Perception of Organized Crime Essay Example for Free

Perception of Organized Crime Essay Organized crime has been defined as illegal acts committed by a criminal organization or group. The NCIS (2005) described organized crime as having 4 salient attributes: (1) organized crime group contains at least three people; (2) the criminal activity the group engages in is ongoing and indefinite in duration; (3) the group is motivated by a desire for profit or power; and, (4) the group commits serious criminal offenses (Lynman Potter, 2007). There are different categories of organized criminal behavior. They include the provision of illicit services, provision of illicit goods, conspiracy to commit crime, penetration of legitimate business, extortion, and corruption. Illicit services are services that legitimate business do not provide. These services include but are not limited to gambling that is illegal, protection rackets, loan sharking, and prostitution. Illicit goods are also not available not available from legitimate businesses. Illegal drugs such as marijuana, cocaine, and heroin are examples of illicit goods. Unregistered guns and stolen property are also examples of illicit goods. Conspiracy is an agreement between two or more people to violate the law. Conspiracy is a vital category of organized criminal behavior. Organized crime members often work together for the purpose of making money. They work together to sell drugs, stolen property, loan sharking, gambling, prostitution and other illegal activities they have going on within their organization. Organized crime organizations have no legal way to spend their profits so they must hide their revenue. They do this by penetrating legal businesses. Many of these crime organizations have businesses such as construction and contractors. Extortion is another category of organized crime. Many organized crime organizations use extortion to infiltrate legitimate businesses. Extortion is the use or threatened use of violence or force to achieve a criminal end (Lynman Potter, 2007). Corruption is also a category of organized crime. Many of these organized crime groups could not  flourish if it wasnt for for the aid of pubic and private figures such as police officers, judges, prosecutors, mayors, bankers, attorneys, and elected and appointed officials. Organized crime groups have different hierarchies. There is the standard hierarchy in which there is a single organized crime group which is led by a single powerful individual. These organizations have clearly defined roles, a readily identified chain of command, and a hierarchy that is designed to provide a strong system of internal discipline. Then there is the regional hierarchy. These hierarchies are tightly controlled groups with strong systems of internal discipline and clearly defined roles and lines of authority. Next theres the clustered hierarchy. This is an organized crime group that involves a number of smaller organized crime groups that coordinate their activities and enterprises. There is also a core group. This is an unstructured group of organized criminal surrounded by a larger network of individuals engaged in serious criminal activity. Finally, theres the criminal network. Criminal networks are loosely organized, highly adaptable, very fluid of networks of individual participants who organize themselves around ongoing criminal enterprise (Lynman Potter, 2007). The perception I had of organized crime is different from what I read in week one. Before this week, I always associated the Mob or the Mafia with organized crime. I think this comes from the movies and television shows that I have watched. I described organized crime as a group of people working for a â€Å"boss† to break the law. I thought that there was one head and people reported to him. I did not know that there were different categories of organized crime. I always associated drug trafficking and murder for hire as organized crimes. The readings have helped me to understand what organized crime really is and who is or can be involved. Before now, I would have never associated corruption or extortion with organized crime. I ultimately believed that this was something that was made up for movies and TV shows such as The Godfather, Scarface, The Sopranos, and The Wire. Before watching The Wire, I only associated Italians with organized crime. The characteristics I believe are associated  with organized criminal behavior varies. First, all members of the organization are expected to live by a certain set of rules or a code. They should protect the organization and do what is asked of them by the leaders. I thought the characteristics of organized criminal behavior were similar to that of a gang. The people involved in organized crime may not wear a certain color or live in a certain area but they have the same goal in mind. Protect the group by any means necessary. They have to be loyal to the group, do what they are told by someone else, and do what it takes to make money or a profit for the group. After this first week of class my views on organized crime has changed drastically. I now have a better understanding of what organized crime is and a more knowledge on organized criminal groups. I can let go of all of the stereotypes I may have had and now understand that organized criminal organizations have one goal in mind, make a profit for the organization no matter if it is financial or political. References Lyman, M., Potter, G. (2007). Understanding Organized Crime. Organized Crime (Fourth ed., pp. 1-38). New York: Pearson Education.

