An Application of Structuration Theory to Criminal Organizations

Criminal organizations, and subsequently organized crime, are an issue for most governments and law enforcement agencies in many countries (Naylor, 1995; Okoli & Nwangwu, 2023; Shelley, 1995; Van Duyne, 1995). The threat of criminal organizations largely stems from their multifaceted nature that is associated with the concern of the crime-terror nexus, the interaction between crime and terrorism, thus increasing the threat that organized criminal groups pose overall (Okoli & Nwangwu, 2023; Phillips & Schiele, 2023). However, the study and understanding of criminal organizations is unique as these organizations function through the use of multiple disciplines (Finckenauer, 2005; Kemp, 2001; Robbins, 1990; Southerland & Potter, 1993). For example, their structure, function, and business are similar to legitimate organizations and their economic processes (Finckenauer, 2005; Kemp, 2001; Robbins, 1990; Southerland & Potter, 1993). However, there is an inherent difference between legitimate and illicit organizations by the simple nature of their operations. While legitimate organizations operate within the realm of legitimacy and follow the rule of law, illicit organizations operate outside the rule of law and have their own code of conduct described as criminal behavior (Smith, 1980; Southerland & Potter, 1993; Thompson, 2003; Von Lampe, 2006, 2015). Therefore, this issue requires a multidirectional approach to understand and combat criminal organizations. In other words, to understand the differences between illicit and legitimate organizations, it is necessary to first understand that they are in fact similar in many ways. Establishing their similarities in terms of structure, function, and other factors, would then seem to be a beneficial approach as it provides a clear and previously established analysis of organizations, giving way to the expansion upon their differences.