Organized Crime, Law, and Politics

Catalog description

This course will address laws, politics, and policies related to organized crime issues. PL SC 178 Organized Crime, Law, and Politics (3) This course addresses the role and impact of organized crime in US laws, politics, and policies over the past century, with particular attention to modern organized crime groups. The course will look at how organized crime syndicates influenced and often cooperated with some political leaders and law enforcement agencies in the twentieth century, while other political leaders became famous for prosecutions of organized crime figures. Modern legal tools in the fight against organized crime will be discussed, such as RICO and witness protection programs. And the course will look at many examples of modern organized crime groups that originated in Europe, Asia, or Latin America, but which now have an impact on US society, and the policies that attempt to limit the influence of modern organized crime. Included in the examination of modern organized crime will be the connection to modern terrorist activities.