2) The second attribute of organized crime is its instrumental nature. Instrumental crimes are defined as illegal acts committed when individuals unable to obtain desired goods and services through conventional means, resort to crimes-for-profit. Organized crime exists for the sole purpose of making money.

3) Organized crime, at its core, offers illegal goods and services in order to make profits -- examples are illegal gambling, prostitution, pornography, loan-sharking, bootlegging, and fees for "protection" in the form of extortion. Murders within the world of organized crime are generally committed to ensure the ongoing survival and profitability of the organization. Organized crime has also been known to promote other crimes-for-pr

5) The fifth distinguishing attribute of organized crime is its generational persistence -- criminal organizations such as Mafia crime families continue to operate despite fluctuations in membership. While the death or retirement of family bosses and other leadership figures can result in significant changes, it does not cause individual crime families to cease to exist.

b) Dirty graft is money offered to cover up murder, rape, armed robbery or drug trafficking. It should be understood that most law enforcement officials would not accept "dirty graft." The line between clean and dirty graft is, however, illusory -- clean graft ensures the survival of the "victimless" rackets which, in turn, fund more serious crimes, such as murder for hire and drug trafficking.

In recent years, RICO statutes and increased vigilance on the part of law enforcement agencies have significantly weakened the American Mafia. The Mafia's adaptive nature, h

Some common words found in the essay are:
Crime Characteristics, Mafia Mafia's, Wall Street, American Mafia, organized crime, drug trafficking, dirty graft, clean graft, law enforcement, attribute organized crime, law enforcement officials, victimless rackets, enforcement officials, labor racketeering, conduct set, adaptive nature,
Approximate Word count = 634
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)