University Modules on Organised Crime

All participants of Vienna Winter School 2019 will be introduced to a series of University Modules on Organised Crime developed as part of the Education for Justice (E4J) initiative.

Organised crime is a truly global phenomenon that affects the everyday life of all of us. It is more concealed then other crimes, as organised criminal groups make targeted efforts at keeping their crimes and organisation under the radar of law enforcement authorities. It is also harder to eradicate, as it often insinuates the culture and even the way of living of populations around the world. As such, it can be effectively tackled only if people have the necessary knowledge to understand it and are empowered to stand up against it. To this end, the Education for Justice (E4J) initiative developed a series of Modules on Organised Crime, which lecturers can adapt and use as a basis for teaching in universities and academic institutions across the world. The Modules seek to enhance students’ understanding of organised crime, its implications as well as of the tools at our disposal in the fight against it. They also aim at sharing stories, good practices and lesson learned across national borders. To increase their effectiveness, the modules connect theory to practice, encourage critical thinking, and use innovative interactive teaching approaches such as experiential learning and group-based work. The Modules are multi-disciplinary and can be integrated in a series of courses ranging from law to international relations, sociology, anthropology, economics, criminology and many other disciplines.  By focusing on the United Nations tools and definitions, the Modules leave room for diverse perspectives and lecturers can easily adapt them to different local and cultural contexts. Additional pedagogical guidance for lecturers is provided in the E4J Teaching Guide on Organised Crime.

The following E4J Modules on Organized Crime are available online and are recommended for perusal to all interested participants:

• Module 1: Definitions of Organised Crime
• Module 2: Organising the Commission of Crimes
• Module 3: Organised Crime Markets
• Module 4: Infiltration of Organised Crime in Business and Government
• Module 5: Conceptualising and Measuring Organised Crime
• Module 6: Causes and Facilitating Factors of Organised Crime
• Module 7: Models of Organised Criminal Groups
• Module 8: Law Enforcement Tools and Cooperation
• Module 9: Prosecution Strategies
• Module 10: Sentencing and Confiscation in Organised Crime
• Module 11: International Cooperation to Combat Transnational Organised Crime
• Module 14: United Nations Convention against Transnational Organised Crime and Related International Instruments and Guide to Model UN Simulation of a Working Group to the Conference of the Parties to the Organised Crime Convention

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