...Mafia What is the Mafia? Some believe the word Mafia was the battle cry of an Italian rebellious group- this battle of cry was the following: "Morte all Francia Italia anelia!" (Italian for "death to the French is Italy's cry!"). Others defined the Mafia as, name for loose association of criminal groups, sometimes bound by blood oath and sworn to secrecy. Despite both of these definitions the Mafia has evolved into a very complex and organized society of crime. Present time it doesn't represent Italian gangs, it also includes Russian, Japanese and Chinese gangs just to mention a few. The purpose of this work is to describe some of the aspects of the Mafia. the reason of naming Mafia in this way was that a member of this group who was riding a motorcyle snatched a carried daughter from a woman kidnapping her; however, such a woman hurried following him crying “Ma figlia! Ma figlia! “ which means in English "My daughter! My daughter!" many believe that the Mafia was born in order to protect and help the less fortunate. The methods used to help and protect were, and still remain illegal. Today, the organization still continues to practice these acts or "rituals." The difference between early Mafia and modern Mafia, is that during late 1800's to early 1900's, the Mafia used these illicit crimes to help their families and the noble good less fortunate, now they abuse their power and distribute the "dirty money" in abundance amongst themselves. In order for an individual...
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...The mafia has been participating in a love/hate relationship with the world of illegal drugs for many years. For a number of years the moneymaking entity has been narcotics and earning the gross domestic product of most countries. However, right in the center of it all was the mafia. The Sicily Cosa Nostra has one of the most successful businesses that are drug related of course. The Sicily mafia earns approximately 130 billion Euros, nearly 165 billion, and profit approximately 70 billion euro in which adds up to 90 billion in American dollars (Wise, 2008). The earning is after all investments and expenses are deducted. The Sicily mafia is indeed one of the prevalent companies in Italy. Drug trafficking alone earning nearly 59 billion Euros year, which is considered to be one of the main sources of income for Sicily mafia as well as for other organized crime in general (Wise, 2008). The Sicily involvement in the illegal drug industry is so big that other methods have evolved. For instance, loan sharking. Loan sharking is one of the most recent activities that has been invented and up scaling to greater height as a source of income from the business sector (Wise, 2008). The mafia organization has stretch beyond your typical contraband, extortion, and drug dealing, but has gained access into different sectors of the legitimate economy (Wise, 2008). For instance, tourism, restaurants and food production (Wise, 2008). According to Confesercenti, the Sicily mafia alone is worth nearly...
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...The traditional mafia, portrayed in movies like the Godfather and Goodfellas, has been broken down due to vicious Federal prosecution. It still exists, but its certainly not as powerful as it once was. However, different groups have formed that are much more ruthless. These groups are more willing to harm innocents rather than going after those who wronged them.The Italian mafia has been a prominent theme in the media for decades. Movies and shows that are usually the most talked about are The Godfather, Goodfellas, and the Sopranos. The media's portrayal of the mafia has created stereotypes for Italians that are socially accepted in American culture.Movies and shows like these create terrible stereotypes for Italian because these gangster lifestyles are glorified. Sadly, most Italians living in America today embrace these stereotypes instead of setting them right.These shows today often make a mockery about what the mafia actually stands for.These shows are often scripted so they can get more views. Some mafia tv portrayals are :Mob Wives, Amish Mafia, Mafia City, The Sopranos, and Boardwalk Empire. In todays American society stereotyping of most cultures is seen greatly in the media. Media such as: MTV's reality TV shows “Jersey Shore”, HBO series the “Sopranos”, VH1’s reality show “Mob Wives”, the movie “Goodfellas” and, “The Godfather” are some examples of when Americans began to misjudge Italians. Most of these movies and TV shows reflect badly on Italian culture. Going...
