Aboriginal Organized Crime in Canada: Developing a Typology for Understanding and Strategizing Responses

• NCJ Number: 205835
• Author(s): E. J. Dickson-Gilmore Ph.D.
• Date Published: 2003
• Length: 45 pages
• Sponsoring Agency: Royal Canadian Mounted Police
• Sale Source: Royal Canadian Mounted Police
• Publication Format: Document (Online)
• Publication Type: Research (Theoretical)
• Language: English
• Country: Canada
• Note: *This document is currently unavailable from NCJRS.

Annotation

This paper examines aboriginal participation in organized crime in Canada and proposes a definition of “aboriginal organized crime” as well as a typology of participants.

Abstract

Research on the topic of organized crime suffers from difficulties inherent in studying a group who wishes to subvert, disguise, and cover their illegal activities as well as their identities. Research on organized crime in Canada is scant, particularly research on aboriginal participation in organized criminal activities. The studies that do exist assume that the definitions and assumptions that apply to organized crime in general will also apply to aboriginal participation in organized crime. This paper offers a theoretical analysis of the reality of aboriginal participation in organized criminal activities in Canada. In terms of a definition, Beare’s definition of organized crime is expanded to include an account of motivations, whether social, political, or economic. Aboriginal involvement in organized crime is rarely motivated by profit, which is a significant deviation from traditional understandings of the motivations for organized criminal activities. The author examines current patterns of offending among the aboriginal population in Canada, arguing that aboriginal participation in organized crime represents a unique permutation to the trend in offending. Aboriginal organized crime accounts for only a modest portion of criminal activities in Canada as well as among other First Nations. The typology of participants proposed includes four types defined by motivation: (1) Activist/Naturalist Type; (2) Random/Opportunistic Type; (3) Activist/Opportunistic Type; and (4) Criminal/Opportunistic Type. These types fall along a larger continuum which is bounded by profound nationalism/activism at one end and pure, instrumental opportunism at the opposite end. Official responses to aboriginal participation in organized crime are considered. Through an analysis of the motivations for aboriginal participation in organized crime, the best solution seems to be prevention through social justice and broad-based social reform. Appendix