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Organized Crime

Code: 100468 ECTS Credits: 6
2024/2025
Degree Type Year
2500257 Criminology OT 4

Contact

Name:
Alex Albert Garcia Soteras
Email:
alexalbert.garcia@uab.cat

Teaching groups languages

You can view this information at the end of this document.


Prerequisites

None specific.

The course (lectures and seminars) will be taught in Spanish.

The subject is adapted to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG)

 


Objectives and Contextualisation

General objectives:

1. To know and analyze the phenomenon of organized crime.

2. To transmit to the specialized public and society in general answers to the problems of organized crime.

Specific objectives:

1.1. To know the organizational structures of organized crime.

1.2. To analyze the function of the various criminal markets

2.1. To design  crime prevention strategies against organized crime


Competences

  • Ability to analyse and summarise.
  • Accessing and interpreting sources of crime data.
  • Analysing the conflict and criminology by using the criminological theories and their psychological and sociological foundations.
  • Designing a criminological research and identifying the appropriate methodological strategy to the proposed goals.
  • Drawing up an academic text.
  • Respectfully interacting with other people.
  • Students must demonstrate a comprehension of the best crime prevention and intervention models for each specific problem.
  • Students must demonstrate they comprehend the criminological theories.
  • Students must demonstrate they know a variety of criminal policies in order to face criminality and its different foundations.
  • Verbally transmitting ideas to an audience.
  • Working autonomously.
  • Working in teams and networking.

Learning Outcomes

  1. Ability to analyse and summarise.
  2. Accurately applying the prevention models in specific crime situations.
  3. Analysing with scientific criteria the information obtained in criminological databases.
  4. Applying the criminological theories.
  5. Applying the scientific criminological knowledge to the delinquency analysis.
  6. Drawing up an academic text.
  7. Efficiently applying the foundations of the different crime policies in the professional activity.
  8. Respectfully interacting with other people.
  9. Using the appropriate research methodology in accordance with the suggested criminological research.
  10. Verbally transmitting ideas to an audience.
  11. Working autonomously.
  12. Working in teams and networking.

Content

I. Theory of system: Open and closed models

1. Theory of organizations

2. Organizational structure of organized crime

II. Groups of organized crime

1. East gangs

2. Italian Mafia

3. Far East gangs

4. Latin-American gangs

5. Emerging criminal groups

6. Terrorism

7. Types of terrorism

III Crime markets

1. Money laundering

2. Human trafficking

3. Human body trafficking

4. Drugs traffic

5. Guns traffic

6. Art traffic

7. Plants and animal traffic

8. Smuggling of dangerous goods

9. Organized burglary

10. Forgery

11. Computer crime

12. Other illicit trafficking

IV. Crime prevention and police methods against organized crime


Activities and Methodology

Title Hours ECTS Learning Outcomes
Type: Directed      
PBL 39 1.56 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12
Type: Autonomous      
Case method 24 0.96 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 9
Collaborative learning 82 3.28 1, 2, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12

The methodology of the course is based on the Problem-Based Learning model (PBL), cooperative learning and the case method.

The work sessions can be lectures, practical or mixed.

Lectures will be based on oral presentations by the teacher complemented with audiovisual teaching resources (PWP, videos, etc.), new technologies (ICT), as well as advice regarding  bibliography.

Seminars will consist of monitoring real cases of crime and its preventive approach, where students will have to conclude with their proposals to intervene in these cases. Students will be provided with a guide to do these exercises.

During the seminars a variety of methods will be used: group dynamics, plenaries, and cooperative groups.

Individual work of the students will benefit from the use of the virtual campus.

Annotation: Within the schedule set by the centre or degree programme, 15 minutes of one class will be reserved for students to evaluate their lecturers and their courses or modules through questionnaires.


Assessment

Continous Assessment Activities

Title Weighting Hours ECTS Learning Outcomes
Briefcase 50 3 0.12 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 11, 12
Final work (case study) 30 1 0.04 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 11, 12
PBL 20 1 0.04 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12

1. Model of evaluation

The grading system is based on continuous assessment. Attendance is compulsory as it will allow students to be assessed with respect to the specific skills they should acquire during the module. Participation in class, the capacity of students to link concepts to practice as well as the consideration to the ethical values of the profession will be rewarded. A high participation increases the final grade by 0.5 points, while a medium participation increases the final grade by 0.25 points.

2. Items of the evaluation

Assessment of the module will consist of three scores:

- Portfolio: 50%

- Final work of the course: 30%. The content of this work will be agreed between students and professor.

