28 November 2005

IASOC Monthly Report on Organised Crime Related News

ORGANIZED CRIME AND THE NEW BUSINESS OF TERROR: The cover story for the current issues of U.S. News & World Report reports on how Jidahist groups are using organized crime to finance their attacks globally. In a series of three connected articles in the same issue, reporter David E. Kaplan points to hybrid activities of organized crime in support of terrorism that includes drug trafficking, human trafficking, extortion, and murder for hire. He also shows the overlap among smuggling routes used by terrorist and organized crime groups, as well as profiling the boss of India’s major criminal network, and the unique position of the city of Dubai in the Persian Gulf as a crossroads of legal and illegal business. An important piece of journalism for those seeking to better understand the links between terrorism and organized crime. (December 5, 2005 issue). The New Business of Terror: organized crime, where prosecutors must show that the suspects profited by directing three or more people to commit felony acts on their behalf. Extended prison sentences of more than 15 years are possible upon conviction. One of the suspects charged as a leader said during a police interview, “she had 60 or 70 different people bringing her account numbers and checks that were stolen from vehicles and burglaries. She would then alter the checks and call the bank to make sure the accounts were good, and then distribute the checks to four or five people to cash them." Thomas Clouse, “Identity theft probe nets charges against 22; Four suspects facing count of leading organized crime,” Spokane Review, (November 5, 2005).

OVERSIGHT OF NEW YORK’S FULTON FISH MARKET: There are those who sell the fish, those who move the fish, and the peacekeepers from the city's Business Integrity Commission, a three-year-old agency with a mandate to keep organized crime out of the market. Commission agents keep the numerous refrigerated 18-wheeled trucks moving, and make sure everyone at the market is carrying a special identification card. Created in 2001, the commission took on organized-crime-fighting duties, which formerly was handled by several city agencies. In addition to market inspectors, the Commission has four dozen employees who conduct background checks and monitor the business activities of wholesalers with troubled pasts. The Commission is now at the center of a dispute between the market's wholesalers and the unloaders who bring them their wares by forklift. The legal dispute pits the company that has a monopoly on the unloading business, Laro Service Systems, against the market's 40 wholesale fish sellers, backed by the city, who want to do the unloading themselves. The Giuliani administration installed Laro 10 years ago, to replace six unloading companies that it said were mob-influenced. Asserting that organized crime is now gone from the market, the Bloomberg administration would like to allow the fishmongers to do the unloading for greater efficiency. Opponents fear organized crime control of the market will return. Andrew Jacobs, “Dispute Over Who Unloads the Daily Catch Delays a Fish Market's Departure,” The New York Times, (October 31, 2005).

TRENDS IN ORGANIZED CRIME, IASOC’s professional journal, vol. 9, number 1, is coming soon: Dues-paying members of IASOC receive this quarterly journal published by Transaction, in addition to this monthly e-mail newsletter, free listing of expertise on IASOC website, and access to web page news, links, publications, and book reviews. Dues are still $55 for North America and $75 outside North America---the difference to cover journal shipping costs. Dues can be paid on-line via PayPal credit card payment service at www.iasoc.net, or by check or money order. Mailing address: IASOC, P.O. Box 50484, Washington, D.C. 20091.http://www.iasoc.net

ANZSOC: 19th Annual Conference, 7 – 9 February 2006

The organising committee invites you to attend the 19th Annual ANZSOC Conference to held in Hobart, Tasmania from the 7 - 9 February 2006 at Wrest Point Convention Centre on located on the picturesque River Derwent.

The theme of the conference is 'Criminology and Human Rights' with participants invited to submit an abstract for presentation at the conference.

For more information click here

25 November 2005

First Call for Panel chairs: Deadline 24th February 2006

Proposed ECPR section:
Comparing Organised crime between new and old threats


The ECPR will be organising its 4th General Conference in Pisa, Italy in September 2007. The ECPR Standing group would like to be present and organise a section dedicated to organised crime. The standing group has developed extensively since its last conference in Marburg, Germany, in 2003 and this would be the ideal opportunity to have an in-depth discussion about organised crime and for the group to meet. Therefore, the standing group would like to organise a section on the general topic of ‘Comparing Organised crime between new and old threats’. The idea behind this section is to encourage discussions about how organised crime seeks to imitate civil society, the economy and political systems in which it develops in order to better infiltrate, penetrate and coerce them. Thus, while terrorism is the 'new evil' and main policy priority for governments, organised crime carries on undeterred in a forever changing environment and this is what we would like to analyse. In particular, we would like panels which seek to investigate organised crime in a comparative mode and address its new characteristics. But we welcome all proposals.

