NEW BOOKS ON ORGANIZED CRIME

Contemporary Issues in Organized Crime. Jay Albanese, ed. Monsey, NY: Criminal Justice Press, 1995, 224 pages. Provides case studies of casino gam- bling, mafia-associated women, rural crime networks, the use of RICO, East- ern European crime syndicates and the infiltration of legitimate businesses.

Drug Trafficking in the Americas. Bruce M. Bagley and William Walker, eds. New Brunswick, NJ: Transaction, 1994, 520 pages. A multi-disciplin- ary perspective on drug-trafficking, with case studies from Colombia, Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador, Mexico, Paraguay, Central America, and the Caribbean.

The Economics of Organised Crime. Gianluca Fiorentini and Sam Peltzman. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1995, 250 pages. This edited col- lection of 25 contributors, primarily Americans and Italians, uses new mate- rial on economic analysis of organized crime to illuminate its origins and activities.

East Side-West Side: Organizing Crime in New York 1930-1950. Alan A. Block. New Brunswick, NJ: Transaction, revised edition, 1995. A new in- troduction by the author is provided to this important work on the history of organized crime in New York.

African-American Organized Crime. Rufus Schatzberg and Robert J. Kelly. Harnden, CT: Garland Publishing Co., 1995, 275 pages. This social-histori- cal study examines the development of criminal groups and organizations in African-American conununities from the post-Civil War era to the present period. Included are sections on the underground economy, the growth of drugs, and a case study of three cities.

Russian Youth: Law, Deviance and the Pursuit of Freedom. James O. Finckenauer. New Brunswick, NJ: Transaction, 1995, 237 pages. The chap- ter entitled "Corruption, The Shadow Economy and Organized Crime: An Unsavory Context for Learning Legality" examines the pervasive and seri- ous nature of organized crime.

The Andean Connection. Rensselaer Lee III and Patrick Clawson. New York: St. Martin's Press, forthcoming in 1996. This book examines the struc- ture, evolution and dimensions of the cocaine industry in Colombia, Bo- livia, and Peru as well as the economic, social, and political consequences for these countries. The international dimensions of the drug trade, includ-

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ing the relationships among Colombia, Cuba, the Caribbean nations, Italy, and Russia are examined.

Mehrzweckwaffe rauschgift--Von Kampfgiften Verhordrogen und Wahrheitsseren (Multipurpose DrugsmChemical Weapons, Investigative Uses of Drugs, and Truth Serums). Berndt Georg Thamm, Verlag Deutsche Polizeiliteratur. Hilden/Rhld, 1994. Thamm, a leading journalist on orga- nized crime and drug issues, puts drug use in a historical perspective. Ana- lyzing their use in police investigations and intelligence work, this book is of interest to general readers as well as specialists.

Secondo Rapporto Sulle Priorita Nazionali : La criminalita organizzata (Second Report on the National Priority: Organized Crime). Fondazione Rosselli. Milano: Amoldo Mondadori, 1995. Noted sociologists, economists, and practitioners contributed to this book. Individual chapters focus on de- fining the problem in terms of its economic effects, impact on the justice system, and acts of violence. The section on institutional strategies assesses money laundering, drug wars, special police structures, and legal measures. An appendix documents recent trends and geographic variations in orga- nized crime activity.

Mafia: Industria della l~olenza. Scritti e documenti inediti sulla mafia daUe origini ai giorni nostri (Mafia: Industry of ~olence. Writings and Unedited Documents from Its Origins to Today). Paulo Pezzini. Scandicci: La Nuova Italia Editrice, 1995. This accessible collection provides documentation of the evolution of the Sicilian mafia from its early roots to the present day, detailing its evolution from a regional to a national problem. The most re- cent documents incorporate the testimony of pentiti (witnesses who have turned State's evidence), examining the links between mafia and politics, law enforcement and the judicial process. Thoughtful commentary accom- parties the original documents.

A Un Passo dall'Inferno Sentire Mafioso e Obbedienza criminale (One Step from Hell To be a Mafioso and Criminal Obedience). Franco Di Maria and Gioacchino Lavanco. Firenze: Giunti Gruppo Editoriale, 1995. This psy- chological analysis of the mafia and obedience to the criminal organization addresses the formation of the personality to accept mafia norms by exam- ining family dynamics and conformity to the social and hierarchical organi- zation of the mafia group. The authoritarian educational system of the south is seen as contributing to the mafia mentality. The testimony of pentiti is used to probe the psychology of mafiosi.

106 TRENDS m O~ANIZED CRIME / WINTSi 1995

La Mafia Le Mare Tra vecchi e nuovi paradigmi (The Mafia The Mafias: Between Old and New Paradigms). Giovanni Fiandaca and Salvatore Costantino. Rome-Bari: Laterza, 1994. The interdisciplinary perspective of this book helps focus on the multifaceted aspects of organized crime, and an excellent interpretive essay puts the collection in perspective. The collec- tion is divided into sections focusing on the history of mafia, mafia and political institutions, law and criminology, the economy, culture, and inter- national dimensions.

Social Changes, Crime and the Police. Louise Shelley and Jozsef Vigh, eds. Chur, Switzerland: Harwood Academic Publishers, 1995. A central theme of the collection is the increase in organized crime since the collapse of the socialist system. Contributions on Finland, Germany, Italy, and Hungary focus on the role that organized crime has assumed in a changing Europe. The need for cross-border cooperation and international policing initiatives is examined in other essays devoted to preventing and responding to new forms and sources of organized crime.

Ugolovno-pravovaia okhrana finansovoi sfery: novye vidy prestuplenii i ikh kvalifikatsiia (Criminal Law Protections for the Financial Sphere: New Forms of Crime and Their Classifications). L.D. Gaukhman and S.V. Maksimov. Moscow: Iurinfor, 1995. Many activities central to the function- ing of organized crime are addressed here: concealing income, illegal for- eign currency transactions, customs violations, money laundering, obtaining credit by fraud, and falsification of documents. This book examines how the new criminal code can be used to counter such crimes.

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