Handbook of Organized Crime in the United States

Internationally known authorities in criminal justice provide one of the most comprehensive assessments today of the diverse ethnic and racial groups in the criminal underworld and their grave threats to the very fabric of American society. This coherent overview describes Mafia, Chinese, African American, Russian, and other criminal activities in different cities currently with historical background, showing the pernicious effects that their illicit operations have had on the economic, social, political, and moral life of the nation. This one-volume reference also assesses law enforcement and crime control programs during the 20th century. This sobering overview should be required reading for specialist and general audiences alike and for broad library use given the serious threats of organized crime to all Americans in the 1990s.