Geography and Crime

Dr Tim Hall(thall@glos.ac.uk)

Department of Natural and Social

Sciences

University of Gloucestershire

Key Points

Deviance and crime are enduring geographical concernsGeographers engagement with crime has been partial / limitedCrime is a significant aspect of contemporary globalisation worthy of geographical attentionTimely to broaden geographers’ engagement with crime through a dialogue with criminology

Deviance and crime: enduring geographical concerns

University of Chicago Department of Sociology (1913)Robert Park / Ernest BurgessCrime, deviance, gangs, urban pathologies, ethnicity, poverty.The criminogenic city

Deviance and crime: enduring geographical concerns

Postmodern urbanism: the carceral / paranoid / fortress cityThe Los Angeles School:

Mike DavisEd SojaMichael Dear

Geographies of Crime

1970s mapping the location of offences – situational crime prevention (designing out crime)Geographical information systemsLocation of offenders residences – neighbourhood effects / criminogenic communities1980s / 1990s: fear of crime

Failure to recognise presence of illicit actors in many processes studied by geographers:

Globalisation (organised criminal groups)

Environmental degradation (illegal logging)

Urban development in developing countries (organised criminal groups)

Mineral exploitation financing conflicts / civil war (DRC – transnational mafias, warlords, militias)

ARE YOU CONNECTED?

Coltan

Democratic Republic of Congo

Civil war 1998 Approx. 7 million killedLargest conflict since World War II

95% of world’s coltan mined in DRC

Question 1According to the journalist Misha Glenny in his book McMafia what proportion of global economic activity is accounted for by organised crime?

A) 5 %B) 15 %C) 1 %D) 45 %

Organised crime = 15% of global gross domestic product – (Misha Glenny, (2008) McMafia: Crime without Frontiers)

Drug trafficking estimated - 8 % of world trade

Money laundering estimated 2 – 5 % of global GDP. Some estimates 10 %

Estimates: 4 – 5 million people trafficked each year = profits of up to US$9.5 billion

Question 2

What countries are the following three organised crime syndicates associated with? The Triads; the Camorra; the Yakuza.

A) Russia, Colombia and ChinaB) Angola, Mexico and the UKC) China, Italy and JapanD) USA, Jamaica and Italy

The nature of criminal organisations

Characteristics of organised crime:Continuing organised structureProfit through crimeUse of force or threatCorruption to maintain immunityPublic demand for servicesMonopoly over particular marketsRestricted membership

Images of organised crime

Images of organised crime

“The film of Gomorrah is savage, squalid, claustrophobic and relentless. The action is authentic, in gratifying contrast to the grotesque romance of films like The Godfather.” (Vulliamy, 2008: 10)

Activities of criminal organisations

Trafficking drugs (narcotics),weapons people (illegal immigrants, women and children), pharmaceuticals, nuclear materials, other: body parts, metals, precious stones / natural resources, stolen cars, art, antiques, rare animals and counterfeit goods

Activities of criminal organisations

Provision and control of illicit services, most notably, gambling and prostitution

Cybercrime, robbery, kidnapping, extortion, corruption, piracy

Crimes against the environment

Money laundering

Terrorism

The nature of criminal organisations

Different structures for different activities

Robbery – small tightly knit groupSmuggling – network with cellular structureTrafficking -big organisation / armed militias

(from Serious Organised Crime Agency 2006)

Question 3

Look at the map of the global criminal economy (next slide). What are the main patterns that you can observe from this? You will have four choices.

Organised crime in the global economy (Van Dijk, 2007)

Question 3

A) Organised crime is distributed evenly around the world

B) Organised crime is only found in the less developed world

C) Organised crime is found mainly in Russia and Italy

D) Organised crime is distributed unevenly around the world

Organised crime in the global economy

‘Mobbed up’ regionsWeak rule of law (i.e. failed and transitional states)Distrust of the state (i.e. Italy, Mexico)Inaccessible terrain (i.e. Peru)CorruptionEasy access to weaponsTechnological advancesTransnational networks

‘Mobbed up’ regions

Afghanistan - heroin production = 50% GNP serious impacts on sovereignty and democracy (Aas, 2007: 125);

‘Mobbed up’ regions

Colombia: (1999) US$3.5 billion from cocaine exports = oil exports; more than twice as much as coffee exports (Bagley, 2005: 38)

‘Mobbed up’ regions

British Columbia (Canada): Cannabis production 5 % GNP; employment for 100 000 = twice as many as logging, mining, oil and gas production (Glenny, 2008b; 2008c)

Crime and the process of globalisation

Globalisation and liberalisation of the world economy facilitated organised crime

Deregulation of world banking system - money launderingTechnology – cybercrime / money launderingIncreased border security – people traffickingCreation of spaces for illicit activities (offshore financial centres)Growing global inequalities

Question 4

What are the names of Springfield Mafia boss ‘Fat Tony’s’ henchmen in The Simpsons?

A) Spider, Little Tony and El Barto

B) Snake, Lenny, Lou and GilC) Legs, Louie, Icepick, and Johnny

Tightlips

D) Diamond Joe, Carl, and Snowflake

Scores = Italian Mafia Ranks

4 correct = Godfather or boss of bosses3 correct = Capo Bastone or Underboss: 2nd in command 2 correct = Caporegime or Lieutenant 1 correct = Piciotto: Lower-ranking soldiers; enforcers 0 correct = A life of crime is not for you