What organized crime is and how it can be prevented are two of the key questions in both organized crime research and criminal policy. However, despite many attempts, organized crime research, the criminal justice system and criminal policy have failed to provide a shared and recognized conceptual definition of organized crime, which has opened the door to political interpretations. Organized crime is presented as an objective reality—mostly based on anecdotal empirical evidence and generic descriptions—and has been understood, as being intrinsically different from social organization, and this has been a justification for treating organized crime conceptually separately. In this dissertation, the concept of organized crime is deconstructed and analyzed. Based on five studies and an introductory chapter, I argue that organized crime is an overarching concept based on an abstraction of different underlying concepts, such as gang, mafia, and network, which are in turn semi-overarching and overlapping abstractions of different crime phenomena, such as syndicates, street-gangs, and drug networks. This combination of a generic concept based on underlying concepts, which are themselves subject to similar conceptual difficulties, has given rise to a conceptual confusion surrounding the term and the concept of organized crime. The consequences of this conceptual confusion are not only an issue of semantics, but have implications for our understanding of the nature of criminal collaboration as well as both legal and policy consequences. By combining different observers, methods and empirical materials relating to dimensions of criminal collaboration, I illustrate the strong analogies that exist between forms of criminal collaboration and the theory of social organization. I argue in this dissertation that criminal organizing is not intrinsically different from social organizing. In fact, the dissertation illustrates the existence of strong analogies between patterns of criminal organizing and the elements of social organizations. But depending on time and context, some actions and forms of organizing are defined as criminal, and are then, intentionally or unintentionally, presumed to be intrinsically different from social organizing. Since the basis of my argument is that criminal organizing is not intrinsically different from social organizing, I advocate that the study of organized crime needs to return to the basic principles of social organization in order to understand the emergence of, and the underlying mechanism that gives rise to, the forms of criminal collaboration that we seek to explain. To this end, a new general analytical framework, “criminal organizing”, that brings the different forms of criminal organizations and their dimensions together under a single analytical tool, is proposed as an example of how organizational sociology can advance organized crime research and clarify the chaotic concept of organized crime. / <p>At the time of the doctoral defense, the following paper was unpublished and had a status as follows: Paper 5: Manuscript.</p><p> </p>

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between self-esteem and gang activity involvement and family involvement and gang activity involvement among adolescent females. Using non-probability sampling, fifty African American ninth-grade students who were enrolled at an Atlanta Public School were selected. An original questionnaire was administered to examine the participants' level of self-esteem, family involvement, and gang activity involvement. Findings indicated that self-esteem and family involvement were not correlated with gang activity involvement. Implications for practice and future research are discussed.

This study explores the impact family separation had on both the child and the parent after reunification. Semi-Structured qualitative interviews were conducted. One participant was left behind by parents while they immigrated without proper documentation and eventually reunited with them. There was one mother who immigrated to reunite with her children. There were also four parent participants who left their children behind while immigrating into the United States. This study provides a glimpse of what an undocumented family reunification looks like

Thesis (Th. M.)--Dallas Theological Seminary, 2006. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves [54]-61).

Dong Gang are the biggest fresh tuna market in Taiwan. This thesis deals with the social networks in Dong Gang tuna market and how they affect the tuna market in Dong Gang. This thesis finds that although Dong Gang tuna market has public auctions, the transactions and exchange of information are highly shaped by social networks, especially in the Bluefin Tuna season that starts in April and end in June. Actors use social networks to avoid risk, control prices and maintain the quality of purchase. On the other hand, the status of actors, which is highly influenced by the licenses from the state, also has significant impacts. There are two kinds of license in Dong Gang tuna market; one for domestic market and one for export. Actors with higher status buying fish firs. This research recognizes that the market is embedded in social structure of economic sociology, and explains the dual meaning of the market: entity and concept. It also points out how local social networks shape deal of market. On the other hand, the price of Japanese tuna market influences Dong Gang tuna market; in other words, the Dong Gang tuna market is part of global tuna market leading by Japan, and the state uses license to control. That is, the Dong Gang fish market consists of local social networks, but also connects with state and global tuna market.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Notre Dame, 2009. / Thesis directed by Christian Smith for the Department of Sociology. "December 2009." Includes bibliographical references (leaves 316-326).

Thesis (M.A.)--Eastern Illinois University, 2009. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 109-123).

Thesis (M.S. in Defense Analysis)--Naval Postgraduate School, December 2009. / Thesis Advisor(s): Freeman, Michael. Second Reader: Rothstein, Hy. "December 2009." Description based on title screen as viewed on January 26, 2010. Author(s) subject terms: Salinas, violence, gangs, education, unemployment rate, economy, population, housing, police force, prison, rivalry, social service, community involvement, prevention, intervention. Includes bibliographical references (p. 81-87). Also available in print.

Dissertation (Ph.D.) -- Smith College School for Social Work, 1996. / A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy.

Thesis (Th. M.)--Dallas Theological Seminary, 2006. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves [54]-61).