Академический Документы
Профессиональный Документы
Культура Документы
103
Turkish National Police Academy, Institute for Security Sciences (GBF), Graduate Student
104
Finckenauer claims that the romanticized view of mafia and organized crime in the media and film industry hides the dark reality of murderous and predatory criminal organization(s) that extends from time to time. In the following chapter, various theories concerning the reasons why people turn into crime in general and into organized crime in particular are discussed. Here, what he specifically claims is that the alien conspiracy theory which is attributed as the core reason behind rise of criminal organizations in the United States is a quite poor theory and there had been crime and organized crime in the United States even before the Italian and Irish migration. Not objecting to his claim, I think that the stress is on the U.S. in the book. The same emphasis on the U.S. is noticeable in many other parts of the book. In the next chapter, several examples of criminal organizations such as La Cosa Nostra, Urban Street Gangs, One Percent Biker Clubs, The Russian Mafia, The Japanese Yakuza and Chinese Mafia are described in the light of all theoretical analyses that has been discussed before. Here, again, an American perspective is dominant as it can be seen, for example from the Russian or Japanese titles. The fifth chapter, which seems more like an introductory part for the sixth chapter presents the criminal activities in details. It is specified that organized crime deals with many illegal activities that can be carried out in collaboration with profitable activities. What the writer specifically points out here is that by providing services like gambling, sex, and drugs, organized crime appeals to human desires for forbidden fruit and it exploits sin. The chapter entitled An Evil Business: The Traffic in People establishes an in depth analysis of the relationship between organized crime and human trafficking. He claims that organized crime plays a facilitator role for both the pushing and the pulling factors in the source and the destination countries. However, this connection can be established between many of the transnational crimes and organized crime, and why Finckenauer added this chapter remains unclear and it seems as if it is out of the general context of the book. In the last chapter, many advices such as grants of immunity, witness protection, and enhancement of international co-operation are presented for law enforcement agencies and any concerned parties. From a stylistic perspective, the writer has a direct and enjoyable style. The theoretical parts of the book provide many examples and attributions of the genuine criminal organizations. Additionally, short reading texts of which can be found plenty in the book made it like a journal which makes it a very easy to read. The literature review is one of the distinguished parts of the book and it is evident that the writer is an expert in the field. In conclusion, Mafia and Organized Crime: A Beginners Guide is recommended bachelor and master students of international and national security studies and all professional law enforcement agencies that are combating against organized crime. The book is also a very beneficial source for individuals who intend to relieve him/her from the illusionary effect of media and romances on the perception of organized crime.