Quit Smoking Essay -- Argumentative Persuasive Example Essays

YOU CAN QUIT SMOKING Dr.Sayeed Akhtar Chief Medical Officer. Central Institute of Psychiatry. Ranchi Cigarettes are full of poison. Tobacco smoke contains over 4,000 chemicals as well as tar and nicotine, There is also the gas carbon monoxide, ammonia and arsenic. At least 43 of the chemicals in tobacco smoke are known to cause cancers of the lung, throat, mouth, bladder and kidney. Tobacco smoke also contributes to a number of other cancers. Nnicotine is the addictive drug in tobacco, and the mixture of nicotine and carbon mono oxide in each cigarette you smoke temporarily increases your heart rate and blood pressure, straining your heart and blood vessels. This can cause heart attack and stroke. It slows your blood flow cutting off oxygen to your feet and hands. Some smokers end up having their limbs amputated. Tar coasts your lung like soot in chimney and causes cancer. A 20 a day smoker breathes in up to a full cup (210 g) of tar in a year changing to low tar cigarettes doesn’t help because smoker usually take deeper puffs and hold the smoke in for longer, dragging the tar deeper in their lungs. Carbon mono oxide robs your muscles, brain, and body tissue of oxygen, making your whole body specially your heart work harder, over time; your airways swell up and less air into your lungs. There is enough reason why you should quit smoking. It causes disease like Emphysema (rots lungs, vulnerable to get repeated bronchitis and heart and lung failure), Lung canc...

