organized crime is a wide-ranging
phenomenon that can have a serious
effect on every aspect of life hi I’m
Rebecca Brayton and welcome to
watchmojo.com and today we’re speaking
with criminologist Stephen Schneider to
learn more about this type of crime as
well as how it has evolved now you’re a
criminologist what does that entail
exactly
well criminology is obviously the study
of crime our particular focus is on
trying to identify the root causes of
crime so what is it that causes crime in
society so what can we place under the
label of organized crime one thing we’ve
seen in the last 30 years or so is a
real proliferation of what constitutes
organized criminal activities they have
their hands in everything of course drug
trafficking gambling fraud extortion
telemarketing fraud currency
counterfeiting they’re heavily involved
in product counterfeiting counterfeiting
of DVDs and video games organized crime
is incredibly opportunistic and so they
will do anything to make a dollar and
does that include gangs as well from a
conceptual point of view there’s always
been a differentiation between street
gangs youth gangs and organized crime
that line is becoming increasingly
blurred because there are some sixth
street gangs that are quite
sophisticated and are involved in drug
trafficking prostitution and the fact
now is that major criminal groups now
use youth gangs as a means to commit
crimes they take advantage of a more
lenient sentencing for young offenders
without a doubt organized crime and
gangs now are intricately intertwined
and how would you say that organized
crime has evolved where it’s changed is
that it’s become more sophisticated more
powerful certainly more money they take
advantage of all the technology of today
the internet globalization
transportation so so in some cases it’s
the more things change the more they
stay the same and in some cases there
has been significant changes what
countries are successful in fighting
organized crime very few countries that
have had some success in fighting crime
in general are the Scandinavian
countries they identify risk factors
among youth and then they go in with
target programs to address those risk
factors any country that puts money into
programs and policies that address the
root causes of crime so poverty
alienation and poor education systems
lock
opportunities for youth those ones are
countries that generally are a little
more successful how does Canada’s
organized crime scene compared to others
around the world we are a major player
in global organized crime the United
Nations just recently came out with a
report that said we’re now major
producer and exporter of ecstasy and
crystal meth we’re also a major exporter
of high potency marijuana we’re at the
center globally for credit card fraud
product piracy telemarketing fraud
currency counterfeiting the Hells Angels
have high concentrations country so to
Chinese triads and other Chinese
criminal groups the Montreal mafia was
the most powerful mafia group in the
last ten years
now you mentioned the Hells Angels can
you tell us more about them the Hells
Angels began in California back in the
late 40s and they basically started as
sort of a very nomadic type of group of
individuals who wanted to recreate the
excitement of war there was in the 60s
when they started realizing that they
make a lot of money selling drugs to the
hippies and providing muscle at rock
concerts it was Sonny Barger who was a
ex-marine who certainly came to de facto
head of the Hells Angels and really
applied organizational principles to it
and turn it into a criminal organization
they’re a bit of a decline now because
there’s been a law enforcement but
they’re exceptionally resilient and
he’ll be around for a while
phenomenon that can have a serious
effect on every aspect of life hi I’m
Rebecca Brayton and welcome to
watchmojo.com and today we’re speaking
with criminologist Stephen Schneider to
learn more about this type of crime as
well as how it has evolved now you’re a
criminologist what does that entail
exactly
well criminology is obviously the study
of crime our particular focus is on
trying to identify the root causes of
crime so what is it that causes crime in
society so what can we place under the
label of organized crime one thing we’ve
seen in the last 30 years or so is a
real proliferation of what constitutes
organized criminal activities they have
their hands in everything of course drug
trafficking gambling fraud extortion
telemarketing fraud currency
counterfeiting they’re heavily involved
in product counterfeiting counterfeiting
of DVDs and video games organized crime
is incredibly opportunistic and so they
will do anything to make a dollar and
does that include gangs as well from a
conceptual point of view there’s always
been a differentiation between street
gangs youth gangs and organized crime
that line is becoming increasingly
blurred because there are some sixth
street gangs that are quite
sophisticated and are involved in drug
trafficking prostitution and the fact
now is that major criminal groups now
use youth gangs as a means to commit
crimes they take advantage of a more
lenient sentencing for young offenders
without a doubt organized crime and
gangs now are intricately intertwined
and how would you say that organized
crime has evolved where it’s changed is
that it’s become more sophisticated more
powerful certainly more money they take
advantage of all the technology of today
the internet globalization
transportation so so in some cases it’s
the more things change the more they
stay the same and in some cases there
has been significant changes what
countries are successful in fighting
organized crime very few countries that
have had some success in fighting crime
in general are the Scandinavian
countries they identify risk factors
among youth and then they go in with
target programs to address those risk
factors any country that puts money into
programs and policies that address the
root causes of crime so poverty
alienation and poor education systems
lock
opportunities for youth those ones are
countries that generally are a little
more successful how does Canada’s
organized crime scene compared to others
around the world we are a major player
in global organized crime the United
Nations just recently came out with a
report that said we’re now major
producer and exporter of ecstasy and
crystal meth we’re also a major exporter
of high potency marijuana we’re at the
center globally for credit card fraud
product piracy telemarketing fraud
currency counterfeiting the Hells Angels
have high concentrations country so to
Chinese triads and other Chinese
criminal groups the Montreal mafia was
the most powerful mafia group in the
last ten years
now you mentioned the Hells Angels can
you tell us more about them the Hells
Angels began in California back in the
late 40s and they basically started as
sort of a very nomadic type of group of
individuals who wanted to recreate the
excitement of war there was in the 60s
when they started realizing that they
make a lot of money selling drugs to the
hippies and providing muscle at rock
concerts it was Sonny Barger who was a
ex-marine who certainly came to de facto
head of the Hells Angels and really
applied organizational principles to it
and turn it into a criminal organization
they’re a bit of a decline now because
there’s been a law enforcement but
they’re exceptionally resilient and
he’ll be around for a while
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