Book Review: Beare, Transnational Organized Crime

Margarte E. Beare, editor
Critical Reflections on Transnational Organized Crime, Money Laundering, and Corruption.
University of Toronto Press, 2003, 352 pp.
$29.95 paper (0-8020-8190-8), $65.00 hardcover (0-8020-4375-5)

The rhetoric surrounding organized crime has escalated in recent years as interest in transnational crime and terrorism has intensified. This edited volume critically examines the true nature of the threat behind the rhetoric and points to the social costs that different enforcement strategies will incur. The book contains 11 separate chapters written by 10, primarily Canadian, authors—many of whom are well-known researchers and writers in the field of organized crime. The book offers a skeptical assessment of the motives of policy makers in how they define and respond to transnational organized crime. As the editor notes in the introduction, What we are experiencing is a hijacking of criminal justice, as well as of wider governmental and financial institutions, to meet political and strategic ends (p. xii). The authors believe official agencies exaggerate or misidentify threats of transnational crime and conceal information in order to expand their size, budgets, and domains. Development of objective empirical information is often shunned, permitting ideologically held beliefs to endure. The book points to the problems created, for example, when working definitions of organized crime exclude corporate and white collar crimes which arguably cause greater harm, when "transnational crime" initiatives overlook its local aspects, and when global enforcement tools are recommended for crimes requiring a market-by-market analysis. The books individual chapters focus on different aspects of the organized crime problem, including bribery and corruption, drugs, corporate crime, and money laundering. Most chapters cite the lack of empirical information to support official conclusions, policies, laws, and enforcement strategies, forcing the public to accept official versions of the problem without the opportunity to examine the evidence or intelligently debate the conclusions drawn. This volume builds on themes about the ideological (non-empirical) treatment of organized crime by official agencies throughout its history (see Michael Woodiwiss, Organized Crime and American Power, University of Toronto Press, 2001). As the global economy combines with human migration trends, technological innovations, and major political changes around the world, organized crime will certainly change to exploit the available opportunities. Without better empirical information drawn from systematic studies of criminal markets and the interplay between legal and illegal groups, agencies, and practices, it is not possible to accurately assess the true nature of the threat posed by organized crime, or the reasonableness of policies designed to stop it. This leaves the public with anecdotal stories to characterize the problem and individual success stories to document enforcement effectiveness, which fall far short of informed debate based on a full and accurate understanding of the issues. As the editor observes, "a critical perspective is needed to evaluate these threats aggressively and prevent further unnecessary fear and waste of resources." A good index and bibliography makes this book useful to students.

Jay S. Albanese
Virginia Commonwealth University
justiceworks@yahoo.com

Dr. Albanese’s current research focuses on transnational crime and international organized crime. He is co-editor of Organized Crime: World Perspectives (Prentice Hall, 2003).


	Canadian Journal of Sociology Online September - October 2003 Margarte E. Beare, editor Critical Reflections on Transnational Organized Crime, Money Laundering, and Corruption. University of Toronto Press, 2003, 352 pp. $29.95 paper (0-8020-8190-8), $65.00 hardcover (0-8020-4375-5) The rhetoric surrounding organized crime has escalated in recent years as interest in transnational crime and terrorism has intensified. This edited volume critically examines the true nature of the threat behind the rhetoric and points to the social costs that different enforcement strategies will incur. The book contains 11 separate chapters written by 10, primarily Canadian, authors—many of whom are well-known researchers and writers in the field of organized crime. The book offers a skeptical assessment of the motives of policy makers in how they define and respond to transnational organized crime. As the editor notes in the introduction, What we are experiencing is a hijacking of criminal justice, as well as of wider governmental and financial institutions, to meet political and strategic ends (p. xii). The authors believe official agencies exaggerate or misidentify threats of transnational crime and conceal information in order to expand their size, budgets, and domains. Development of objective empirical information is often shunned, permitting ideologically held beliefs to endure. The book points to the problems created, for example, when working definitions of organized crime exclude corporate and white collar crimes which arguably cause greater harm, when "transnational crime" initiatives overlook its local aspects, and when global enforcement tools are recommended for crimes requiring a market-by-market analysis. The books individual chapters focus on different aspects of the organized crime problem, including bribery and corruption, drugs, corporate crime, and money laundering. Most chapters cite the lack of empirical information to support official conclusions, policies, laws, and enforcement strategies, forcing the public to accept official versions of the problem without the opportunity to examine the evidence or intelligently debate the conclusions drawn. This volume builds on themes about the ideological (non-empirical) treatment of organized crime by official agencies throughout its history (see Michael Woodiwiss, Organized Crime and American Power, University of Toronto Press, 2001). As the global economy combines with human migration trends, technological innovations, and major political changes around the world, organized crime will certainly change to exploit the available opportunities. Without better empirical information drawn from systematic studies of criminal markets and the interplay between legal and illegal groups, agencies, and practices, it is not possible to accurately assess the true nature of the threat posed by organized crime, or the reasonableness of policies designed to stop it. This leaves the public with anecdotal stories to characterize the problem and individual success stories to document enforcement effectiveness, which fall far short of informed debate based on a full and accurate understanding of the issues. As the editor observes, "a critical perspective is needed to evaluate these threats aggressively and prevent further unnecessary fear and waste of resources." A good index and bibliography makes this book useful to students. Jay S. Albanese Virginia Commonwealth University justiceworks@yahoo.com Dr. Albanese’s current research focuses on transnational crime and international organized crime. He is co-editor of Organized Crime: World Perspectives (Prentice Hall, 2003). http://www.arts.ualberta.ca/cjscopy/reviews/orgcrime.html October 2003 © CJS Online Click here to download PDF file < Back to Current Table of Contents