Organized Crime

Description

For courses in organized crime.
A student-friendly introduction to organized crime – what it is and what it’s not
Organized Crime provides an easy-to-read introduction to organized crime, including a historical basis for understanding its origins, evolution, and current status. The text dispels widespread myths about organized crime, revealing why ethnically driven pop-¿culture stereotypes are inadequate. It also deals with the role of drug trafficking in organized crime and comparative models of terrorism. The 7th edition has significant new material and updates, such as sections on definitions of organized crime, Mexican cartels, Somali pirates, RICO, Eastern African groups, Albanian drug-smuggling networks, Triborder Area OC activity, counterfeit consumer goods, and updated case studies, statistics, and graphics.

1. Understanding Organized Crime
2. Theories of Organized Criminal Behavior
3. The Evolution of Organized Crime: Urban Beginnings
4. The Evolution of Organized Crime: Southern Beginnings
5. The Businesses of Organized Crime
6. The Illicit Drug Trade
7. Domestic Organized Crime Groups
8. A Comparative Perspective
9. Terrorism As Organized Crime
10. Organized Crime’s Political and Corporate Alliances
11. Controlling Organized Crime

Appendices
A. Selected Provisions from the 2001 USA Patriot Act
B. Chronology of White Supremacist Domestic Terrorist Incidents in the 1980s
C. Domestic Terrorism Groups and Events
D. Foreign Terrorist Organizations

About our author

Michael D. Lyman is a professor of criminal justice at Columbia College, in Columbia, Missouri. In addition to being a teaching faculty member, he serves as the program coordinator for the Master of Science of Criminal Justice Program and the founder of the college’s Forensic Science Program. Before entering the field of college teaching, he was employed as a certified police trainer and served as a sworn criminal investigator for state police organizations in Kansas and Oklahoma. He has taught literally thousands of law enforcement officers in the proper police techniques and methods of professional criminal investigation.

Dr. Lyman has authored numerous textbooks in criminal justice dealing with the areas of criminal investigation, policing, organized crime, drug enforcement and drug trafficking. He received both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Wichita State University and his PhD from the University of Missouri-Columbia. He has served law enforcement and legal communities on more than 375 occasions to review criminal investigations and render the results of his evaluations and his opinions in federal court proceedings nationwide.

Textbooks such as this are an ongoing work in progress, and the author welcomes communication and correspondence about his work. Dr. Lyman can be contacted at Columbia College, Rogers Street, Columbia, MO or by email.

New and updated features of this title

Issues of modern-day organized crime

• NEW: The use of computers and technology within organized crime is expanded upon.
• EXPANDED: Modern-day piracy and recent arrests of mob figures are explored in this edition.
• EXPANDED: Changes in Mexican drug trafficking are reflected in an updated section.
• UPDATED: Case studies, statistics and photographs have been updated.

Comparisons between terrorism and organized crime

• REVISED: Chapter 9, Terrorism and Organized Crime, has been revamped for this edition.
• NEW: New material on ISIS and its “business model” has been added to discussions of resemblances between terrorist organizations and organized crime groups in terms of structure, financing and recruiting mechanisms.
• EXPANDED: A discussion of terrorism and how it interacts with organized crime is expanded.

For courses in organized crime.

A student-friendly introduction to organized crime – what it is and what it’s not
Organized Crime provides an easy-to-read introduction to organized crime, including a historical basis for understanding its origins, evolution, and current status. The text dispels widespread myths about organized crime, revealing why ethnically driven pop-¿culture stereotypes are inadequate. It also deals with the role of drug trafficking in organized crime and comparative models of terrorism. The 7th edition has significant new material and updates, such as sections on definitions of organized crime, Mexican cartels, Somali pirates, RICO, Eastern African groups, Albanian drug-smuggling networks, Triborder Area OC activity, counterfeit consumer goods, and updated case studies, statistics, and graphics.

Hallmark features of this title

Theory, history and issues of organized crime

• Theories covered include the alien conspiracy, rational choice and cultural deviance theories.
• A robust historical account contextualizes the current state of organized crime.
• The role of drug trafficking in proliferating organized crime is discussed in a dedicated chapter.
• The role of corrupt public officials and businesses in promoting organized crime is uncovered.

Tools for critical analysis

• Critical-thinking projects, points of discussion and suggested readings prompt students to examine organized crime from a social and scholarly perspective.
• Information culled from government reports equips students with data from organizations such as the FBI, National Institute of Justice, and Bureau of Justice Statistics.