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...What is the Mafia? Some believe the word Mafia was the battle cry of an Italian rebellious group- this battle of cry was the following: "Morte all Francia Italia anelia!" (Italian for "death to the French is Italy's cry!") (www. gambino.com). Others defined the Mafia as, name for loose association of criminal groups, sometimes bound by blood oath and sworn to secrecy. (Microsoft Encarta 97). Despite both of these definitions the Mafia has evolved into a very complex and organized society of crime. Present time it doesn't represent Italian gangs, (even though that's what most people picture) it also includes Russian, Japanese and Chinese gangs just to mention a few. The purpose of this work is to describe some of the aspects of the Mafia. Throughout the course of this work I will use the Italian Mafia as my subject in order to exhibit my views more clearly. The history of the Mafia is sketchy but many believe that the Mafia was born in order to protect and help the less fortunate. The methods used to help and protect were, and still remain illegal. Today, the organization still continues to practice these acts or "rituals." The difference between early Mafia and modern Mafia, is that during late 1800's to early 1900's, the Mafia used these illicit crimes to help their families and the noble good less fortunate, now they abuse their power and distribute the "dirty money" in abundance amongst themselves. (keep in mind that the Mafia was born in Sicily, in a time where authorities...
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...The New York Italian Mafia first began it business ventures in the late 1890’s extorting businesses running theft rings and murdering people for money. From the later 1890’s to the early 1900’s most of these gangs thrived in poor Italian ghettoes. At this time these gangs where given the name the Black Hand for their part in extortion rackets that plagued the Italian neighborhoods. Through the early 1900’s these gangs expanded from Italian neighborhoods to city wide in New York ("Mafia in the United States", 2013). In January of 1920 prohibition began in the United States making it illegal to buy sale, manufacture, or transport alcohol. At this time there started to be a high demand for alcohol from the public. The New York Italian Mafia then morphed into a big time enterprises since the illegal sale of alcohol was tolerated by the public and many law enforcement officials were paid to look the other way. Most of the alcohol brought into the country at this time came from Canada, Caribbean, and stills that operated in the Midwest. During the 1920’s there began to be a power struggle within the Mafia gangs for control of territory and liquor sales. Gangs soon began to hijack each other’s shipments to force rivals to pay them for protection. It wasn’t until 1933 when prohibition ended that the Mafia moved to other business ventures ("Mafia in the United States", 2013). After prohibition the Italian crime families in New York had become criminal empires for their success in the...
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...Research Paper The definition of Mafia is "a group of people of similar interests or backgrounds prominent in a particular field or enterprise" (http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Mafia). The Mafia began as "a secret criminal society of Sicily or Italy" and eventually there was a "similarly conceived criminal organization in the United States" (http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Mafia). There is no denying that the face of organized crime has changed throughout history. In spite of these changes, ideas about family and loyalty have remained a relentless aspect of the culture of organized crime. By illustrating American derivations of the Italian Mafia, such as The Sopranos and The Godfather, we will explore the ways in which customary perspectives of the family have molded the Mafia and other criminal organizations. The Mafia evolved over hundreds of years in Sicily. In the mid-nineteenth century, Sicilians joined together in groups and began to rely on "family ties" to protect themselves, keep themselves safe, and carry out their own justice in a place where the Italian government was just recently trying to establish itself. In Sicily, the expression "mafioso," at first had no criminal implications and was utilized to refer to an individual who was suspicious of those in a position of power. Eventually the group turned into the brutal criminal organization referred to today as the Sicilian Mafia. (Ott 291-294) The American Mafia, or Cosa Nostra, which translates...
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...The Mafia in America began during the times of Prohibition as the more moneyed and more violent successor to local city and street gangs involved in illegal activities like gambling and prostitution. They thrived in big cities like New York and Chicago. Initially, they were a big supplier of liquor which was bootlegged, and that made it necessary for them to have beneficial connections within the local police departments and with political officials. Bribing the police to look the other way as they conducted their illegal operations was very common practice in the Mafia. Nowadays, the Mafia is in decline due to the increased efforts of police departments in major cities, effective mayors anxious to ‘clean up’ their cities, the FBI, and other law enforcement agencies that prevent their illegal activities from continuing with any great success. Evidence of this, is the amount of increased arrests, Mafia members turning informants and supplying important information regarding mafia ‘family’ operations, and less Mafia activity occurring in the big cities. In my opinion, the future of organized crime not favorable due to all the safeguards and effective operations law enforcement agencies currently have in place. While I don’t believe organized crime and Mafia ‘families’ will ever cease to exist completely, great strides have been made in eradicating and suppressing current activities and discovering any new involvements due to advances in criminological technology and effective...