Each section is made up of 10 separate panels each with their own theme. Each panel is made up of a chair, 3 paper givers and a discussant (who makes comments on the papers in order to forge a discussion). At this stage, we would like to ask people who are interested in organising a panel to come forward with an abstract of the topic they would like to propose and possible speakers who could be approached. If they have no potential speakers, we could then circulate a general call for papers after February and see who responds.

Please email your suggestions to Felia Allum (mlsfsa@bath.ac.uk) or Fabio Armao (fabio.armao@unito.it) before the 24th of February 2006. We will then organise a call for papers. The Standing group’s proposal needs to be ready for September 2006.

16 November 2005

Call for Papers: 2nd Annual Workshop on Criminology and the Economics of Crime

In June 2005, the Program on the Economics of Crime and Justice Policy held the first annual workshop bringing together criminologists and economists working on related topics. The goal of the workshop was to improve each group’s understanding of the other’s work and to generate collaboration between them. As a result of the success of the conference, we have been able to secure funding for the second annual workshop, now scheduled for June 5-6, 2006 at the Wye River Conference Center facility about 50 miles from both Baltimore and Washington. We are seeking proposals for papers and sessions.

Papers can be on any crime topic that is likely to be of interest to both criminologists and economists, such as illegal markets, cost benefit analysis and desistance from crime. This year, we plan to include a set of sessions entitled “The Effect of Incarceration On . . .” The dependent variable of these analyses can be anything which might be affected by incarceration. Given that criminologists and economists bring quite different methodologies and findings to the issue of incarceration, we anticipate that this will be a particularly invigorating and productive exchange.

A session will consist of two or three papers, which will be available to participants prior to the session. The format will emphasize short presentations (20 minutes), followed by a comment on the paper from a scholar from the other field (10 minutes) and then general discussion.

Proposals should be sent by February 1, 2006.

Call for Papers: Organized Crime: An International Encyclopedia

We are looking for contributors for the 2-volume, illustrated ORGANIZED CRIME: A INTERNATIONAL ENCYCLOPEDIA, VOL.I and II, to be published by ABC-CLIO in 2007.

The volume consists of sixteen chapters, broken down into three sections. Section 1 is devoted largely to historical antecedents, causation theories and group dynamics and provides a global overview (by region) of the organized crime problem.
Section 2 covers the global organized crime problem by addressing specific activities, enterprises and sources of financing. Section 2 also addresses some key issues such as Hi-tech and Cyber-crimes.
Section 3 addresses the global impact of organized crime, the criminal-terrorist nexus and international efforts to combat organized crime and corruption. Section 3 also contains several articles, which address the future of global organized crime and it’s control and concludes by providing an agenda for future research.

Articles run between 3 and 10 manuscript pages in length, depending on the subject. Small honoraria will be paid and/or copies of the full encyclopedia set will also be offered. The submission deadline for the remaining available entries is January 1, 2006. The author may contribute more than one entry provided the above due date is met.


Sincerely,

Frank Shanty
General Editor
ORGANIZED CRIME: AN INTERNATIONAL ENCYCLOPEDIA
P.O. Box 338
Abingdon, MD. 21009
Email: cobra141@prodigy.net

15 November 2005

Article: The Changing Structure of Organized Crime Groups

Published by Royal Canadian Mounted Police, June 2005

(To obtain an electronic copy of the complete report (PDF), please send a request by e-mail to the Research and Evaluation Section (Community, Contract and Aboriginal Policing Services) of the RCMP research_evaluation@rcmp-grc.gc.ca)

From the Executive summary:

With significant improvements in modes of transport, communication and ever-expanding horizon of technology, organized crime has significantly evolved into a global phenomenon. It also appears that the factors contributing to globalization and the very fact of globalization of organized crime groups has resulted in a range of complex structures of these groups - necessitating the formation of market-driven transnational networks. Researchers have concluded that the criminal organizations of the 21st century are characterized by a large degree of fluidity and structural complexity. As opposed to the popular stereotypes, they utilize diverse forms and sizes of clusters, network structures and groups, often but not invariably transnational with occasional local home-bases, as suited for their diverse forms of illegal activities, and as dictated by emerging opportunities across the globe.

