Note
Issued also in French under title: Évaluation de l’efficacité des stratégies de lutte contre le crime organisé : analyse documentaire.
Author affiliated with: Department of Criminology, University of Ottawa.
"March 31, 2003"--Title page.
Summary
"The overall aim of this report is to support legislative reform and policy development in relation
to organized crime OC. More specifically, the report will provide new information to the Department of Justice,
further inform ongoing research activities, and help support the planned mid-term and
summative evaluations of the Measures to Combat Organized Crime initiative.
Specifically, the overriding purpose of this project is to review studies that have assessed the
effectiveness of OC control strategies. These strategies may be legislative, police, or
community-based. The review has sought to be inclusive, covering analyses using a broad range
of research methods and data sources. The review includes studies by academics, criminal
justice system personnel, government, and law enforcement agencies. While the focus of this
review is on studies conducted in Canada, the United States, and other western countries, salient
material from other jurisdictions has been included."--Page 1.
Contents
1. Introduction -- 2. Methodology -- 2.1. The search strategy -- 2.2. Document selection criteria -- 2.3. Format of the analysis -- 3. Definitional issues, measurement and other concerns in organized crime research -- 3.1. Definitional issues -- 3.2. Data-related issues -- 3.3. Crude and varied performance measures -- 4. Organized crime control strategies and their effectiveness -- 4.1. Prosecuting persons involved in oganized cime -- 4.2. Prosecuting organized cime kngpins -- 4.3. Prosecutions through the use of taxation laws -- 4.4. Monitoring financial transactions and tackling money laundering -- 4.5. Seizure and forfeiture of assets -- 4.6. Injunctions, divestitures, and trusteeships -- 4.7. Witness protection programs -- 4.8. Anonymous juries -- 4.9. Witness immunity -- 4.10. Investigative grand juries -- 4.11. Citizens’ commissions, police commissions, and commmunity-based initiatives -- 4.12. Strike forces and task forces -- 4.13. Undercover operations and informants -- 4.14. Electronic surveillance -- 4.15. Intelligence analysis -- 4.16. Reducing the supply of illegal goods and services -- 4.17. Increasing regulation and establishing public benefit corporations -- 4.18. Legalization or decriminalization of certain goods and services -- 5. Summary and conclusions -- 6. References.