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...(the Mafia) is most defiantly a gang, it should be considered among the highest organized gangs in the world. Even translating the Italian word, La Cosa Nostra "This thing of ours" (Mafia, 2014) can tell someone about the gang’s intensions. The Mafia is the foremost organized criminal threat to American, the nationwide alliance of criminals dedicated to pursuing crime and protecting its members. The structure described “La Cosa Nostra” am sure street and motorcycle gangs will share similar structures, but they may differ in some ways. According to Johnston (201), “Each gang is made up several families’ it can range from fewer than ten to more than one hundred” (Johnston, 2014). Since they are composed of more than five people it is considered a gang “specifies that a criminal street gang must have five or more members to qualify as a gang” (Howell, 2012, p.72). With the help of outside sources (e.g. online articles), I will described the difference between the gangs. Mafia (2014) The family is structured by the leader known as the boss, just below the boss is the underboss second in command, beneath the underboss are several capos the key to being a successful capo is making money. And lastly the soldiers the lowest rank among the Mafia. Sometimes the Mafia will use associates not actual members of the Mafia, but they work with Mafia soldiers and capos on various criminal activities (Mafia, 2014). Groups like street and motorcycle gangs are as well organized as the Mafia. Both...
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...The MafiaThe mafia is an organizational international body of criminal, operating originally in Sicily now especially in Italy and the US and having a complex and ruthless behavioral code. The mafia started in the mid 19th century and they still operate today. They are five different family that came to the United States to start they world of crime and also to become one of the most powerful organization. There are five mafia family are relating somewhere in Italy, how the FBI got one of there officers undercover showed what he had to do not to get caught will he was in the mobs presence also what they did while he was undercover, then finally how the mafia got into the America without them knowing what they did for a living. The mob had...
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...Since the beginning of governments there have been a select few individuals that oppose the laws of the land and consistently run afoul of the law. These groups of people are often organized into groups know as the mafia or gangs. They operate as a single unit with a common purpose and goal; money and intimidation of political figures in order to further the organizations wealth and status. Two such organizations the Russian Mafia, which dates back to the times when Czars ruled the country and the Japanese Yakuza, which are believed to be formed sometime during the Edo period of Japanese History (1603-1868) share similarities in operations and activities but also differ in organization and historical lines. We will look at the organization, history and methods of each of these criminal organizations. The history of Yakuza also known as gukudo, is believed to originate sometime between 1603 and 1868. This criminal organization that is still operates today in Japan is referred to by a couple of different names. The Japanese police have labeled them boryokudan, literally translated as “violence group”, while the Yakuza call themselves ninkyo dantai, literally translated as “chivalrous organizations.” There appears to be quite a disparity as to how the police view the Yakuza and how they view themselves. The Yakuza appears to have been formed for two classes of people during the edo period of Japanese history. The Tekiya and Bakuto were the two classes of people...
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...of organised crime? Case study- Sicilian Mafia ‘Organized crime can simply mean systematic and illegal activity for power or profit. Today, however, the term is usually used in a second sense, and has become virtually synonymous with gangsters in general or the 'Mafia' or mafia-type organisations, in particular.’ (Woodwiss 2000:1) The term ‘Mafia’ often refers to an organised criminal syndicate or association that originally developed in Sicily during the nineteenth century at the end of feudalism when institutional reforms caused the diffusion of private properties without matching state enforcement. This analysis builds on the work of Gambetta (1993) who argues that the Sicilian Mafia originally sold landowners protection from attacks when State enforcement was unavailable and in such circumstances Mafia were used as a supplement for state failure. These protectors were so successful in their role that they resort to extorting money, by making crime and forcing the wealthy to buy their protection services. As a result they became an international organised criminal network, yet while it may be that the Mafia are viewed as an organized criminal syndicate, their very provision of protection can be seen as a legitimate business service and not organised crime. It is also the case that legitimate businesses co-exist with illegal ones, so it is not always simple to characterise the Mafia as organised crime. Additionally, the term Mafia alone has been used interchangeably with...
