The Department of Criminal Law and Criminology, Faculty of Law, University of Białystok, together with the International Center for Criminological Research and Expertise, cordially invite you to the Polish‑American seminar The Changing Landscape of Organized Crime: Cross‑National Insights. Polish‑American Scientific Seminar, to be held on 4 May 2026 at 11:30 in room 314.
The special guest of the event will be Prof. Chris Eskridge from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, School of Criminology & Criminal Justice.
The seminar will be conducted in English.
If you wish to receive a certificate of passive participation, please register by completing the form.
Applications submitted by 26 April 2026 are guaranteed to receive a certificate.
AGENDA OF THE SEMINAR
Prof. Chris Eskridge, School of Criminology & Criminal Justice, University of Nevraska-Lincoln, presentation titled American Organized Crime
This brief presentation will provide a synopsis of the growth and decline of traditional organized crime in the United States. It will focus upon the dozen men who from the late 1890s until the turn of the last century, served as the de facto Godfathers of the American mafioso. The lecture will explore the internal and external factors and forces that impacted and drove individuals and organizations in the respective stories of their rise and fall.
Prof. Katarzyna Laskowska, Department of Criminal Law and Criminology, Faculty of Law, University of Białystok, presentation titled The Specificity of Organized Crime in the Countries of Central Asia
The presentation will outline the factors determining the development of organized crime in the countries of Central Asia, including geographical and geopolitical location, post-Soviet history, social structure (clans and family ties), systemic transformation, as well as the level of state control and the political situation. The stages in the evolution of this phenomenon in the region will be discussed. The presentation will address the characteristics, structure, and manifestations of the activities of organized criminal groups in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan. It will be shown that, on the one hand, this phenomenon is directed against the state, while on the other hand, it closely cooperates with state structures, deriving significant benefits from such cooperation.
Prof. Wojciech Filipkowski, Department of Criminal Law and Criminology, Faculty of Law, University of Białystok, presentation titled Organized Crime Through the Lenses of Network Criminology: Online Networks and Law Enforcement Strategies
The paper shows how network criminology conceptualises online organised crime as dynamic networks of relations between offenders, platforms and clients rather than stable hierarchies. It discusses key structural features of darknet and platformbased criminal networks and how these affect their vulnerability to intervention. The presentation also outlines how law enforcement agencies use social network analysis to map these networks, identify key actors and design disruption strategies.
Dr. Emilia Jurgielewicz‑Delegacz, Department of Criminal Law and Criminology, Faculty of Law, University of Białystok, presentation titled Criminal Networks Beyond the Cities: An Exploration of Organized Crime in Rural Environments
This presentation examines how organized crime groups operate in rural environments, emphasizing the specific vulnerabilities of nonurban areas. The talk reviews global patterns of rural organized crime, including environmental offences, trafficking routes, and illicit rural enterprises. It also explores how rurality shapes criminal strategies and helps obscure illegal operations from public view. The presentation adopts a comparative perspective, highlighting implications for research and crime prevention in rural settings.
Mgr Olgierd Dobrowolski, PhD Candidate at the Doctoral School of the University of Białystok, Faculty of Law, presentation titled Organized crime in Ukraine in the context of the Russian-Ukrainian war
The presentation focuses on the impact of the Russian-Ukrainian war on organized crime in Ukraine, including the increase in illegal arms and drug trafficking, smuggling, human trafficking, and other activities of criminal groups and organizations. As an introduction, the development and underlying conditions of organized crime since Ukraine gained
independence will be briefly outlined. Based on this, the current, ongoing, and anticipated effects of the armed conflict on the state, dynamics, and prospects of organized crime in the country will be discussed. The potential consequences of this phenomenon for the region, particularly for Poland, will also be highlighted.
