NCJ Number
131165
Date Published
Unknown
Length
12 pages
Annotation
The problems of organized and professional crime in Eastern Europe has been largely ignored by researchers. This article focuses on the situation in Poland.
Abstract
Although economic conditions in Poland, particularly the imbalance between supply and demand, would seem to provide ideal circumstances for the genesis of organized criminal activities, these opportunities may be more limited in a State-planned and controlled economy. As a result, illicit business organizations which fit the Western definitions of organized crime have never developed in socialist countries. Organized crime in Poland has focused mostly on the misappropriation of property, speculation in scarce or rationed goods, and drug trafficking. The Polish legal system, which does not recognize the concept of conspiracy, can convict members of crime organizations only on the concrete crimes they have committed. In Poland, organized crime groups are comprised mostly of blue-collar workers, although white-collar workers hold most leadership positions. The inadequacy of the Polish legal system in dealing with organized crime needs to be addressed as this problem becomes more serious. 21 references