Handbook of Organized Crime in the United States - by Ko Lin Chin & Robert J Kelly & Rufus Schatzberg (Hardcover)

About the Book

Internationally known authorities in criminal justice provide one of the most comprehensive and detailed surveys today of the diverse ethnic and racial groups in the criminal underworld and their grave threats to the very fabric of American society. This coherent overview describes Mafia, Chinese, African American, Russian, and other criminal activities in different cities currently with historical background, showing the pernicious effects that their illicit operations have had on the economic, social, political, and moral life of the nation. This one-volume reference also assesses law enforcement and crime control programs during the 20th century, defines key problems, analyzes recent trends, and reviews the basic research about organized crime through the years. Lengthy bibliographical data and a full index further enrich this landmark study. This sobering overview should be required reading for specialist and general audiences alike and for broad library use given the serious threat of organized crime to all Americans in the 1990s.

Book Synopsis

Internationally known authorities in criminal justice provide one of the most comprehensive and detailed surveys today of the diverse ethnic and racial groups in the criminal underworld and their grave threats to the very fabric of American society. This coherent overview describes Mafia, Chinese, African American, Russian, and other criminal activities in different cities currently with historical background, showing the pernicious effects that their illicit operations have had on the economic, social, political, and moral life of the nation. This one-volume reference also assesses law enforcement and crime control programs during the 20th century, defines key problems, analyzes recent trends, and reviews the basic research about organized crime through the years. Lengthy bibliographical data and a full index further enrich this landmark study. This sobering overview should be required reading for specialist and general audiences alike and for broad library use given the serious threat of organized crime to all Americans in the 1990s.

Review Quotes

?This handbook discusses the definitions and historical background of organized crime, theories and research, specific crime groups and their operations, and law enforcement strategies to counter organized crime. Both the excellent introduction and 21 chapters provide background and analysis for each subject. Particularly interesting are looks at crime among various U.S. ethnic groups (Russian, African American, Italian, Chinese) and discussion of law enforcement strategies. Included is an excellent bibliographical essay on the literature of this topic. This work is distinguished from the numerous other recent books on organized crime by its reexamination of the issues and assumptions in research on this topic and by the uniformly fine quality of all the pieces. While primarily a book for students and scholars, it will be of interest to the educated public as well.?-Library Journal

"This handbook discusses the definitions and historical background of organized crime, theories and research, specific crime groups and their operations, and law enforcement strategies to counter organized crime. Both the excellent introduction and 21 chapters provide background and analysis for each subject. Particularly interesting are looks at crime among various U.S. ethnic groups (Russian, African American, Italian, Chinese) and discussion of law enforcement strategies. Included is an excellent bibliographical essay on the literature of this topic. This work is distinguished from the numerous other recent books on organized crime by its reexamination of the issues and assumptions in research on this topic and by the uniformly fine quality of all the pieces. While primarily a book for students and scholars, it will be of interest to the educated public as well."-Library Journal

About the Author

ROBERT J. KELLY is Broeklundian Professor of Social Science at Brooklyn College and Professor of Criminal Justice at the Graduate School of the City University of New York. He has served as a consultant to federal, state, and municipal agencies. His previous works include Hate Crimes: American Law Enforcement and Legal Responses (1991), Organized Crime: A Global Perspective (1986), and numerous articles on organized crime, as well as research on Asian alien smuggling in Chinese communities.

KO-LIN CHIN, Professor at Rutgers University at Newark, New Jersey, was formerly with the New York City Criminal Justice Agency and is well known for his knowledge about Chinese organized crime./e He is the author of Chinese Subculture and Criminality: Non-Traditional Crime Groups in America (Greenwood Press, 1990).

RUFUS SCHATZBERG, a retired police officer, is an authority on African-American crime in New York City particularly. He is the author of Black Organized Crime in Harlem: 1920-1930 (1993). Mr. Schatzberg is past Vice-President of The International Association for the Study of Organized Crime.