The Politics of Criminal Organizations Essay - 1110 Words

Criminal organizations penetrate democratic mechanisms and their systems of representation. Votes are extorted with threats and violence or Wheedled out of citizens in exchange for different kinds of incentives. Political Parties rely heavily on external funding. This dependence inevitably makes them susceptible to corruption (Allum and Siebert 2003). Accordingly, It is common to secure a number of votes in exchange for favors, Such as contracts for public works, promoting and scuttling legislation, Patronage, etc. (ibid.) â€Å"All the ‘regional commission’ of the Mafia has to Do is to instruct which party to vote for, and tens of thousands of votes Will flood in for that party† (Procura della Reppublica di Palermo 1994 in Allum and Seibert†¦show more content†¦328). In 2006, Only 9 out of the 92 councils in the region were judged ‘clean’, i.e. Without requiring investigation, Prefect’s control or monitoring. Therefore, 90% of council s required investigation (Allum forthcoming Marasca, 2006, p. 12). In its most advanced form, organized crime is so thoroughly integrated into the economic, political, and social institutions of legitimate society that it may no longer be recognizable as a criminal enterprise. In the Most extreme cases, infiltration of politics by organized crime may lead to mixing among a country’s political and criminal elites to the point Where OCG are able to wield political power. Van Dijk points out that in many parts of the world, grand corruption and organized crime are two Sides of the same coin. The relationship between organized crime and Politics can be seen as a ‘system interaction’: the interaction between a Representative of a criminal sub-system, i.e. a Mafioso, and a politician from the political sub-system. Godson (2006) also points out that â€Å"When political establishment knowingly and regularly does business with gang leaders, or when professional Criminals are actually elected to power, as has happened in Sicily and Taiwa n, the distinction (between the political establishments and the criminal underworld) is less straightforward.Show MoreRelatedConflict Analysis : Mexico And Central America1687 Words   |  7 Pagesobjective is to establish a mechanism of cooperation between the United States, Mexico and Central America, with the goal of reducing drug trafficking, stopping trans-national crime organizations† (Arteaga B, 2009). In other words, the intention of the Merida Initiative was to take action against criminal organizations. Merida provided Mexico with equipment and technology for the Mexican military and law enforcement. 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