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...The Mafia/Mob Influenced American Society as we Know it Today. Since I was a kid I had an interest in the mafia. This interest may have stemmed from watching the Godfather movies with my father growing up. As we all know, this way of life is a violent lifestyle not conducive to a long and prosperous life but television and movies glorified it to an extent. Through countless hours of reading and research I got more of an understanding of how they came about and why but what I really wanted to know it what kind of influence did they have on the American society? Thesis Prohibition of the 1920s introduced the maturation of the American mafia. The religious left and established political groups influenced and created the 18th Amendment to the United States Constitution which made it illegal to produce, sell, transport, and import alcohol. If prohibition influenced the creation of the Mafia what did the Mafia influence and how did it affect American Society? Preview of Main Points I was able to find several areas where the Mafia was able to influence American society as we know it today but; I will only touch on three of them. The music we listen to today was greatly affected by the popularity of jazz being performed in the underground night clubs which were owned and operated by the Mafia. Las Vegas, or “Sin City”, wouldn’t be the city it is today without the funding and early management provided by the Mafia. Finally, crime scene investigation or forensic analysis...
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...The Italian Mafia was a large part of the 1920s; it went against Prohibition, was the first major organized crime network, and showcased some of the most infamous gangsters in the U.S. Organized crime and the Italian Mafia is a symbolic part of the 1920s. Immigrants, often in poverty turned into criminals because it offered a way for them to improve their lives. The mob went against Prohibition to make a profit, which in turn helped immigrants rise above the poverty line. The Mafia turned into a complex crime organization that bloomed in the booming cities across the country. New York City, and Chicago were both major hubs for crime families. Immigrants, or children of immigrant families often bonded together for protection, or to make...
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...For many years, rogue actors such as the Mafia, dons, and criminal gangs have positioned themselves at the center of the politics and economy in nations across the world. Such networks of outlaws have gained acceptance in poor neighborhoods and are widely seen as alternate authorities that bring both social order and disorder in many societies. These actors are characterized by a strict organization with bureaucratic modes of operation driven by underlying violence. However, in the last two decades, the Mafia has faced a considerable decline in its global and local presence due to the collaborative efforts of multiple state governments. Hume N. Johnson and Joseph L. Soeters, in their article, attempt to forecast whether such a ‘reversible...
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...Europe. Our society is convinced that the so-called Mafia is a family of pure criminals, pimps, and murderers. Whatever the opinion, there is no doubt that the Mafia played a big part in the history of America and the way Americans view crime today. “The origins of the secret society known as the Mafia are believed to be as old as the 9th century” (Mafia History). During the 9th century, the Mafia’s main purpose was to strengthen themselves against enemies, which invaded their homeland in Sicily. It was supposed to create a strong feeling of togetherness between all Sicilians. “This idea of family was carried through in the structure of the organization, which had a strong hierarchical layout” (Mafia History). The Mafia is said by many to have perhaps the best system of power, than any other group or government known today. One can compare a physical representation of the family almost to a family tree dated all the way back through many generations. Certain people operated the system, but without the help of the people with the less power, the Mafia would be very weak. To put it another way, a leader cannot lead without followers, and the followers cannot follow without leaders. This is why the Mafia was hard to overcome. Although when many think of the location of the Mafia, Chicago and New York often come to mind, but actually the Mafia has been traced back through 26 major cites in America. Within every city were many Mafia families each with it’s own government. “At the...
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