- PBL: 20%

To pass the subject students must have satisfactorily completed the three evaluation activities. The evaluable content consists of: Mandatory readings, content of the presentations (available in the CV), reports worked on in class (available in the CV). And in the knowledge of these works:

• De la Corte, L. & Gimenez-Salinas, A. (2010). Crime.org. Ariel.

• Forgione, F. (2012). Mafia export. Anagrama.

• Gayraud, J. F. (2007). The G9 of the mafias in the world. Geopolitics of organized crime. Urano.

• Gimenez-Salinas, A. (2020). Transnational organized crime. Editorial Síntesis.

3. Assessment conditions

Active participation in all classes and group work, including the completion of individual and group assignments, is compulsory.

4. Requirement to pass

Students must obtain a minimum grade of 5 in each of the three evaluation activities that make up the assessment.

5. Resit

According to the evaluative methodology used, based on exhibitions and theoretical-practical contents, if a student does not pass one of the three activities will have the possibility of repeating it.                        

6. Other aspects to consider:

-If the student fails the module, he/she will have to re-register for the module in the next edition of the course. In that case, the entire module will have to be repeated.

-Throughout the evaluation process the student will be informed of his/her progress with respect to assignments that need to be submitted.

-In accordance with UAB regulations, individual or group plagiarism or cheating in exams copying will be penalized with a zero score (“0”) which means students will not have the possibility of repeating the assignment or test in the future (in the case of group plagiarism each student of the group will receive a zero score (“0”) for the assignment.

-Attendance at all sessions is compulsory. The student must attend at least 80% of all sessions; otherwise, the assessment will be assessed as “unsatisfactory”. Absences can only be justified for reasons of illness or force majeure and for academic reasons previously authorized by the teaching staff.

-Students will be given the results of the correction of the evaluative evidence within a maximum period of 30 days.

-Students will be assessed if they have carried out a set of activities whose weight is equivalent to a minimum of 2/3 of the total grade for the subject. If the value of the activities carried out does not reach this threshold, the subject's teaching staff may consider the student as non-assessable.

7. Puntuality

Classes start on time. Late arrival or leaving the calls before the end is not admitted, provided there is not reasonable justification.

8. Single assessment

However, the student may opt for a single evaluation system. The student who opts for this system will be evaluated based on a final multiple-choice in which he or she must demonstrate that he or she has acquired the set of skills of the subject. This exam will consist of a multiple-choice exam of between 20 and 40 questions with 4 response options for incorrect questions offset by 1/4 of a point. (that is, 0.25). The test will have a maximum duration of 60 minutes. The material to prepare the exam will be indicated at the beginning of the course.


Bibliography

BASIC REFERENCES

A.C.C.E.M. (2008). La Trata de personas con fines de explotación laboral. A.C.C.E.M.

Cacho, L. (2010). Esclavas del poder. Debate. 

Celis, A. (2009). La historia del Crimen Organizado. Libsa.

C.E.S.E.D.E.N. (2012). La lucha contra el crimen organizado en la Unión Europea. Ministerio de Defensa.

De la Corte, L. & Gimenez-Salinas, A. (2010). Crimen.org. Ariel.

Dickie, J. (2014). Cosa Nostra: Historia de la mafia siciliana. Penguin Random House.

Forgione, F. (2012). Mafia export. Anagrama. 

Gálvez, R. (2017). Los modus operandi en las operaciones de blanqueo de capitales. Bosch.

Gayraud, J. F. (2007). El G 9 de las mafias en el mundo. Geopolítica del crimen organizado. Urano.

Gimenez-Salinas, A. (2020). Delincuencia organizada transnacional. Editorial Síntesis

Glenny, M. (2008). McMafia. Destino.

González, M. T. (2007). Los monstruos políticos de la Modernidad. Ediciones de la Torre.

Gutiérrez, A. & Lopez, C. (2018). Monográfico de Derecho Criminológico. S.E.C.C.I.F. 

Hoffman, D. (2003). Los Oligarcas: Poder y dinero en la nueva Rusia. Mondadori.

Lombardero, L. M. (2009). Blanqueo de capitales. Prevención y represión del fenómeno desde la perspectiva penal, mercantil, administrativa y tributaria. Bosch.

López-Muñoz, J. (2017). La mafia rusa. Dykinson.

Magaz, R. (Ed.) 2012). Criminalidad y globalización. I.U.G.M.

Peña, M. J. (2010). Crimen Organizado. S.E.C.C.I.F.

Raab, S. (2005). Five Families: the rise, decline, and resurgence of America’s most powerful mafia empires. Thomas Dunne Books.

Riera, A. (2008). La Organitzatja. Arcopress.

