the changes in crime, criminals, and punishment over the centuries. The final section takes a look at Canadian prisons in the nineteenth century. The authors introduce the readers to institutions such as the Kingston, Halifax, and Saint John penitentiaries. These prisons believed in reform through discipline, school, religion, and labor. In Joseph Berkovits' essay, "Prisoners for Profit: Convict Labour in Central Prison, 1874-1915," Ontario's Central Prison is discussed. This prison, which prided itself on the belief that criminals could be reformed through labor, failed to live up to its expectations. Factors such as poor administration, corruption, the use of private contractors, and the poor health and inadequate skills of the inmates contributed to the prison's failure. Also discussed in this section is the women's prison Mercer Reformatory. Mercer's innovative idea of running the prison based on ma-
Pergamon
CURRENT PUBLICATIONS ABSTRACTS
Jennifer D. Paradis
Handbook of Organized Crime in the United States edited by Robert J. Kelly, Ko-Lin Chin, and Rufus Schatzberg Greenwood Press (88 Post Road West, Westport, Connecticut 06881), 1994, 560 pp., hardcover- $115.00. The editors present a broad discussion of organized crime for nonspecialists, as well as academics and criminal justice professionals. The book is divided into four parts titled "Background Issues," "Perspectives on Organized Crime: Theory and Research," "Organized Crime Groups and Operations," and "Control and Containment: Law Enforcement Strategies." Each part, written by different authors, addresses specific subjects. Reference libraries will find this book useful as an overview of organized crime in America. Part I, titled "Background Issues," defines organized crime and identifies the characteristics, such as violence, structure, and corruption, associated with most organized groups. This section also provides a more accurate perspective of organized crime by refuting the conventional belief that the Italian Americans are the most crucial component of its history. The elements of the social history of the United States that led to the rise of criminal cartels also are examined. The second part of this book looks at the research and theory of organized crime. Models are suggested for studying organized crime
groups. Researchers have developed three models of organized crime: hierarchical, local or ethnic, and crime as a business enterprise. Hierarchical crime groups have a governmentlike structure in which all decisions on illegal activities are made by the "boss." Ethnic or local groups differ from hierarchical groups in that the set structure does not exist. Rather, these groups are tied together by ethnicity or location. The enterprise model arose as a result of dissatisfaction with the hierarchical and local ethnic models. This model concentrates on how economic considerations are the foundation for the success of organized crime groups. Part III, titled "Organized Crime Groups and Operations," provides perspectives on American organized crime and offers examples of illicit enterprises in the 1990s. The essays in this section explore the different organized crime groups, including African American, Chinese, and Russian, and their operations. The histories and lifestyles of the crime lords in Philadelphia and Chicago, as well as those of other racial groups, are discussed. Information concerning the illicit social activities the groups are involved in, such as prostitution, gambling, and money laundering, is provided. The final section discusses organized crime control. Marilyn Peterson, in her essay titled "Intelligence and Analysis Within the Organized Crime Function," states that there is an increased need for more sophisticated investigative techniques if the fight against organized
203
204
Current PublicationsAbstracts
crime is to continue. In her work, Peterson examines the utility of intelligence (the collection, analysis, and dissemination of information) in the investigation of organized crime. Other works in this section deal with such subjects as the control of organized crime and drug abuse, the policing of emerging crime groups, the feasibility of using the prosecutor to control crime, the role of crime commissions, and the witness protection program.
Essays in the History of Canadian Law Volume 5, Crime and Criminal Justice edited by Jim Phillips, Tina Loo, and Susan Lewthwaite
University of Toronto Press (340 Nagel Drive, Buffalo, New York 14225) 1994, 606 pp., hardcover- $70.00, softcover- $45.00. Volume five of the Osgoode Society for Canadian Legal History's series of Essays in the History of Canadian Law examines law and authority over the past few centuries in various regions. This volume contains essays on Quebec, the Maritimes, British Columbia, and Ontario. These essays examine social issues, criminal justice institutions, and the authoritative bodies of these regions through focused case studies and the application of modern theories. The book is divided into four sections, and each section is comprised of essays that were written by various contributors. The series is important for those interested in the history of criminal justice in Canada. The works also provide valuable source material for those studying comparative criminal justice and the evolution of criminal justice systems. In the first section, the essays deal with the native peoples and criminal law. These essays deal with the encounter between different cultures and the struggle and subsequent acclimation that resulted. The first essay examines the differences between the laws of the natives and those of the French in New France. The second essay examines the conflicts between the native peoples and the English who lived west of the Rocky Mountains. The third es-
say explores the impact the differences between the native and European cultures had on the European immigrants, and how they dealt with these differences. These essays deal with the attempted exercise of power over another group through the use of law. The essays in the second section discuss the operation of criminal justice institutions, how the attitudes toward women and women's roles affected decisions made by these institutions, and the obstacles women encountered both inside and outside criminal institutions. These essays examine the role of laws and community controls on men's treatment of their families, the victimization of women, rape prosecutions and the impact of a defendant's social status on the outcome, and the use of criminal law to control women's reproductive choices. The economic and social connections in legal institutions are the subject of the essays in the third section of this book. The essays examine "state authority" and the effect it has on the judicial system. The authors discuss the connection between poverty and crime, the difficulty law enforcement agencies faced when met with hostility from the community, the political divisions in Upper Canada and how that affected the operation of the municipal jail, and the changes in crime, criminals, and punishment over the centuries. The final section takes a look at Canadian prisons in the nineteenth century. The authors introduce the readers to institutions such as the Kingston, Halifax, and Saint John penitentiaries. These prisons believed in reform through discipline, school, religion, and labor. In Joseph Berkovits' essay, "Prisoners for Profit: Convict Labour in Central Prison, 1874-1915," Ontario's Central Prison is discussed. This prison, which prided itself on the belief that criminals could be reformed through labor, failed to live up to its expectations. Factors such as poor administration, corruption, the use of private contractors, and the poor health and inadequate skills of the inmates contributed to the prison's failure. Also discussed in this section is the women's prison Mercer Reformatory. Mercer's innovative idea of running the prison based on ma-