Criminal activities

  1. Based on the reliance on conspiracy statutes to connect leaders of organized crime with activities carried out by their subordinates, the use of confidential informants is often critical to the investigation and prosecution of organized criminal activities; however, the relationship between informants and law enforcement can become quite complicated. Whitey Bulger, the leader of the Winter Hill Gang, was actually a confidential informant for the FBI. FBI agent John Connolly was convicted of second-degree murder and racketeering due to his relationship with Bulger.
    Using the Bulger case as an example, discuss, as a team, the pros and cons of the use of confidential informants in the investigation and prosecution of organized crime.
    Address the following in your discussion:

    • The motivations of the informant

Requirements: 2 pages

Answer preview

Informants help police solve organized crimes and help minimize crimes and mortality rates within the society. As most informants are members of gangs or have relationships with criminals, they usually have many details that can be useful to the police to solve criminal cases that would require months or years of investigations to solve. Some help the police get in the circle of gang members, hence getting detailed information that can be used in court and solving cases dismissed due to lack of knowledge (Neuschatz, DeLoach, Hillgartner, Fessinger, Wetmore, Douglass, & Le Grand, 2020). Most informants are cost-effective and involve little expenses. Most of them are motivated by money, and others are criminals who want to give information to the police in exchange for reduced sentencing or immunity. In such cases, they give police information they couldn’t get at a minimum cost. Informants are too clear with detailed information that the police could never know; hence, that helps dismiss some underway crime plans.

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