Table of Contents
Definition of Organized Crime
(noun) A formal organization with a hierarchical power structure, a clear division of labor, and a network of resources that is focused on illegal activities such as drug trafficking or prostitution.
Example of Organized Crime
- The Mafia (also called Cosa Nostra), a crime syndicate in the United States; organized in families; believed to have important relations to the Sicilian Mafia.
Organized Crime Pronunciation
Syllabification: or·gan·ized crime
Audio Pronunciation
Phonetic Spelling
- American English – /ORgUH-niezd krIEm/
- British English – /AWgUH-niezd krIEm/
International Phonetic Alphabet
- American English – /ˈɔrgəˌnaɪzd kraɪm/
- British English – /ˈɔːgənaɪzd kraɪm/
Usage Notes
- Organized crime is studied in criminology.
- A type of crime.
- Also called syndicated crime.
Related Video
Additional Information
- Word origin of “organized” and “crime” – Online Etymology Dictionary: etymonline.com
- Abadinsky, Howard. 2013. Organized Crime. 10th ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.
- Ianni, Francis A. J., and Elizabeth Reuss Ianni. 1972. A Family Business: Kinship and Social Control in Organized Crime. New York: Russell Sage Foundation.
- Posner, Gerald L. 1988. Warlords of Crime: Chinese Secret Societies – The New Mafia. New York: McGraw-Hill.
Related Terms
Works Consulted
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Cite the Definition of Organized Crime
ASA – American Sociological Association (5th edition)
Bell, Kenton, ed. 2013. “organized crime.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Retrieved April 25, 2024 (https://sociologydictionary.org/organized-crime/).
APA – American Psychological Association (6th edition)
organized crime. (2013). In K. Bell (Ed.), Open education sociology dictionary. Retrieved from https://sociologydictionary.org/organized-crime/
Chicago/Turabian: Author-Date – Chicago Manual of Style (16th edition)
Bell, Kenton, ed. 2013. “organized crime.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Accessed April 25, 2024. https://sociologydictionary.org/organized-crime/.
MLA – Modern Language Association (7th edition)
“organized crime.” Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Ed. Kenton Bell. 2013. Web. 25 Apr. 2024. <https://sociologydictionary.org/organized-crime/>.