Riera, A. (2010). La mafia china. Arcopress.

S.E.P.B.L.A.C. (2008). Informe: Tipologías de blanqueo de capitales. S.E.P.B.L.A.C.

Sharp, G. (2015). De la dictadura a la democracia. Dharana 

Sun Tzu (1998). El arte de la guerra. Edaf.

U.N.O.D.C. (2004). Convención de las naciones unidas contra la delincuencia organizada transnacional y sus protocolos delincuencia organizada transnacional y sus protocolos. U.N.O.D.C.

U.N.O.D.C. (2007). Manual para la lucha contra la trata de personas. Naciones Unidas.

Zucman, G. (2014). La riqueza oculta de las naciones. Ed. Pasado y presente.

MANDATORY READINGS

Alonso F. (2010) Tratamiento jurídico y policial de las dinámicas de persuasión coercitiva: Las erróneamente llamadas “sectas” o “sectas destructivas". International Journal of Cultic Studies, 1(1), 61-74.

Moreno F. J. (2020).  Tráfico ilícito de residuos. Quadernos de Criminología, 50, 19-24.

Moreno F. J. (2020).  Tráfico ilícito de cadáveres y de sus tejidos. Quadernos de Criminología, 49, 18-23.

Moreno F. J. (2020). La mafia colombiana. Quadernos de Criminología48, 20-28.

Moreno F. J (2019). El comercio de falsificaciones y su efecto en la economía. Revista Cont4bl3, 72, 28-33.

Moreno F. J. (2019). Tráfico ilícito de flora y derivados. Quadernos de Criminología, 47, 21-28.

Moreno F.J. (2019). Los carteles mexicanos. Quadernosde Criminología, 46, 38-45.

Moreno, F. J. (2019). Los minerales críticos y estratégicos: un riesgo para la nueva economía. Revista Cont4bl3, 70, 32-38 

Moreno, F. J. (2019). Ocultismo y crimen organizado. Quadernos de Criminología, 45, 22-29

Moreno, F. J (2019). Tráfico ilícito de animales. Quadernos de Criminología, 44, 4-10

Moreno, F. J (2019). Estrategias y tácticas de manipulación social y económica. Revista Cont4bl3, 69, 27-32.

Moreno, F. J., et al. (2018). Estudio de campo sobre la explotación sexual de personas, III Anuario internacional de Criminología y Ciencias Forenses, 3, 305-310.

Moreno, F. J. (2018). La mafia japonesa. Quadernos de Criminología, 43, 30-36.

Moreno, F. J. (2018). Los paraísos fiscales. Revista Cont4bl3, 67, 33-39.

Moreno, F. J (2018). La mafia china. Quadernos de Criminología, 42, 32-39

Moreno, F. J (2018). La trata con fines de realización forzada de actividades ilícitas. Quadernos de Criminología, 41, 26-31.

Moreno, F. J. (2018). El blanqueo de capitales: estrategias y tácticas ilícitas. Revista Cont4bl3, 66, 36- 39.

Moreno, F. J. (2018). La mafia rusa. Quadernos de Criminología, 40, 25 -29.

Moreno, F. J. (2018). La trata con fines de realización forzada de actividades ilícitas. Quadernos de Criminología, 41, 30-35.

Moreno, F. J. (2017). Estrategias y tácticas operativas del terrorismo de baja intensidad. Quadernos de Criminología, 37, 6 -9.

Moreno, F. J. (2017). Estudio criminológico de las acciones de lucha denominadas “noviolentas".  Anuario Internacional de Criminología y Ciencias Forenses, 2, 67- 71.

Moreno, F. J. (2017). Revisión criminológica de la delincuencia organizada. Quadernos de Criminología, 39, 22-27.

Moreno, F. J. (2017). La mafia italiana. Quadernos de Criminología, 39, 23 -28

Moreno, F. J. (2016). Top Manta: análisis criminológico, Revista Policía, 304, 17 -21.

Moreno, F. J. (2014).  Las bandas juveniles violentas. Revista VSXXI, 14, 10 - 15.

Moreno, F. J. (2014). En paradero desconocido. Revista VSXXI, 15, 18 - 23.

Moreno, F. J. (2014). La amenaza Terrorista. Revista VSXXI, 17, 7 -13.

Trujillo, H. M., Alonso, F., Jiménez-Ferrer, C., & Ramírez, J.J. (2009) Evidencias de manipulación psicológica coercitiva en terroristas islamistas. Athena Assesment, 4, 1-15.


Software

There is no specific program for this subject.


Language list

Name Group Language Semester Turn
(TE) Theory 1 Spanish annual afternoon