New Journal: Crime, Media, Culture

Crime, Media, Culture is the primary vehicle for exchange between scholars who are working at the intersections of criminological and cultural inquiry. It promotes a broad crossdisciplinary understanding of the relationship between crime, criminal justice, media and culture.

While Crime, Media, Culture embraces submissions across a range of research perspectives and methodological orientations, it encourages especially work that develops cultural, critical, and qualitative understandings of the crime/media/culture nexus. On this basis, while Crime, Media, Culture does not reject quantitative studies out of hand, it does require that statistical analysis be substantiated by, and situated within, theoretically informed and qualitatively nuanced engagement with the subject matter.

Submissions are sought primarily from academics and scholarly researchers in relevant fields but submissions from professionals, practitioners, policy makers, cultural workers, and other interested parties are also welcome, and will be given full consideration.

(Information from Publisher)

Call for Papers: 7th Global Conference: Perspectives on Evil and Human Wickedness

7th Global Conference Perspectives on Evil and Human Wickedness
Monday 13th - Friday 17th March 2006 Salzburg, Austria

This inter-disciplinary and multi-disciplinary conference seeks to examine and explore issues surrounding evil and human wickedness. Perspectives are sought from those engaged in the fields of anthropology, criminology, cultural studies, legal studies, literature, philosophy, psychology, sociology, and theology. Perspectives are sought from those working in the caring professions, the media, prison services, politics, psychiatry and other work-related and vocational areas.

300 word abstracts should be submitted by Friday 2nd December 2005. If an abstract is accepted for the conference, a full draft paper should be submitted by Friday 17th February 2006.

New Journal: Asian Journal of Criminology

Asian Journal of Criminology.
An Interdisciplinary Journal on Crime, Law and Deviance in Asia.

Editor-in-Chief: R. Broadhurst New journal, to be published in 2006.

The Editors now welcome submissions for the Journal’s first Volume

The Asian Journal of Criminology aims to advance the study of criminology and criminal justice in Asia, to promote evidence-based public policy in crime prevention, and to promote comparative studies about crime and criminal justice. The Journal provides a platform for criminologists, policymakers, and practitioners and welcomes manuscripts relating to crime, crime prevention, criminal law, medico-legal topics and the administration of criminal justice in Asian countries.

The Journal especially encourages theoretical and methodological papers with an emphasis on evidence-based, empirical research addressing crime in Asian contexts. It seeks to publish research arising from a broad variety of methodological traditions, including quantitative, qualitative, historical, and comparative methods. The Journal fosters a multi-disciplinary focus and welcomes manuscripts from a variety of disciplines, including criminology, criminal justice, law, sociology, political science, psychology, forensic science, social work, urban studies, history, geography, and anthropology.

(Information from Publisher)

11 November 2005

New Book: "Between Morality and the Law: Corruption, Anthropology and Comparative Society"

Pardo, Italo(Ed.)
Hardcover 187 pages (12/2004)
Publisher: Ashgate
Language: English
ISBN:0 7546 4290 9
Price: 89.95$/45£

Synopsis (provided by the publisher)

Drawing on detailed enthnographies, the contributors address illegal forms of corruption and more widely, moral and legal forms of corruption in western and non-western societies. Based on descriptive analyses of corrupt practices at and beyoud the local level, it stands as a demonstration that empirical investigation can be carried out. The work draws on long-term research based on a combination of traditional anthropological methods, background knowledge and the study of documentary sources. [read more]

10 November 2005

New Book: 'Organised Crime in Europe : Concepts, Patterns and Control Policies in the European Union and Beyond'

Cyrille Fijnaut and Letizia Paoli (Eds.)
  • Hardcover 1074 pages (August 2005)
  • Publisher: Springer
  • Language: English
  • ISBN:1402026153
  • Price: 235,00 € (Until Dec. 1, 2005: 190,00 €)


  • Synopsis (provided by the publisher)

    At the beginning of the 21st century organised crime has become a ‘hot’ topic in public debate and on political agendas throughout Europe. To control organised crime, far-reaching legal and institutional reforms have been passed in all European states and ad hoc instruments have been adopted by all major international organisations. Despite its great media success and the flurry of national and international initiatives on the subject, comparative research has so far been limited.

