Organized Crime Analysis: US Commission Reports and Trends

This assignment analyzes the changing trends in organized crime within the United States, focusing on the insights provided by the 1967 and 1987 President's Commission Reports. The presentation examines the primary sources of income for organized crime groups, including gambling, loan sharking, narcotics, and money laundering, highlighting their evolution over time. It explores the crucial role of money laundering in facilitating illegal activities and its implications for law enforcement, including corruption. The analysis compares the findings of the two reports to identify shifts in the business of organized crime, such as changes in the ethnic makeup of crime groups, and the factors that have driven these changes, like new legislations and societal factors. The assignment also speculates on what a contemporary commission report would address, considering the current state of organized crime. The assignment concludes by providing a concise overview of the trends and changes in organized crime based on the given reports.

Changing Trends in
Organised Crime

Organised Crime in the USA
USA has the largest organised crime groups.
Organised crime group is a group that has formalised structure and follows a
hierarchy.
The primary motive is to do illegal activities mainly for money.
Italians, Soviets, Nigerian, Japanese all have organised crimes groups in US
over the years.
Hispanic crime groups, Jamaican groups, La Cosa Nostra, street gangs and
outlaws are extremely common in this country.

Current Organised Crime Scene in the US
Organised crime is highly active under five major mafia families which are:
Gambino Family
Lucchese
Genovose
Bonanno
Colombo Family
After 9/11 the Government has had flexible limitations on organised crime
scene.
This helped active operation of the above named families.

Tools used to control Organised Crime in USA
Legislations:
The Racketeer influenced Corrupt Organisations Act
Organised Crime Control Act
Anti Conspiracy and Terrorism Act
Presidents Commission report against Organised Crimes allows to emphasise on
certain organised crimes and is framed at regular intervals for better
management or organised crimes.

Organised Crime & President Commission
Report
The president commission is a special task force.
Appointed by the President and vested power by him.
Involved mostly investigation and research on certain cases.
President Commission report have worked on organised crime significantly in the year
1967 and 1987.

President Commission Report 1967
This report emphasised on crimes like gambling, loan sharking, narcotics
and Money laundering, labor racketeering.
As per the survey in around 71 cities organised crime groups were active.
Corruption in politics led to expansion of organised crimes.
The report focused on concluding the amount of money being misused by
the crime groups.
Money laundering is one of the major problems in the country and allows
free flow of illegal money in the country.

President Commission Report 1987
Under the Presidentship of Ronald Reagan this was completed.
It highlighted gambling, money laundering and drug trafficking being the most
lucrative business among the organised crime organisations.
Money laundering has been highlighted as a crucial problem in the US society
as it shows a number of legal and financial loopholes in the country especially
when it comes to legal development.

Money Laundering and Law Enforcement
against Organised Crime
Money laundering is the transformation of black money into white money
through banking transactions.
Money laundering has always been an important part of organised crime.
Money laundering helps to make the proceeds of illegal activities to become
clean through banking and then they are again used to create unrest in the
society especially through arms and drug dealing and bribing the law and
justice system.
Due to excessive money laundering there have been issues in proper law
enforcement especially to restrict this.
Corrupted officers and system affects to enforce law.

Analysing the trend in Organised Crime
According to the information from President Commission report on organised
crime in 1967 and 1987:
Organised crime was much higher in the mid 60s and 70s.
Took a peak in the 80s
Were moderately active till 2000.
Changes in laws and introduction of new legislations have reduced the impact of
organised crime in the country.
Societal change like more awareness among people and easy access to laws and
security has also helped the people to be active against organised crimes.

Current situation
If there was another president report money laundering would still be an issue.
The impact of organised crime is a lot of softer.
Families have crashed out and ethnics have been provided with good
rehabilitation that has reduced membership in crime. The Asian and African
people in US have mostly engaged in leading a simple life.

References
Von Lampe, K. (2015). Organized crime: analyzing illegal
activities, criminal structures, and extra-legal governance. Sage
Publications.
Fijnaut, C. (2016). Organized crime: the forms it takes,
background and methods used to control it in western Europe
and the United States. In The Containment of Organised Crime
and Terrorism (pp. 175-213). Brill Nijhoff.