PICT103 Lecture Notes - Lecture 11: Illegal Dumping, American Mafia
5 Jun 2018
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PICT3
Gangs and Gangsters
PART 1: Defining the Problem
What is organized crime?
• Problematic and contested term
• Usually associated with serious crime s
• “A group of people who act together one a long-term basis to commit crimes for gain”
– Levi 998
• Definitional problems include determining thresholds for the following:
- Total numbers involved
- Length of association”
- Degree of organization
- Seriousness of crime committed
What is a gang?
• Also, problematic and difficult to define
• Similar to organized crime, except for an emphasis on youth and identity
• Defined by the US National Gang Centre (2012) as:
1) Having 3 or more members (usually young people 18-24)
2) Shared identity (name, symbols)
3) Members view themselves as a gang, and are recognized as such
4) A degree of permanence and organization
5) elevated level of criminal activity
Media (mis)representation
• 'gang' and 'gang members' are emotive terms that imply a serious degree of threat
• often overused and implies a level of organisation
• Sometimes applied to group of youth that are perceived as threatening
• Wrongly describing tour groups as gangs can lea to moral panics and negative
labelling
Gangs in history
• Long history of gangs in AUS
• Linked to rapid urban growth in Sydney and Melbourne
- Social disorganisation theory
• Gangs became affiliated with particular areas - territoriality. Only operate in specific
places
• Membership is often necessary to ensure safety from other gangs
• Linked to stain theory: Gangs offered an alternative route to values goal (respect,
belonging, wealth, etc)
Symbols and Rituals
Gangs use over symbols (tattoos, insignias, colours, etc) and rituals (initiation,
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Document Summary
Levi 998: definitional problems include determining thresholds for the following, problematic and contested term, usually associated with serious crime s, a group of people who act together one a long-term basis to commit crimes for gain . Gangs in history: long history of gangs in aus, linked to rapid urban growth in sydney and melbourne. Social disorganisation theory: gangs became affiliated with particular areas - territoriality. Only operate in specific places: membership is often necessary to ensure safety from other gangs, linked to stain theory: gangs offered an alternative route to values goal (respect, belonging, wealth, etc) Gangs use over symbols (tattoos, insignias, colours, etc) and rituals (initiation, excommunication, etc) for a range of purposes: expressing exclusive gang identity, demonstrating individual commitment to the hang, personal "achievement" and life event s, marking territory. Biker gangs: aus has world"s largest per capita membership of biker gangs, they provide an alternative identity and values system based on:
