Rapid Growth of Transnational Organized Crime

Baker and Piquero (2010) state that Transnational Organized Crime (TOC) is continuing to grow and transform at a faster rate than the US can try to control. TOC is defined as those self-perpetuation associations of people who work internationally for the main goal of gaining power, money etc. through illegal ways of corruption.

According to a report published by the United States Department of Justice’s Strategy to Combat International Organized Crime, international organized criminals have planned an organization like those being used by terrorist groups such as ISIS.

Their growth is also caused by the fact that they use unattached conventional organizational systems to do their actions across borders. Using the rational choice theory to define why transnational organized crime links the growth to the un-swift punishing system. The rational choice theory is a set of ideas about the link between an individual’s preference and the choices they choose to make. The deterrence approach focuses on Beccaria’s visions that operational punishments need to be swift and firm (Paternoster, 2010).

Rational choice theory also focuses on Bentham’s idea that the motivations for crimes are commonly supported in an individual’s self-interest and their wish to increase their own pleasure to decrease their pain. Therefore, punishments must involve a certain level of judiciousness in order to affect an individual’s perception of pleasures and pains linked to their certain decisions. Furthermore, the rational choice theory assumes that transnational organized crime can be understood by using the same ideologies of cost-benefit analysis they use when committing a crime.

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The result of poor harsh and fast punishment is the reason why Transnational Organized Crime is on a constant rise. In conclusion, the Rational choice theory helps provide a harsh description of the thought process by which offenders choose to commit transnational organized crime. In reality, an individual’s preference differs, as crime offers many different forms of returns, and people vary in their valuations of crime’s costs and profits. Baker, T. and Piquero, A. 2010. “Assessing the Perceived Benefits-Criminal Offending Relationship.” Journal of Criminal Justice38:981-987. Paternoster, O. 2010. Analyzing Rational Crime-Models and Methods. Dordrecht, The Netherlands: Kluwer Academic Publishers.

As stated by Blocker (2006) the era of Prohibition that took place in the 1920s was passed by the American government, which banned the sale, production and consumption of alcohol. Prohibition was not only presented as an outcome of WW1, but it was also passed as an effort to decrease alcohol related crimes in the US. Nonetheless, the key motive for the failure of Prohibition was the proliferation of organized crime. In fact, prohibition led the US into a state in which organized crime was used to attain the forbidden merchandise. Organized crime grew and continued to grow, as well as succeeded during this time and the effect has created a permanent influence on illegal substance supply in our current society.

The most significant reason why prohibition impacted organized crime was because it turned a huge portion of the society into criminals. Furthermore, prohibition resulted in creating no lasting positive effects on organized crime. In fact, there were far more disadvantages to the Prohibition era than positive outcomes. Prohibition created disillusioned goods, started numerous crime rings, and nearly corrupted anyone involved. Hall (2010) states that no quantifiable improvements were made in efficiency or reduced absence. Though, many believe it was the government’s fault for not correctly enforcing the laws correctly it was the strong rise of organized crime that caused the era to fail completely.

In the end, prohibition could not succeed because there were far too many gangs to control and not enough people to manage the amount of alcohol being distributed to make the system work, resulting in organized crime creating other problems like bribery and corruption. The Prohibition Bureau was created under the Treasury Department to help with the assessment of illegal alcohol consumption and distribution. Though, prohibition created greater rates of organized crime the Bureau was highly effective in its works. In the end, prohibition intensified organized crime rates and created criminals out of regular individuals in society. Hall, W. (2010). What are the policy lessons of National Alcohol Prohibition in the United States, 1920–1933? Addiction, 105, 1164–1173. doi:10.1111/j.1360- 0443.2010.02926.x Blocker J. S. Jr. Did prohibition really work? Alcohol prohi- bition as a public health innovation. Am J Public Health 2006; 96: 233–43.