Wickersham to Sutherland to Katzenbach: Evolving an “official” definition for organized crime

Abstract

The first governmental attempt to study organized crime occurred in 1929–31 under the auspices of the National Commission on Law Observance and Enforcement (the Wickersham Commission). That study is the prelude to a second study, undertaken in 1965–67 by the President's Commission on Law Enforcement and Observance. The circumstances surrounding both studies, their conclusions and dispositions are examined and compared. The theory impact on the latter study of Edwin Sutherland's 1939 creation of white-collar crime is noted. The article concludes by showing how the two studies illuminate competing paradigms that govern current organized crime research. *** DIRECT SUPPORT *** AW502010 00002