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Exploring Definitions of Serious Crime in EU Policy Documents and Academic Publications: A Content Analysis and Policy Implications

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Abstract

In recent years the term “serious crime” has gained prominence in EU policy on internal security. This article analyzes how the EU policy and scientific communities have conceptualized and operationalized the term. Through a content analysis, it evaluates the articulation and use of “serious crime” in EU policy documents published from 1995–2013 and scientific articles published from 2004–13 that include the term (n = 93 and n = 104, respectively). The analysis demonstrates deficits of conceptualization and operationalization and a correspondingly weak foundation for policy. While the EU’s increasing emphasis on serious crime could represent an opportunity to improve the accountability of EU crime control policies, it is up to academics and policy-makers to address these deficits.

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Notes

  1. These quotations come from “common usage,” namely Wikipedia.com.

  2. The same also occurred at the UN level, leading to the adoption of the UN Convention on Transnational Organized Crime (2004).

  3. Since the 1970s most academics have preferred to emphasize and investigate sets of activities (e.g., Edwards and Levi 2008), but some still focus on groups (Abadinsky 2013).

  4. In the UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (2004), the two concepts are fully intertwined such that one concept cannot be said to supersede the other. As noted by the Secretariat of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention, “the notion of serious crime is instrumental in determining the scope of application of the Organized Crime Convention, pursuant to article 3, paragraph 1. Serious crime is also a central element of the definition of ‘an organized criminal group’” (2012: 2). In article 2, subparagraph (a), the latter is meant as “a structured group of three or more persons, existing for a period of time and acting in concert with the aim of committing one or more serious crimes or offences” (UN Convention 2004: 5). Because of its broad definition of serious crime, the Conventions has been praised by many states for its “great adaptability” (Conference of the Parties 2012: 1).

    Neither the Council of Europe nor Interpol, the other two leading, relevant international organizations, elaborate on serious crime. In a thorough but not exhaustive internet search, we found only rare and casual use of the term with no further explanation in either agency’s documents.

  5. We also include documents issued by the College and Joint Supervisory Body of Eurojust.

  6. The CJA, http://www.libraries.rutgers.edu/indexes/crim_abs, is the largest database of abstracts on criminal justice, criminology, and related disciplines.

  7. CJA initially produced a list of 115 articles; however, 13 of them did not meet our selection criteria.

  8. None of these articles specifically concerned serious crime.

  9. The relevant articles there are 83, 85, 86, and 88, see TFEU (2008). In one modest departure, this treaty, like the Treaty of Lisbon (art. 69 B), adopts a slightly stronger formulation at the beginning of Article 83.

  10. Twenty-nine EU policy documents included the phrase from 2005–9 and 38 from 2010–13.

  11. The term “serious and/or organized” appeared in more than twice as many documents from 2010 to 2013 (n = 18) as in the previous 15 years (n = 7).

  12. The Directive references applicable definitions in other EU and international policy documents.

  13. Paoli (2014) provides a critique of the methodology and resulting analysis. The methodology of Europol’s earlier annual reports on organized crime also was criticized heavily by some academics (e.g., Van Duyne and Vander Beken 2009 and Zoutendijk 2010).

  14. Thirty-six other documents in our dataset consist of annual and other reports produced by either Eurojust (e.g., 2012) or Europol (2012). Although they provide no definition or criteria to select serious crime, it is likely that they use the term “serious crime” pursuant to the mandate of their respective agencies.

  15. The UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (2004: 5, Article 2, subparagraph (b)) also adopts a legal criterion to establish serious crime. However, by considering serious all “offences punishable by a maximum deprivation of liberty of at least four years or a more serious penalty,” it sets a higher benchmark than most EU policy documents.

  16. This list partially overlaps with that of the Stockholm Programme (European Council 2010).

  17. Buonanno and Montolio (2008: 90) define serious crimes as the offences that “involve heavy penalties (e.g., prison)” in Spanish criminal law.

  18. Informal discussions with Europol staff and law enforcement officials of two Member States, May and October 2015 and June 2016.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Leuven Institute of Criminology, University of Leuven Faculty of Law, Hooverplein 10-11, Leuven, B-3000, Belgium

    Letizia Paoli, An Adriaenssen & Mieke Conickx

  2. Department of Criminology, Law and Society, George Mason University, 4400 University Drive, Fairfax, VA, 22030, USA

    Victoria A. Greenfield

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  1. Letizia Paoli
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  2. An Adriaenssen
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Correspondence to Letizia Paoli.

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Paoli, L., Adriaenssen, A., Greenfield, V.A. et al. Exploring Definitions of Serious Crime in EU Policy Documents and Academic Publications: A Content Analysis and Policy Implications. Eur J Crim Policy Res 23, 269–285 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10610-016-9333-y

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