    This volume represents the first attempt to systematically compare organised crime concepts, as well as historical and contemporary patterns and control policies in thirteen European countries. These include seven ‘old’ EU Member States (Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, The Netherlands, Spain and the United Kingdom), two ‘new’ members (the Czech Republic and Poland), a candidate country (Turkey), and three non-EU countries (Albania, Russia and Switzerland). Based on a standardised research protocol, thirty-three experts from different legal and social disciplines provide insight through detailed country reports. On this basis, the editors compare organised crime patterns and policies in Europe and assess EU initiatives against organised crime.

    Its informed analyses and unprejudiced assessments will make Organised Crime in Europe an indispensable resource for scholars, students, practitioners, and policy-makers interested in understanding the complex phenomenon of organised crime and its related control policies in Europe.

    New Book: 'Mobsters, Unions and Feds. The Mafia and the American Labor Movement'

    James B. Jacobs
  • Softcover 304 pages (January 2006)
  • Publisher: NYU Press
  • Language: English
  • ISBN: 0-8147-4273-4
  • Price: $32,95

  • Synopsis (provided by the publisher)

    Nowhere in the world has organized crime infiltrated labor as effectively as in the United States. From the early 1930s to the assassination of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters Union president Jimmy Hoffa in 1975, the federal government neglected this illicit marriage. Since 1975,the FBI, Department ofJustice,and other federal agencies have pursued a relentless battle against labor racketeering in mobbed-up unions all over the country.This struggle continues today.

    Mobsters, Unions, and Feds is the first book to tell the full story of the relationship between organized crime and organized labor,as well as recent federal efforts to clean up unions. One of America's leading experts on the mafia, James B. Jacobs explains how the Cosa Nostra families first gained a foothold in labor during violent struggles between workers and employers in the early twentieth century, then after Prohibition's repeal,made labor racketeering its top priority. Jacobs also outlines the failure of law enforcement to address the problem, especially the inaction of the FBI under J.Edgar Hoover.

    Since Hoover's death and Hoffa's murder, the U.S.Department of Justice has aggressively prosecuted many of the mafia's activities using the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organization (RICO) statute. Jacobs places the federal efforts to liberate the unions in the context of this larger war, which has sent hundreds of organized crime members and bosses to prison. Though there have been some impressive victories, there have been many frustrating defeats in a struggle that continues to this day.

    09 November 2005

    Second Annual Report on Victims of Trafficking in South-Eastern Europe 2005

    This second report by the Regional Clearing Point (International Organization for Migartion) published in 2005 presents a comprehensive picture of the trafficking phenomenon in South Eastern Europe. You can download this document from here.

    08 November 2005

    Europol 2005 EU Organised Crime Report

    On October 25th Europol released the public version of its 2005 EU Organised Crime Report. It is not yet available on their website however we obtained a copy. You'll find it (.pdf) here. (right click the link for direct download)

    07 November 2005

    Recent Reports Published by the Center for the Study of Democracy in Bulgaria

    Corruption and Tax Compliance. Policy and Administration Challenges
    National and international corruption indices suggest that the Bulgarian tax administration has an important role to play in fighting corruption. While the general public and the business community are inclined to think better of the tax administration, in terms of the levels and spread of corruption, by comparison with other institutions, such as customs, the police or the judiciary, corruption in the tax administration is still admittedly rather high.

    The Courts, Prosecution and Investigation in the EU Member States and Accession Countries (in Bulgarian only)
    The book reviews the organization and principles of activity of the courts, prosecution and investigation in the EU member states, including the new ones, and the accession countries.

    Anticorruption Reforms in Bulgaria
    The report makes an overview of the conducted anticorruption reforms in Bulgaria since 1997 and analyses the spheres of penetration, as well as the levels and dynamics of corruption in the Bulgarian society and presents the major achievements and problems of anticorruption reforms.

    Crime Trends in Bulgaria: Police Statistics and Victimization Surveys
    The report uses a crime victimization survey as an alternative analytical tool to make an independent assessment of the crime situation in Bulgaria for the period 2001–2004.

    You can download these and many other reports from the CSD website: www.csd.bg