Thinking ahead: Crime "opportunity blocking" will be essential to curbing the resurgence of organized crime

Make no mistake, the economic conditions are worsening, and in such times inhibitions toward criminal activity are lessened, especially for seasoned criminals. Criminal opportunity, particularly “white collar” crime is increasing and must be abated.

One of the early lessons of fighting crime in the 1930s was the essential requirement to reduce criminal opportunities of organized crime that was allowed to flourish during the age of Prohibition. The essential strategy used to protect the public during then, was a concept characterized in criminal justice research as "opportunity blocking". This same method is used as the purposive hampering of activities of organized crime groups through interrupting or eradicating the supply of illicit goods and services, most notably narcotics. This approach has been referred to by Ronald Goldstock (1990) as “opportunity blocking," a method that "seeks to change the social, economic, physical, or organizational environment so that particular crimes become impossible, or at least very difficult, to carry out;" see full discussion on page 161 in in the "Racketeering in the New York City Construction Industry" Final Report of the New York State Organized Crime Task Force" (1990).

More importantly, while drawing clues and best practices from history, our time is radically different in terms of crime opportunity made available through the internet and communications methods. Thinking about crime control in our age must combat these increased challenges with specific, measured, and targeted approach to cut off the means and instruments of crime used particularly in International organized crime, from the low-level crimes of stolen goods sales on eBay, to the great frauds placed on the public in financial crimes.

Lesson learned becomes proactive action item #005 – Add crime opportunity blocking to the list of directives within the national crime control strategy. Focus on the crime opportunity market in the words of Goldstock (1990), seek to “change the social, economic, physical, or organizational environment so that particular crimes become impossible, or at least very difficult, to carry out.”