Rise of Stalin

Essay Topic: â€Å"People can be swept along by events, whilst others use events to their advantage† How accurate is this statement in relation to the rise of power of either Joseph Stalin or Benito Mussolini? Joseph Stalin’s rise to power in relation to the statement â€Å"People can be swept along by events, whilst others use events to their advantage† is that of the latter when taking a look at how he was able to rise to the position of dictator of the Soviet Union.Stalin meticulously plotted his way into power using influential events, such as the occurrence of his promotion to General Secretary in which he displayed political skills to manipulate political situations, and also the influential post of liaising between Lenin and the Politburo with great success. Though his ascent to the leadership of the Soviet Union was neither easy nor inevitable, Stalin’s success was not an accident. He had tactics in place to gain the position, and Lenin’s de ath was the most major of all events that Stalin used to his advantage to take power.Relative to the statement, Stalin climbed the political ranks by being a loyal supporter and member to the Bolshevik party. Stalin, born in Georgia, and educated at Tiflis Theological College until he was expelled in 1899 for his revolutionary ideas, had joined Lenin's party as early as 1903 and thus was one of the Old Guard among Bolsheviks. To begin with, Stalin was one of Lenin’s favourites, and in 1912, Lenin, appointed him to serve on the first Central Committee of the Bolshevik Party. SparkNotes, 27/2/13) Stalin worked his way up the political ranks of the communist Bolshevik Party, gaining respect for doing many of the dirty jobs that no-one else wanted such as robbing banks to fund the Bolshevik Party . Between 1917 and 1922, Lenin gave Stalin three key jobs, People’s Commissar for Nationalities, Head of Workers’ and Peasants’ Inspectorate, and Liaison Officer whi ch gave him a position of some importance amongst the party. However, in 1922, what can now be described as his most influential appointment to occur, Stalin was chosen to be General Secretary of the Communist Party. JohndClare, 27/2/13) His appointment to General Secretary was the most important occurrence in the buildup to Stalin’s battle for power as was the view of British Marxist Historian Edward Carr, who believed the rise of Stalin was due to the Party and the post as General Secretary. At the time this event appeared insignificant, most members in the party saw the job as quite dull and unimportant, but Stalin used it to his advantage with great success. (JohndClare, 1/3/13) The position gave him benefits which allowed him to influence the direction of the Communist Party.The General Secretary position gave Stalin the power to expel or appoint people to posts, and control membership, therefore allowing Stalin to surround himself in the party with his supporters and re move those loyal to his enemies. He had accumulated enormous power into his hands. However, by 1923 Lenin’s thoughts had differed, he had become worried about Stalin, describing him as too brutal and self-serving â€Å"†¦ I am not sure that he will always know how to use that power with sufficient caution. † Fortunately for Stalin, he remained General Secretary until and beyond Lenin’s death.Without the post, Stalin would have found it near impossible to gain enough supporters and authority in order to rise to the heights of power. (Reed, 1967) Stalin was an opportunist, and the deterioration and then death of Lenin surfaced the important question as to who would succeed him. When Lenin died, it created a confused and uncertain atmosphere to the party, however, Stalin was ready. Not only had Stalin claimed to be the true heir of the master’s legacy at Lenin’s funeral, but he also used Lenin’s death to emulate the glow of Lenin’s achievements by skilfully manipulating the dead leader’s legacy for his own ends. Suite101, 4/3/13) This event provided the chance for Stalin to ride on the movement of popular enthusiasm for Lenin and his accomplishments. Though, despite having an accomplished political position, and having effectively executed his tactics of surrounding himself with his supporters, Stalin’s quest for power was hampered by the revelation in Lenin’s Testament â€Å"I suggest the comrades think about a way of removing Stalin from that post and appointing another man. † Through this revelation, Lenin’s death was the time for Stalin to put his plans into practice.Succession of Lenin would be achieved at the defeat of his insufficient political rivals. He would do this by out-manoeuvring them through political brilliance and ruthlessness. Everybody expected Trotsky the incredible leader of the Red Army would take over the leadership. (Reed, 1967) Stalin and Trotsky wer e therefore in competition for leadership as Trotsky was his main challenge. Their rivalry moved from relatively minor antagonisms and jealousies to bitter competition for the role of Lenin's successor. (Pereira, 1992) Stalin furthermore used his additional jobs such as networking between Lenin and the Politburo when Lenin was ill.This meant that he controlled access to Lenin, and in doing so was able to send Trotsky the wrong date for Lenin’s funeral. Trotsky’s noted absence from Lenin’s funeral resulted in him being depicted as an arrogant character, and consequently Trotsky’s colleagues overlooked his excellent leadership for his big-headed attitude. Stalin therefore formed an alliance with left wing Zinoviev and Kamenev to cover up Lenin’s testament and get Trotsky dismissed in 1925. He then jumped ships to rightist side and encouraged ‘Socialism in one country’ as opposed to ‘World Socialism’ which resulted in the dis missal of Zinoviev and Kamenev.Lastly, he used the General Secretary position to argue that the New Economic Policy was against communism, leading to the dismissal of the right wing Bukharin, Rykov and Tomsky. (JohndClare, 5/3/13) Stalin’s political cleverness was the difference between him and his rivals as viewed by historian Chris Ward, â€Å"Trotsky and Bukharin might win the argument, but Stalin invariably won the vote†. Stalin had longed to be a hero and leader, (Reed, 1967) so he used everything he had to his greatest advantage â€Å"He’s not an intellectual like the other people you will meet †¦ but he knows what he wants.He’s got willpower, and he’s going to be on top of the pile someday† as viewed in Author John Reed’s seemingly accurate prediction on the outcome of Stalin. (Reed, 1919, 96) Stalin gained office after office, as he climbed the political ladder, though not until 1929 had he consolidated his position as he ad of the Communist Party. His ambition and highly calculated approach was a major factor to securing power. Though most importantly, his ascent to leadership was based on the various positions he held in the party and his ability to use them as an edge over his opponents with great skill at the death of his predecessor.His desire to become leader of the Soviet Union was developed by his appointment to General Secretary. However, the death of Lenin opened the door for opportunity. Stalin was an opportunist. He was able to rise to the power how he did because he recognised the importance of each event as they came, and used them to his own advantage. Bibliography: Internet * Stalin Takes Power, accessed 28. 2. 13 http://www. johndclare. net/Russ9. htm * Brett Reed,  European History, 1967, accessed 28. 2. 13 http://www. johndclare. net/Russ_Rev_Brett. htm Infoplease, The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, Copyright  © 2011, Columbia University Press, http://www. infoplease. com/en cyclopedia/people/stalin-joseph-vissarionovich-rise-to-power. html * SparkNotes Editors. â€Å"SparkNote on Joseph Stalin. † 2005. http://www. sparknotes. com/biography/stalin/ accessed February 27. 2. 13 * Moreorless, Joseph Stalin, Last modified 21 January 2013, accessed 4. 3. 13 http://www. moreorless. au. com/killers/stalin. html * Alan Kinghorn, Suite101, January 30 2011, accessed 4. 3. 13 http://suite101. om/article/stalin-and-the-battle-to-succeed-lenin-a340177 * Norman Pereira, HistoryToday, Stalin and the communist Party in the 1920s, Published 1992, Viewed 9. 3. 13, http://www. historytoday. com/norman-pereira/stalin-and-communist-party-1920s Books * Josh Brooman, 1994, Russia and the USSR: Empire of Revolution, Longman Group Limited, Essex * John Reed, 1919, Ten Days that shook the World, 1919, Boni & Liveright, New York * Dean Smart, 1998, Russia under Lenin and Stalin, Stanley Thornes, Ellenborough * Steve Phillips, 2000, Lenin and the Russian Revolution, Heinema nn

