NCJ Number
244059
Date Published
October 2013
Length
120 pages
Annotation
This study examined the criminal histories of offenders who had been involved in organized crime, using the Government's definition as "individuals, normally working with others, with the capacity and capability to commit serious crime on a continuing basis, which includes elements of planning, control, and coordination, and benefits those involved."
Abstract
Although a wide range of offenses were identified as linked to organized crime, the majority (73 percent) of offenders were selected on the basis of a conviction for a drug-related offense, principally supply or importation. Approximately 1 in 10 offenders selected were convicted of a violent offense (principally kidnapping and false imprisonment). The average age of organized crime offenders was 32 years old; only 1 percent of selected offenders were under 18 years old at the time of their offense. Ninety-five percent were men, and 13 percent were non-British nationals. Police recorded 56 percent of the offenders as White European, compared with 81 percent of general offenders and 73 percent of serious-crime offenders. The organized-crime offenders had more prior sanctions than general offenders. The organized-crime offenders reached their offending peak in their 30s and had no decline in their offending rate as they got older. Twenty-five percent of organized-crime offenders engaged in more serious crime from the point of their first offense to their current offense. The risk for involvement in organized crime was highest for those who began their offending with lower level drug possession and supply, forgery of motor vehicle documents, trading in firearms, or lower level offenses relating to the concealment of the proceeds of crime. The study was based on an analysis of administrative data collected by the police, which contains details of all sanctions received by individuals. 25 references and appended likely and possible organized crime offenses and research methodology