Criminal Justice Short Answer Essay

Response to Question One

Organized crime can be defined as an enterprise without ideologies that involves people in social and hierarchal interactions with the aim to make or secure profits using illegal means by engaging either in legal or illegal activities. The gang of individuals desires to acquire profits and power by positioning themselves in such a manner so as to get their targets off guard. An investigation into the activities of organized crime will aid to determine how positions and functional specialization do take place among the groups. The investigation will assist to unravel skills bestowed upon the individuals on the basis of friendship or kinship in different hierarchal positions. Members are in most cases permanent, and this plays an integral part in their pursuit of goals. Members always intend to use violence and sometimes bribery to achieve results or preserve discipline in the group (Beken, 2006).

Some of the notable features of the organized crime include hierarchy, the lack of political goals, limited or exclusive membership, presence of a unique culture, self-perpetuation, and the desire to employ violence or bribery. Organized crime is monopolistic in nature and consists of explicit regulations and rules.

Investigations into organized crime will aid to expose the functions of the criminal groupings and the continued enterprise through illicit activities. The investigations will inculcate discipline and cohesion, and insulate leaders from involvement in criminal activities, bribery, violence, and corruption of public officials.

No government will raid on the gains of illegal engagements without the necessity of careful investigations of the rules and regulations of the architects of organized crime. The investigations are effective weapons of mitigating crime in society and fighting against organized crime. Full investigations of the syndicates will disintegrate group activities within a short period of time as opposed to mere accusations of failure responsibility among the security officials.

The investigation will serve to collect views and opinions according to regions in order to analyze organized crime with the intent to measure the extent of their influence and the consequent impact on the American people. Effective spy operations like the Federal Bureau of Investigations will function well with sufficient information about the damaging effect of the organized crime. This investigation will dig deep into the cause of some of the problems that affect society members. The investigations by the commission will unravel the minute group of career criminals who engage in running rackets, drug trafficking, corruption among the policemen, and undermine the basis of democratization in society (Beken, 2006).

Response to Question Two

There are four major cartels that engage in drug trafficking in Columbia. The cartel is responsible for the creation of social stratification in Columbia. This has had a great impact on the culture of the people of Columbia in the long run. The intervention of the US saw the cut in the extent of the authority of the rich and wealthy drug dealers among the Columbian cartel men. Some of the notable drug cartels were Carlos Lehder and Pablo Escobar, who were regarded to be very powerful and influential around the world. The US and other European countries were effective and supportive in the provision of logistical, financial, tactical and military aid to the government of Columbia. Various plans, such as leftist organizations, have had an impact on the growth of cocaine in parts of Columbia. The signing of the Vienna Convention of 1988 has served to curtail drug trafficking and other drug-related substances around the world.

The abolition of the consumption of cocaine will see the reduction of the drug extradition among the drug cartels for a period of more than 10 years. The intervention had a wide financial implication on the drug cartels. Another impact is in regard to the disbanding of the Medellin drug cartel. The production of cocaine was declined but in vain, as Orjuela brothers changed to the Cali cartel. The GDP of Columbia is about 4.9% of the Gross government economy (Padhey, 2006).

Due to the fall of the Medellin Cartel and Pablo Escobar drug cartels, there was the emergence of a new cling of drug traffickers and oblivion of the desire to acquire power by the drug barons. The new group is only interested in doing business and not in ladders of power, as the early cartels did. The ban led to the change of tactic among the agricultural community.

Various pieces of legislation, like the Vienna convention of 1988, are responsible for the curtailment of powers of the drug dealers in most parts of Columbia. This is due to the expansive collaboration between the US and the Columbian government. The US intervention was the result of the wide availability and cheap presence of cocaine among the citizens of the United States of America. It is also important to note that the legislation was intended to combat the effect of organized crime and its spreading effects on society.

Response to Question Three

Transnational organized crime groups such as Russian mafia and others are likely to pose a greater danger or threat to the United States than the traditional organized crime groups. Some of the organized crime groups include the US Cosa Nostra and the Italian mafias. These groups engage in landslide crimes including but not limited to drug smuggling and human trafficking. Other large-scale engagements will include activities such as counterfeiting of goods, especially cigarettes and large scale evasion of tax obligations. The nature of such groups poses challenges to international laws in relation to traditional groups (Florentini, 2007).

It must be noted that organized Russian crime groups enjoy wide state protection as compared to other groups around the world. This fact is courtesy of the wiki leaks from the US cable commentary in relation to Russia. Transnational crime groups are a replica of big business, and this poses a great threat to the United States of America. The Russian government is very strict about the operations of large businesses, and this means that no big business can operate without prior approval from the Russian government.

The groups are very difficult to confront as they have features that are very dissimilar to the western law state enforcement agencies. They are said to enjoy a strong network of business, parliament, civil service, and government connections, unlike all other groups. The best illustration of the Russian state involvement in crime is in relation to the case of Sergei Magnitsky and the probe in regard to the death of Alexander Litvinenko.

The other source of a great threat is the role of crime in the Russian economy. It is argued that Russia has co-opted crime revenue among its revenue sources, and this is an economic crime. The policy of economic liberalization by the Russian government does not necessarily require collaboration with illegal businesses and engagements with organized crime groupings. This has seen Russia being on the periphery and the verge of becoming a global crime syndicate. This is due to the strong presence of dubious businesses and corrupt officials who are careful to promote organized crime activities (Gottschalk, 2009).