NCJ Number
189206
Journal
Forum on Crime and Society Volume: 1 Issue: 1 Dated: February 2001 Pages: 1-16
Date Published
February 2001
Length
16 pages
Annotation
Based on the presentation given at the opening day of the Tenth United Nations Congress on the Prevention of Crime and the Treatment of Offenders (Vienna, Austria, April 10, 2000), this article provides a global overview of the state of common crime, street-level corruption, and organized crime across the world.
Abstract
Sources of the data are both victimization surveys and recorded crime statistics. The report indicates that domestic crime trends show divergent patterns across regions. In the industrialized world, domestic crime has stabilized. Both the current economic boom and increased investments in private security and criminal justice have contributed to this. Elsewhere, common property crimes and violence are still increasing. At the same time, countries across the world are progressively plagued by new forms of crime. The globalization of the main markets for illicit goods has facilitated the growth and spread of transnational organized crime. In specialized literature, organized crime is increasingly interpreted as a special form of economic activity. Crime opportunity theory, or situational crime prevention theory, can help to explain the extent and shape of transnational organized crime. Motivated offenders, viable criminal opportunities, and insufficient social control are all relevant factors for explaining organized crime rates; however, convergence in time and place of motivated offenders and crime opportunities seems less pertinent in explaining organized crime than common crime. Poverty remains a major context for criminal activity, and poverty-driven crime crosses borders through illegal migration and trafficking in persons. A critical success factor for sustainable development is apparently adherence to the rule of law and a broadly shared culture of lawfulness. The concerted efforts of all United Nations member States are needed to halt the booming international criminal trade as well as international corruption. 7 figures and 18 references