Organized and Professional Crime in Ukraine: Interdependence and Interinfluence

Abstract

Professional crime is a comparatively independent type of crime which includes an array of crimes committed by criminal professional to gain the main or additional source of income, needs respective knowledge and skills, criminal expertise to achieve criminal goals. Specialization, qualification, committing crimes as a source of income, incorporation and cooperation, good knowledge and respect of criminal world’s customs and traditions are features of modern criminal professionalism. Decisive criterion of professional crime separation from organized crime is presence or absence of corruptive links. Namely their presence at professional crime means its transformation into organized crime. Holders of personal professional criminal skills and knowledge are one of the reserves of organized crime. From group professional criminal activity stage they are disgorged into organized crime structures, frequently becoming their organizers and leaders. Criminal who is incorporated into organized crime structure has features and peculiarities of professional – respective skills, expertise necessary to commit systematically certain crimes, an original technology of criminal activity. Professionalism and organized nature are interrelated; so long as criminal professionalism is higher, so well its organized forms appeared better. Due to relevant social conditions professional crime begins to transform into organized crime as qualitative new phenomenon. In modern Ukraine these most dangerous forms of crime’s deepening of connection is taking place, and they nourish and reproduce each other.