Euthanasia Is The Most Active - 1548 Words

Euthanasia is the practice of intentionally ending a life in order to relieve pain and suffering. There are different euthanasia laws in each country. The British House of Lords Select Committee on Medical Ethics defines euthanasia as a deliberate intervention undertaken with the express intention of ending a life, to relieve intractable suffering. In the Netherlands and Flanders, euthanasia is understood as termination of life by a doctor at the request of a patient. Euthanasia is categorized in different ways, which include voluntary, non-voluntary, or involuntary. Voluntary euthanasia is legal in some countries. Non-voluntary euthanasia is illegal in all countries. Involuntary euthanasia is usually considered murder. As of 2006, euthanasia is the most active area of research in contemporary bioethics. In some countries there is a divisive public controversy over the moral, ethical, and legal issues of euthanasia. Those who are against euthanasia may argue for the sanctity of life, while proponents of euthanasia rights emphasize alleviating suffering, and preserving bodily integrity, self-determination, and personal autonomy. Jurisdictions where euthanasia is legal include the Netherlands, Colombia, Belgium and Luxembourg. Definition Like other terms borrowed from history, euthanasia has had different meanings depending on usage. The first apparent usage of the term euthanasia belongs to the historian Suetonius, who described how the Emperor Augustus, dyingShow MoreRelatedThe Moral Permissibility of Legalizing Active Euthanasia Essay1442 Words   |  6 PagesPermissibility of Legalizing Active Euthanasia To date, in the united States of America, active euthanasia has been seen as unacceptable in legal terms. However, the issue is not so clear in moral terms among the public, and especially among the medical community. In fact, nearly half of the doctors in the United States say that they would prescribe active euthanasia under certain circumstances. The law that prohibits active euthanasia restricts many people fromRead MoreThe Debate Concerning The Morality Of Euthanasia915 Words   |  4 PagesAmericans , arguably more than any other nationality, have a right to their opinion and there exists few subjects that generate more opinions than does euthanasia. The debate concerning the morality of euthanasia parsimoniously rests on the moral assessment of whether or not the physician intentionally kills or intentionally let die the patient. An assumption has been perpetuated that there is a line of demarcation between intending to let die and intending to kill. This pseudo-practical barrierRead MoreEuthanasi A Controversial Issue1273 Words   |  6 PagesActive euthanasia is a complicated and contentious issue. 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One that caught my attention specifically was euthanasia or the â€Å"right to die† as some call it. There are many types of Euthanasia, including active and passive. In class we debated the difference between the two and why passive euthanasia is legal and active is not. Active euthanasia is defined as â€Å"a person directly and deliberately causing the patient s death.† (Forms of euthanasia) PassiveRead MoreEuthanasia Is Not An Acceptable Form Of Euthanasia1556 Words   |  7 Pageskilling of patients by physicians, whether called â€Å"active euthanasia† or simply â€Å"euthanasia,† is a topic of long-standing controversy† (Mappes, Zembaty, and DeGrazia 59). â€Å"Although active euthanasia is presently illegal in all fifty states and the District of Columbia, proposals for its legalization have been recurrently advanced. Most commonly, these proposals cal l for the legalization of active euthanasia. There are some who consider active euthanasia in any form intrinsically immoral and, for thisRead MoreThe Dilemma Of Euthanasi Whose Life Is It?1165 Words   |  5 PagesThe Dilemma of Euthanasia The Dilemma of Euthanasia: Whose Life Is It? Andrea R Burroughs Ethics for the Health Care Professionals Dr. Ferhat Zengul November 8, 2014 Abstract The practice of euthanasia is one of the most debatable topics in many countries today. It’s been a pertinent issue in human rights because it affects both legal and ethical issues. This paper will include an overview and clarification of the euthanasia issue. It will also include legal and ethical debates thatRead MoreThe Morality Of Euthanasia And Euthanasia1350 Words   |  6 PagesThe morality of euthanasia continues to be a controversial topic. Its subject matter, death, is shrouded in emotional feelings that often obscure the logical appraisal of the subject. For opponents of euthanasia, passive and active euthanasia are seen as distinct and subject to different morality rulings. According to Vaughn â€Å"Active euthanasia is said to involve performing an action that directly causes someone to die†¦ Passive euthanasia is allowing someone to die by not doing something that wouldRead MoreEuthanasi Active And Passive Euthanasia1562 Words   |  7 PagesEuthanasia, a lso known as voluntary or assisted suicide, is used for terminally ill patients to end their lives instead of undergoing painful treatments and torment of waiting for death. There are, however, two different ways in which A can bring about B’s death. In this essay I will present the distinction between active and passive euthanasia as explained by James Rachels in his article called â€Å"Active and Passive Euthanasia†. I will also debate whether euthanasia is justified or not by presenting