Defining Organized Crime

Essay Instructions:

Part 1
Answer the following questions in a Microsoft® Word document.
Essay 1 (175 to 350 words)
In Wk 1, you were asked to complete the Organized Crime Worksheet. Review your responses to the questions in the worksheet and then answer the following:
How would you now define organized crime? Discuss concepts, theories, and other information that you now understand concerning organized crime and of which you were not aware before taking the class. Which have been the most interesting to you?
Do you believe your knowledge of organized crime will be useful in your current career or the one you intend to pursue after college? Why or why not?
Essay 2 (175 to 350 words)
The Bill of Rights, which is the first 10 Amendments of the Constitution, and the Constitution as a whole do two very important things: They set out the rights of citizens and also limit the authority of government. The Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Amendments to the Constitution, in particular, limit the authority of government in the lives of U.S. citizens. The authority of government/law enforcement is additionally limited in court decisions interpreting Constitutional protections, such as Miranda v. Arizona. Jurisdiction and the statute of limitations further limit the reach of law enforcement.
Choose two of the above legal limitations. Discuss how these legal limitations affect law enforcement efforts. Provide relevant examples. What would happen if these limitations were more or less stringent? Explain your answer.
Essay 3 (175 to 350 words)
A variety of statutes have been enacted to fight organized crime at the federal level, such as RICO, which is a part of the Crime Control Act of 1970. Other statutes are designed to "follow the money," such as the Bank Secrecy Act of 1970 and the Money Laundering Control Act of 1986, in order to obtain needed evidence against organized crime groups. There are many and various other federal laws that have been enacted to fight organized crime or enacted for another purpose but are being used to combat organized crime, such as the Patriot Act.
Answer the following questions:
What is an example of a federal law that combats organized crime?
How does this law apply to domestic or international organized crime groups?
Has this law been codified into the state laws in your state? In what way?
How may we improve major federal laws and strategies to combat organized crime? Explain your answer.
Essay 4 (175 to 350 words)
There is no national police force in the United States. However, there are multiple federal agencies that act to combat various types of criminal activity, including organized crime. These agencies fall under the larger umbrella of government departments. For example, the FBI operates under the Department of Justice, and Customs and Border Protection operates under the Department of Homeland Security.
Choose one federal agency that interests you, and discuss the history of this organization. Answer the following questions:
What are the major functions and goals of this agency?
How does this agency operate in the fight against organized crime?
What training, experience, or education must one have to become a part of this agency?
Would you ever consider joining this agency? Why or why not?

Essay Sample Content Preview:

Organized Crime
Student’s Name
University
Course
Professor’s Name
Date
Organized Crime
Essay 1
Organized crime refers to a group of people that are involved in criminal activities for profit. The group may be composed of family members, business associates, or gangs. Various theories help explain the rise of organized crime in various regions. For example, the rational choice theory stipulates that members of organized crime are rational individuals who make decisions by outweighing the risk of punishment against the benefit of engaging in organized crime. As such the theory proposes that the only way to deter and discourage criminal behavior is to use severe punishment to increase the risk. The alien conspiracy theory is also used to explain organized crime. It is mostly applicable to the U.S as it explains that organized crime was introduced by immigrants especially Italians from Sicily. The alien conspiracy theory was interesting because it has various shortcomings that should discourage its use in explaining organized crime. Knowledge of organized crime will be useful after college because it is important to know how such organizations work, to identify the key individuals that should be targeted for the prosecution to eliminate the organization.
Essay 2
The fourth amendment limits law enforcement agencies from unreasonable searches and seizures by the government. In this regard, it introduces the issue of probable cause which involves the police having a reason to justify obtaining a warrant for searching a certain area for evidence of the crime. The search warrant should also be limited to only the area that is expected to contain the evidence of the crime. If the limitation for the probable clause was more stringent, criminals might be able to hide evidence of a crime and continue their lives without being affected by the consequences of their actions. In contrast, if the law is less stringent police officers would be able to search anyone they wanted without reason to believe that the individual has been involved in a crime.
The fifth amendment introduces the idea of self-incrimination. In this case, during interrogation a suspect, he/she can be asked questions that can then enabl...

Updated on January 26, 2024

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Defining Organized Crime

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