Assessing the Effectiveness of Organized Crime Control Strategies ...

1.0 Introduction
O
ver the past three decades, organized crime (OC) has been the subject of numerous
legislative initiatives and scholarly studies around the globe. In Canada, legislation in this
area has intensified in recent years in an effort to provide law enforcement with the tools to
investigate criminal organizations and to otherwise aid in the fight against OC. Specifically,
since 1997, the Canadian Parliament has passed legislation providing for such things as enhanced
police powers, the creation of an agency to combat money laundering (Bill C-22), and the
creation of a new criminal organization offence (Bill C-95).
In 2001, Bill C-24 was introduced. This Act creates new offences (e.g., commission of an
offence for a criminal organization) and broadens the powers of law enforcement to seize
property used in crime and, ultimately, to initiate proceedings leading to the forfeiture of the
assets of criminal organizations.
At several meetings over the last five years, Federal/Provincial/Territorial Ministers responsible
for Justice have reaffirmed the importance of combating OC. They have stressed the need to:
• develop OC prevention strategies;
• keep legislation and regulations up to date;
• co-ordinate national and regional initiatives;
• undertake research and analysis; and,
• engage in public education.
The Ministers also identified a series of national policy priorities, such as drug trafficking,
economic crimes, high-tech crimes, money laundering, illegal immigration and trafficking of
humans, and corruption.
The overall aim of this report is to support legislative reform and policy development in relation
to OC. More specifically, the report will provide new information to the Department of Justice,
further inform ongoing research activities, and help support the planned mid-term and
summative evaluations of the Measures to Combat Organized Crime initiative. The planned
evaluations by the Department are part of a larger coordinated interdepartmental review of the
initiative, which includes the Department of the Solicitor General Canada, Royal Canadian
Mounted Police, and Correctional Services Canada. The results of this project may also be used
to inform the public about the issue.
Specifically, the overriding purpose of this project is to review studies that have assessed the
effectiveness of OC control strategies. These strategies may be legislative, police, or
community-based. The review has sought to be inclusive, covering analyses using a broad range
of research methods and data sources. The review includes studies by academics, criminal
justice system personnel, government, and law enforcement agencies. While the focus of this
review is on studies conducted in Canada, the United States, and other western countries, salient
material from other jurisdictions has been included.
Research and Statistics Division / Department of Justice Canada | 1