Geography and Crime
Dr Tim Hall([email protected])
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