NCJ Number
137536
Journal
Journal of Contemporary Criminal Justice Volume: 8 Issue: 1 Dated: (February 1992) Pages: 62-79
Date Published
1992
Length
18 pages
Annotation
This discussion of Joseph Albini's critique of Donald Cressey's view of organized crime disagrees with Albini's thesis that Cressey's model is inaccurate and asserts that this view of organized crime has stood the test of time.
Abstract
Albini argued that Cressey blindly accepted the preconceived model of organized crime as presented by the 1967 Task Force on Organized Crime. Albini also used his research and that of others to criticize Cressey for a lack of scientific rigor. However, Cressey's research was visionary, even though it was not necessarily all-inclusive. In addition, it is well established that La Cosa Nostra (LCN) exists, that it is structured and possesses a hierarchy, that a commission regulates conflicts between families, and that LCN families are located in the major cities of the United States. Criminal prosecutions have sustained this thesis. Nevertheless, more research is needed to explain the nature, scope, and dimensions of organized crime. 51 references