Journal of Contemporary Criminal Justice current issue

The Transnational Traffic in Human Body Parts

Geis, G., Brown, G. C. — 2008-07-07

Organized criminal syndicates, notable for their adaptability to opportunities offered by changing social and market conditions, have become involved in the transnational trade in human organs. The complexity of such operations, however, has to date restricted organized crime groups to a limited segment of the worldwide trafficking in human body parts. This article offers evidence indicating that the fear of the theft of body parts plays a prominent part in communities where poverty and victimization are widespread. The horror of involuntary bodily mutilation feeds into scripts that tend to exaggerate organized crime's role in such activities.

Transnational Crimes Against Culture: Looting at Archaeological Sites and the "Grey" Market in Antiquities

Bowman, B. A. — 2008-07-07

Diversified transnational criminal activities coupled with broader geographic capabilities have turned the black and white line between the licit "upperworld" and the illicit underworld a murky shade of grey, and the illicit antiquities trade is no exception. This article highlights criminal dynamics of trafficking in looted antiquities from the perspective of the source end of the problem—that is, theft of antiquities from archaeological sites and their illicit export. Trafficking in antiquities is a crime of transnational proportions because it involves the illegal removal and export of cultural material from source countries, which supplies the demand generated from developed, rich, market economies.

Time Crime: The Transnational Organization of Art and Antiquities Theft

Lane, D. C., Bromley, D. G., Hicks, R. D., Mahoney, J. S. — 2008-07-07

The looting of art and antiquities is an ancient practice. However, recent decades have witnessed such a dramatic increase in the magnitude and impact of "time crime" that it is now one of the larger transnational markets in illegal goods. The authors argue that this market can be understood as consisting of three elements: a supply component, primarily in impoverished nations; a demand component, primarily in wealthy Western nations; and a social control component, which permits transfer of goods from the illicit to the licit economy. Changes in each of these three components are responsible for the exponential increase in the size and scope of the market. The authors examine those changes and the roles through which the three components of the market are organized.

Risk Assessment in Organized Crime: Developing a Market and Product-Based Model to Determine Threat Levels

Albanese, J. S. — 2008-07-07

The risk posed by organized crime is a central concern of governments around the world. The infiltration and control of legal and illegal markets and products is a major concern in nearly every country. New agencies and initiatives are under way in the United Kingdom, Canada, New Zealand, Belgium, and elsewhere, with the specific purpose to better predict and detect organized crime activity. This article proposes a model to assess the risk of organized crime. It employs a different unit of analysis from most current models, focusing on illicit markets rather than groups, and it offers a practical alternative for determining the presence of organized crime in areas that may or may not have a history of organized crime involvement.

Reducing the Illicit Trade in Endangered Wildlife: The Market Reduction Approach

Schneider, J. L. — 2008-07-07

The market reduction approach is a crime reduction strategy that aims to reduce and disrupt stolen goods markets, in addition to reducing theft levels by making it more risky for thieves to sell stolen property. Initially, the concept has shown promise in England with regard to reducing traditional forms of property-related crime as well as disrupting certain types of stolen goods markets. Additionally, strides have been made using property as a unit of analysis rather than traditional foci of attention when examining crime patterns and designing tactical responses. In line with the 2005 United Nations program of work on transnational and organized crime, this article uses the specific example of the illegal trade of endangered flora and fauna to explore how the market reduction approach can be expanded beyond its current use into the realm of nontraditional types of property crime.

Human Trafficking in the Heartland: Variation in Law Enforcement Awareness and Response

Wilson, J. M., Dalton, E. — 2008-07-07

This analysis explores the extent and characteristics of human trafficking in Columbus and Toledo, Ohio, including the response to the problem by law enforcement agencies. Through a content analysis of newspaper accounts and interviews with criminal justice officials and social service providers in each city, the authors identified 10 cases of juvenile sex trafficking and forced prostitution in Toledo and 5 cases of trafficking for the forced labor of noncitizens in Columbus. The offenders and victims involved in the sex trafficking cases were largely from the local area, whereas those involved in the labor trafficking cases primarily involved foreign nationals, thereby illustrating at least one role the heartland plays in transnational crime. The authors compare the different responses to human trafficking in the two cities and suggest how to raise awareness about human trafficking and improve the responses of law enforcement agencies to the problem.

The Lenient Social and Legal Response to Trafficking in Women: An Empirical Analysis of Public Perceptions in Israel

Herzog, S. — 2008-07-07

Trafficking in women for prostitution remains a modern form of slavery. Paradoxically, governments and legal systems tend to target the victims (trafficked women) instead of the criminal traffickers. The present study attempted to investigate the roots of such a lenient social response. Following a consensus perspective, it was first hypothesized that this offense was considered by the public to be a relatively nonserious offense because it involved prostitutes, and second, as in other cases of male violence against women, it was hypothesized that the public views toward this offense were affected by traditional gender-role attitudes toward women. To this end, respondents from a national sample were asked to evaluate hypothetical short crime scenarios representing cases of trafficking in women and other offenses. The findings indicate that the public perceives such criminal acts as serious, both for egalitarian and traditional respondents. This finding challenges the consensual basis of the lenient approach toward traffickers in women. The implications of the findings are discussed.